Tokina 17mm F3.5 AT-X 17 AF A-mount lens reviews
reviews found: 14
 QuietOC#44176 date: Nov-17-2018 | |
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sharpness: 3 color: 4 build: 3 distortion: 4 flare control: 3 overall: 3.4 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I have experience with this lens |
| compared to: | Sigma 10-20 F4-5.6 Sigma 12-24 EX DG HSM Samyang 12 F2 Rokinon 16 F2 Sony E 16 F2.8 Tamron SP 17-35 F2.8-4 Samyang AF 18 F2.8 FE Sigma 19 F2.8 DN Art Sigma 20 F1.8 EX DG Sony E 20 F2.8 Minolta AF 20 F2.8 & RS Tokina 20-35 F3.5-4.5 I & II |
| price paid: | Shipping cost (used) |
| positive: | Rectilinear ultra wide 135 format full-frame Minimal barrel distortion Wider than Minolta/Sony 20 F2.8 |
| negative: | Size & weight Misalignment F3.5 Purple fringing Chromatic aberration Warm color cast Raspy focus mechanism Not wider than 18 mm zooms |
| comment: | A clean copy with original caps and hard case. Part of a trade of a Sigma 50-150 F2.8 to Photosopher for this lens and a Minolta AF 28 F2. We ended up returning these to each other. It uses a simple unit focus design like most Tokina lenses. The filter threads do not rotate but do extend. It is similar in size to the Minolta/Sony AF 20 F2.8. The fixed metal hood petals are similar in size to those on the removable hood of the Minolta/Sony 20 F2.8 but about a centimeter narrower. It shares the 72mm filter size with that lens and the original Tokina AF 20-35 F3.5-4.5. It borrows the lens ID of the Minolta 28-85 F3.5-4.5. "JAPAN" There is a directional glow on high contrast edges wide-open (coma) on this copy indicating an alignment problem. It has better contrast than the 20-35 F3.5-4.5 zooms but less resolution. It has much less distortion than the 20-35 at 20 mm or the Minolta/Sony AF 20 F2.8 or the 18-x zooms. The focus plane is not as flat as the Minolta/Sony 20 F2.8. It has a much warmer color cast than the Minolta primes. The angle-of-view is narrower than APS-C 18-x zooms. The image quality is not as good as the 18-55 APS-C kit zooms. The little Sony E 16 F2.8 pancake lens is much wider and much sharper wide-open in the center. This is the worst ultra wide lens I have tried so far. |
; 10MP| jeep#25500 date: Feb-21-2016 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony E 10-18mm OSS which is still very good on the full frame A7R around 15mm |
| price paid: | £225.00 |
| positive: | Lovely lens, well built with fixed flocked metal hood. You can still use 72mm mount filters. I was searching for a good wide and still compact lens - and also reasonably priced for my A7R. Used with a Sony LA-EA3 adapter. My Sample is in 1st class condition. I don't bother with Autofocus for my landscape use and prefer manual focus anyway with focus magnification, much more accurate than peaking. Used with A900 full frame also |
| negative: | Nothing at the price |
| comment: | Been looking for lenses that work well with the A7R without paying some of the high prices and the added bulk that now comes from Sony and Zeiss. This one is a good choice for a well built wide prime. The only thing is the A7R camera exif sees this as 28-85mm lens although it still identifies the focal length correctly as 17mm, go figure. |
| Jim Heal#21431 date: Nov-23-2015 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Tamron 11-18, Tamron 10-24, Voigtlander Super Wide Heliar 15 mk3, Sigma 12-24 DG. Minolta AF20. Zeiss SEL1635Z |
| price paid: | £195.00 |
| positive: | Built like a tank. Not to big. Incredible flare control, for a full frame super wide-angle lens. very sharp, again, for a full frame super-wide. A1 colours and contrast. |
| negative: | Noisy autofocus sounds cheap and nasty. Heavy. |
| comment: | I use mine in manual focus mode with the focus peaking level set to high. Capable of outstanding landscape and architectural results. The autofocus is simply embarrassing if you are in public, or a client is within earshot though. Still a performance bargain. |
| chriseen#11915 date: Jul-20-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | 16mm f2.8 20mm f 2.8 24mm f2,8 50mm f1.4 35-70mm f4 70-210mm f4 50mm Macro f2,8 100mm F2,8 macro 80-200mm f2.8 200mm f2.8 300mm f2.8 CZ 19-80MM f 3.5-4.5 |
| price paid: | 370 euros (like new) |
| positive: | Warm 'Minolta' colours, nice coatings . Good contrast . Great distortion control . Pretty good centre to corner sharpness wide open . Very sharp stopped down slightly Fast and quiet, accurate Autofocus . Reliable lens that won't let you down in any sense . It's a keeper this one |
| negative: | None, Hard to find . Maybe negative for some people : the lens hood is not removable, but IMHO that is an advantage, it protects the front element from bumps. |
| comment: | An great product from Tokina. Build quality is almost the best you can find, minimal distortion and able to take 72mm filters. This lens is my favourite Wide-Angle lens because of its good flare control, relative compactness, 72mm filter and built in lens hood . This lens delivers great detail when using on my A850. The sharpness is great from corner to corner, the colours are like 'Minolta' and the contrast can't be better . It is not a light weight, but not to heavy and still a great build. The AF is fast and accurate.I can see that the Tokina got less vignette than the Minolta 20mm. Makes lovely and awesome landscape/weather/building shots . I won't sell it simply because I can't replacing it with anything better , definitely a keeper. I like this lens better then the 20mm Minolta. |
| Jan Chers#10585 date: Oct-13-2012 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I have experience with this lens |
| compared to: | for me it is difficult to compare |
| price paid: | 300 EUR (excellent condition) |
| positive: | indestructible sharp good colour build in hood price |
| negative: | build in hood zoom ring very narrow |
| comment: | missing |
| eLCee#8213 date: Nov-8-2010 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | SAM 18-55 Min 50 1.7 |
| price paid: | missing |
| positive: | build quality sharp colours mfd |
| negative: | build in hood distortion |
| comment: | I found this lens used in quite a good condition, i lacked a really wide lens for the APS format and for the price i couldn't resist. The lens is fairly sharp, distortion is noticeable on APS but not to bad (somewhere between 4 points and 3). I can live with the build in hood, but the lens is fairly lage "with the hood" unlike my minolta and sony primes. |
| ddoctor#8092 date: Oct-14-2010 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 20mm RS |
| price paid: | missing |
| positive: | Sharp wide open Good contrast Great distortion control Quite good center to corner sharpness Minolta colour |
| negative: | f2.8 would be more convinient |
| comment: | I like this lens better then the Minolta. The minolta got more vignette than this lens. Although it is 3mm wider. Has the same MFD, filter size, similar sharpness, colour, body size but wit a little extra weight. With wider FOV and cheaper price tag, this lens is definitely a better choice. If you can find one off course. Quite a rare lens this Tokina. |
| dumbasadoorknob#7853 date: Aug-25-2010 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Min 20/2.8RS Sig 17-37/2.8-4 Min 24/2.8RS Sig 14/2.8 Sig 15/2.8 Fisheye |
| price paid: | 162 USD used |
| positive: | Simple Light Sharp Beautiful Colors |
| negative: | None |
| comment: | This is my favorite wide angle lens, and I lent it to my daughter with the a700, and can't get them back, so that should be two votes for this lens! It is light, sharp and with beautiful colors. It out-performs my Min20/2.8RS in almost every way. The fixed lens hood is useful and protective in many ways, and I did not find it difficult to remove the lens cap. I use a soft minolta lens case, which fits perfectly. |
| Seagull#7567 date: Jun-14-2010 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta AF 50 f1.7 Minolta AF 50 f1.7 Sigma 24mm f2.8 Super Wide II Beercan 70-210 f4 Minolta 35-105 f3.5/4.5 Minolta 35-70 f4 Sony 18-79 f3.5/5.6 kitlens |
| price paid: | 80 GBP |
| positive: | Very sharp stopped down slightly Indestructible Build quality Good Colour Fast, quiet, accurate AF |
| negative: | Fiddly lens cap |
| comment: | Unexpected bargain from a dealer at a photographic fair. Few customers, end of day, huge stand to pack up and he hadn't made many sales. A bit of haggling got me this plus my Minolta 50mm f1.7 for 165 GBP, both mint condition. I only considered it as someone saw me looking and suggested the dealer had grossly underpriced it. I knew nothing about it but took a gamble with a view to selling it on at a profit. After using it, I decided I couldn't sell it. Works perfectly on my A350 with no compatability issues. It's slightly soft wide open but very sharp stopped down. Using a tripod for landscapes in half decent light it's got fantastic depth of field and on the A350 is sharp corner to corner. Colours are almost as good as my best minolta lenses. Flare can be an issue (to be expected) but was helped by the addition of a decent filter but you need to be careful as with any really wide lnes. Flare control is better however than my 24mm Sigma Super Wide II Build quality is best described as 'rugged' but with a quality finish. As opposed to modern plastic lenses, then the older metal bodied Minoltas, this is by far the toughest. It appears to be made from a particularly thick walled cast/machined metal alloy and I suspect would be a great choice for a war zone photo journalist. You could just keep it pointed at the men with guns, keep snapping and if anyone gets accurate it would probably stop the bullet! The non removeable metal hood is both a blessing and a slight niggle. It makes getting the lens cap on and off a bit of a fiddle but also protects the lens from dings and bashes. The only reason for keeping this lens in a padded lens bag is to pretect your other lenses! I don't use this lens very often but when I do, it's usually those shots you can't plan in advance and need both real sharpness and very wide angle to do justice to the moment. Typically the awesome landscape/weather shots that you can never plan for and never see again. I won't sell it simply beceause I suspect replacing it with anything better would cost me way, way more than I paid. Definately a keeper. |
| DynarX64#7311 date: Apr-18-2010 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 4 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | -Tokina AT-X 235 AF Pro (20-35/2.8) |
| price paid: | 8500 Yen |
| positive: | +Sharpppppppppppppp +Small +Fast focus +Short MFD |
| negative: | -CA at edge when use with A900 -Annoying hood, can't attach square filter normally |
| comment: | For positive and negative, I wrote all of them above. Comparing to other wide angle I have, this one is the sharpest and widest I even had. At the edge of image, this lens deliver better image quality than 20-35/2.8 and 20-35/3.5-4.5. I think it's nearly surpass CZ 16-35 for sharpness, but for CA, this one is may be bad. If sony have the CA correction like Nikon, I think this one would be perform better and may be the best performance per money. |
| superx2won#5922 date: Aug-27-2009 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 20mm/2.8 Sigma 24mm/1.8 CZ16-35mm |
| price paid: | 250 USD (Used) |
| positive: | Light Weight great Build Fast AF |
| negative: | F3.5... if F2.8, it will be better Metal hood can't be removed. |
| comment: | This lens deliver great detail when using in my A700 + ISO 400 in indoor condition. It is light weight and great build. The body won't break in any condition. It AF is super fast , as all prime lens do. This is a little handy lens that you should get hold of. i put 4 for the build rating because of the metal hood which is not removable and it F3.5 stop. |
| wildeye#3161 date: Jan-9-2008 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | Min 20 2.8 RS, Min 28 2.8, Sig 18-125, Min 24-105, CZ 16-80, Min 50 1.4 |
| price paid: | 250? USD (used) |
| positive: | A tank, solid and reliable, liked the focus ring |
| negative: | lens hood is not removable |
| comment: | I had to sell this to get $$ for the CZ 16-80. Although I don't regret it, I was happy with the lens at the time and I will definitely consider Tokina in the future. Last summer I went to an old car show and left it on the camera almost all day. It really is great for those close up round image type shots. Nice crisp contrasty color. Definitely out performed the Sigma. It was a good compliment to the Min 24-105. |
| jarenas#841 date: May-27-2006 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 5 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I have experience with this lens |
| compared to: | KM 11-18 |
| price paid: | missing |
| positive: | 72mm filter, biult in lens hood, price |
| negative: | lens cap, zoom ring very narrow, slightly soft wide open, AF hunts whenever common colored subjects/ backgrounds |
| comment: | Again, another great product from Yokina. Thhis is my third tokina lens and they have all been great. This lens is my favorite WA lens because of its flare control, compactness, 72mm filter, built in lens hood- one less thing to mess with. Of course it has its shortcomings like the zoom ring is alittle tricky to find during split second MF. Hunts at times, keep thinking I'm going to lose the lens cap. Would I buy this lens again, darn right I would especially seeing that the 11-18 was twice the price and not all that impressive. |
| 2manycamera#684 date: Apr-13-2006 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 4 flare control: 4 overall: 4.5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I have experience with this lens |
| compared to: | Sigma 14/3.5 Minolta 28/2 Minolta 24-105/3.5-4.5 |
| price paid: | missing |
| positive: | Build quality, minimal distortion and able to take 72mm filters. |
| negative: | Built-in hood and flare (where you'd expect there to be flare). |
| comment: | To be fair, I seldom used this lens with digital, it was much more in tune to my shooting style with a film camera. Once I bought the Sigma 14/3.5, the Tokina went into its case. That being said, I always found its performance very good at 5.6-11 and quite acceptable at 3.5.There is flare, as you would expect in this wide an angle, but barrel distotion is well controlled. Visible, but not awful. As with all AT-X lenses, the build quality is excellent. Tokina truly builds lenses to last. I hope they bring more A mounts out when Sony releases their A camera. While no lightweight, the 17 balanced well on the 7D, I'll leave it to the next reviewer to comment on how it handles on the 5D. Since it has been awhile since I used this lens extensively, I will refrain from additional comments from memory. Instead I'll let the new owner of my 17/3.5 add his own impressions. |
reviews found: 14
rating summary
- total reviews: 14
- sharpness: 4.64
- color: 4.71
- build: 4.64
- distortion: 4.36
- flare control: 4.29
- overall: 4.53
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