Tokina 19-35mm 4.5-5.6 any good?

4114effects

4114effects

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Dan
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Keep seeing these pop up for around the £50 mark. I shoot a d700 and my widest lens is 24mm so I was thinking of getting one to try out some more wide angle shots, see if I like them enough to step up to more modern wide.

Anybody got any experience with them. Or will I just be chucking £50 away?

Thanks!
 
Not had one myself but back when I had DSLR's I got interested in these. They seem to have their fans and the images I looked at when thinking about getting one looked good enough to me.

As luck would have it when I went looking for one I couldn't find one and ended up buying a Canon 20-35mm instead. Had I found a 19-35mm I'd have bought it.

As far as I know several companies badged and sold the same lens so a search on 19-35mm might throw up different options depending on what badge you'd rather have on your lens.
 
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And Soligor apparently. Must have been made under license for a whole host of companies :)
 
I had the Cosina version on my D700, good lens for the money, got mine of the bay for £35.00.
 
I've had one too. It was decent enough at narrow apertures. A bit hopeless wide open but that was no big deal. Super value if you just want an occasional use ultra wide.
 
Not the sharpest wide open but OK at f/8-11. Distorts a fair bit but most lenses of that vintage and width do/did. Cheap way into UWA for FF.
 
I had one a fews ago, it replaced the Canon 20-35mm, which I hated. I thought it was pretty decent..
 
No issues with mine on a d700, wide open or not, it's very sharp. Only downside is slow focus and spinning front element.
 
Thanks guys. Missed out on the one I was looking at, but I'm sure another will pop up soon enough :)
 
I had the previous Tokina version 20-35 mm f3.5/4.5 if memory serves me right it had the orange line around the front of the lens barrel I traded it in at local dealers and always regretted it.
All metal barrel construction and among the best optics I have used for a wide angle zoom.
 
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I think the Tokina 20-35/3.5-4.5 is a different lens. There were two versions, the second being the better. I have the second version and indeed it is very good across the frame. Not as sharp in the middle as a good prime, but usually better in the corners.

The 19-35mm also shows up as Carl Zeiss Jena (I think), but still made by Cosina in both auto and manual focus versions. By all accounts it is pretty decent, certainly for the low price they seem to go for :)

Edit: Didn't know that Tokina also branded the 19-35mm lens. Tamron certainly did though.
 
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I had a 19-35, and really wasn't bad at all for wide angle general landscape type photography I wanted it for (greatly stopped down, wasnt worried about focsing speed). For the price, its very low risk
 
The Sigma 17-35mm 2.8/4 is another ultra wide that can be had at bargain prices and proved to be a very capable lens in my experience
 
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