Tokina 11-16mm on a FF body

The 11-16 is marketed as an APS-C-specific lens... so exactly how will it perform on a Full-Frame body, assuming I eventually go for a 5d?

How do these 3rd party APS-C-only lens work anyhow? Do they safely mount on FF bodies (unlike EF-S mount lens), yet provide poor performance?

When I went to the 1D and 5D, I sold my 11-16. Big mistake. This weekend I bought it back. I did some serious testing and here's what I found.

5D - Full coverage at 16mm. Less vignetting than the 17-40 at 17mm. Less barrel distortion than the 17-40. Corner sharpness is a tad better than the 17-40.

1D - Full coverage from 16mm to about 12.5 mm.

This lens is a remarkable lens. Rather than viewing it as a zoom, I now view it as a variable focal length prime lens that will give 16m equivalent coverage on FF, 1.3 and 1.6 crop.

On, one area where the 17-40 kicks the 11-16's butt is on flare. The Tokina flares badly when shooting towards the sun.

n1as wrote in post #10862066
5D - Full coverage at 16mm. Less vignetting than the 17-40 at 17mm. Less barrel distortion than the 17-40. Corner sharpness is a tad better than the 17-40.

Nice, basically it's a 16mm 2.8 prime. Sharp.

Does it hit the mirror?

I'm very keen on this lens.

n1as wrote in post #10862066
When I went to the 1D and 5D, I sold my 11-16. Big mistake. This weekend I bought it back. I did some serious testing and here's what I found.

5D - Full coverage at 16mm. Less vignetting than the 17-40 at 17mm. Less barrel distortion than the 17-40. Corner sharpness is a tad better than the 17-40.

1D - Full coverage from 16mm to about 12.5 mm.

This lens is a remarkable lens. Rather than viewing it as a zoom, I now view it as a variable focal length prime lens that will give 16m equivalent coverage on FF, 1.3 and 1.6 crop.

On, one area where the 17-40 kicks the 11-16's butt is on flare. The Tokina flares badly when shooting towards the sun.

This is very good to know

n1as wrote in post #10862066
When I went to the 1D and 5D, I sold my 11-16. Big mistake. This weekend I bought it back. I did some serious testing and here's what I found.

5D - Full coverage at 16mm. Less vignetting than the 17-40 at 17mm. Less barrel distortion than the 17-40. Corner sharpness is a tad better than the 17-40.

1D - Full coverage from 16mm to about 12.5 mm.

This lens is a remarkable lens. Rather than viewing it as a zoom, I now view it as a variable focal length prime lens that will give 16m equivalent coverage on FF, 1.3 and 1.6 crop.

On, one area where the 17-40 kicks the 11-16's butt is on flare. The Tokina flares badly when shooting towards the sun.

Ahh, so it performs admirably on 1x and 1.3x bodies--that is good to know. I don't know why Tokina's own description says it's specifically designed for APS-C bodies...

And yes, flare appears to be the sticking point in every review I've read for the 11-16... otherwise it's wonderful! I just ordered one on ebay from Kenmorecamera for $630 shipped with a Hoya uv filter... currently 4% mr rebate bucks on ebay this week, plus the 3-year warranty and additional 1-year Visa warranty... I couldn't hold out any longer

n1as wrote in post #10862066
When I went to the 1D and 5D, I sold my 11-16. Big mistake. This weekend I bought it back. I did some serious testing and here's what I found.

5D - Full coverage at 16mm. Less vignetting than the 17-40 at 17mm. Less barrel distortion than the 17-40. Corner sharpness is a tad better than the 17-40.

1D - Full coverage from 16mm to about 12.5 mm.

This lens is a remarkable lens. Rather than viewing it as a zoom, I now view it as a variable focal length prime lens that will give 16m equivalent coverage on FF, 1.3 and 1.6 crop.

On, one area where the 17-40 kicks the 11-16's butt is on flare. The Tokina flares badly when shooting towards the sun.

This is very good to know, thanks for the info.

MOkoFOko wrote in post #10862193
Ahh, so it performs admirably on 1x and 1.3x bodies--that is good to know. I don't know why Tokina's own description says it's specifically designed for APS-C bodies...

And yes, flare appears to be the sticking point in every review I've read for the 11-16... otherwise it's wonderful! I just ordered one on ebay from Kenmorecamera for $630 shipped with a Hoya uv filter... currently 4% mr rebate bucks on ebay this week, plus the 3-year warranty and additional 1-year Visa warranty... I couldn't hold out any longer

You will love the lens - it's great and very sharp. Kenmore Camera is where I purchased the lens as well, but I did it in person - it is actually down the street from me.

Someone posted some photos of the 11-16 token on a full frame (5d, I think) about a year ago. I also had this lens when i had a crop camera and tried it on my 5dii. The mirror doesn't hit the lens at all, but ended up selling it as I really didn't need what was effectively a 16/2.8 prime.

sol95 wrote in post #10862277
Someone posted some photos of the 11-16 token on a full frame (5d, I think) about a year ago. I also had this lens when i had a crop camera and tried it on my 5dii. The mirror doesn't hit the lens at all, but ended up selling it as I really didn't need what was effectively a 16/2.8 prime.

especially when canon sells a 16-35L f2.8 zoom .

ed rader

I still have a 40d and 5d, this lens could only work for me

hieu1004 wrote in post #10862256
This is very good to know, thanks for the info.

You will love the lens - it's great and very sharp. Kenmore Camera is where I purchased the lens as well, but I did it in person - it is actually down the street from me.

Small world. I hadn't heard of them prior to this, but did some research when I tried to confirm that they were authorized retailers. Their response was speedy and courteous as well--seems like a good store. Out of curiosity, how much did you pay for it instore?

sol95 wrote in post #10862277
Someone posted some photos of the 11-16 token on a full frame (5d, I think) about a year ago. I also had this lens when i had a crop camera and tried it on my 5dii. The mirror doesn't hit the lens at all, but ended up selling it as I really didn't need what was effectively a 16/2.8 prime.

At least say 11mm f/2.8 prime--that's much more interesting on a ff than 16mm
Edit: Nevermind, now I understand the reasoning behind your statement.

ed rader wrote in post #10862288
especially when canon sells a 16-35L f2.8 zoom .

ed rader

But it's expensiveeeeeeeee More than 2x the price of the Tokina, and not in the same range on a FF or crop for that matter...

MOkoFOko wrote in post #10862322
Small world. I hadn't heard of them prior to this, but did some research when I tried to confirm that they were authorized retailers. Their response was speedy and courteous as well--seems like a good store. Out of curiosity, how much did you pay for it instore?

I paid $599, but with tax - so you got a pretty good deal.

https://photography-on-the.net …5246&highlight=​11-16mm+ff

DreDaze wrote in post #10862354
https://photography-on-the.net …5246&highlight=​11-16mm+ff

Thanks, very helpful read. I used my google-fu without any truly useful hits. I didn't think of searching within the forums here.

MOkoFOko wrote in post #10862387
Thanks, very helpful read. I used my google-fu without any truly useful hits. I didn't think of searching within the forums here.

yeah it's good because the images show you exactly what you get, i think there are other samples...that was just the easiest for me to find

n1as wrote in post #10862066
When I went to the 1D and 5D, I sold my 11-16. Big mistake. This weekend I bought it back. I did some serious testing and here's what I found.

5D - Full coverage at 16mm. Less vignetting than the 17-40 at 17mm. Less barrel distortion than the 17-40. Corner sharpness is a tad better than the 17-40.

1D - Full coverage from 16mm to about 12.5 mm.

This lens is a remarkable lens. Rather than viewing it as a zoom, I now view it as a variable focal length prime lens that will give 16m equivalent coverage on FF, 1.3 and 1.6 crop.

On, one area where the 17-40 kicks the 11-16's butt is on flare. The Tokina flares badly when shooting towards the sun.

Would you stick with using the 11-16 on a FF then? I had the idea of keeping my 11-16 when I upgrade to FF so that I didn't have to sell it and get something else.