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Tokina AF 50-135mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX (Nikon) - Review / Lab Test Report |
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Lens Reviews -
Nikon / Nikkor (APS-C)
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Page 1 of 2
Review by Klaus Schroiff, published December 2007
Lens kindly provided for testing purposes by Joris Hol!
Introduction
The Tokina AF 50-135mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX is the product of the cooperation between
Tokina and Pentax - it is an interesting thought that Pentax (co-)designs are now
also available to users of other systems (Canon and Nikon). However, the mechanical
implementation is not identical between the two variants though. The Tokina is a
dedicated APS-C lens as indicated by the "DX" in the name.
Its field-of-view is equivalent to 75-203mm on full format cameras so combined
with its relatively large aperture it is obviously meant as a come-back
of the classic portrait zoom lens. In this class it competes directly with the new
Sigma AF 50-150mm f/2.8 EX HSM DC.
Typical for Tokina AT-X Pro lenses the mechanical quality is excellent thanks to a
metal construction combined with smooth and even slightly damped zoom and
focus rings. On the downside the metal body also means a comparatively heavy
weight despite pretty compact dimensions. The designers have implemented a damped
but non-detachable tripod mount. The front element has a special WP ("Water Proof")
coating which is supposed to allow an easier cleaning from water drops or finger prints.
A classic Tokina feature is the one-touch focus clutch mechanism to switch between
AF and MF by pushing/pulling the focus ring. This can be done in any focus position
and works quite well. The lens has no internal AF motor and relies on a slotted
drive screw operated by the camera (this means no AF on the D40/D40x). The AF is
quite fast and accurate on the D200.
| Specifications |
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| Equiv. focal length | 75-202.5 mm (full format equivalent) |
| Equiv. aperture | f/4.2 (full format equivalent, in terms of depth-of-field) |
| Optical construction | 18 elements in 14 groups inc. 3x SD elements |
| Number of aperture blades | 9 |
| min. focus distance | 1.0 m (max. magnification ratio 1:5.9) |
| Dimensions | 135 x 78 mm |
| Weight | 845 g |
| Filter size | 67 mm (non-rotating) |
| Hood | supplied, petal-shaped (snap-on) |
| Other features | tripod-mount |
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