This is a Tokina 16-50 review. The Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 DX is an old lens from 2006. It was made to target the professional photographers who want a fast, standard zoom lens.
I tested the Canon mount that I got from B&H Photo (this lens is a bit hard to get nowadays) on my Canon EOS 7D DSLR camera. As usual, Tokina is also making the Nikon mount of this lens.
In terms of build quality, the Tokina really promises a lot. However, it fails to deliver in terms of optical quality. You’ll see why if you read my complete Tokina 16-50 review below.
The primary weakness of this lens is at 16mm and 50mm. At 16mm, border sharpness, distortion, vignetting and chromatic aberration becomes an issue.
At 50mm, border sharpness and vignetting becomes an issue.
Disappointing corner performance on Tokina 16-50.
This lens will not be my first pick when you want a fast, standard zoom lens. I’d recommend you take a look at the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 Di-II VC instead.
Read on this Tokina 16-50 review below if you’d like, but I’d highly recommend you also check out the Tamron link above.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Tokina 16-50 Review Specs
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Official Name:
Tokina AT-X 165 PRO DX AF 16-50mm f/2.8
Focal Length Markings:
16, 24, 35 and 50mm
Features:
AT-X – Advanced technology that Tokina use to design and fabricate for the most advanced lens (this one is a marketing jargon, don’t pay too much attention)
AF – Allows the lens to focus automatically on your subject.
PRO – Professional build quality for enhanced durability.
DX – You can only use this lens with cropped sensor DSLR. You shouldn’t use it with a full frame DSLR camera.
Full Technical Specs (from Tokina’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 12 / 15 |
| Angle of View | 82 – 31° |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 9 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 11.8in.(0.3m) |
| Filter Thread | 77mm |
| Weight | 610g (21.5oz) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | ø3.3 x 3.8in. (84 x 97.4mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 1:4.88 |
| Available for | Canon and Nikon |
Optical Performance
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Tokina 16-50 Review – Sharpness
Overall, the Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 DX is a relatively sharp lens on the center.
The problem will appear when you look on the border. At 16mm and 50mm at f/2.8, the border sharpness starts to get soft compared to other aperture.
The optimal aperture on this lens is f/5.6.
See the full sharpness test result of this Tokina 16-50 review below.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 DX Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 16mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 24mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 35mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 50mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 DX Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 16mm | Good | Great | Great | Great |
| 24mm | Great | Great | Excellent | Excellent |
| 35mm | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 50mm | Good | Great | Excellent | Excellent |
Distortion
There is heavy barrel distortion at 16mm. At the other focal lengths, distortion is fairly minimal and can be ignored.
See the distortion test chart below.
Vignetting
The 16mm and 50mm seems to be a weak spot of the Tokina lens. At 16mm and 50mm at f2.8, vignetting is pretty apparent.
Other than these two focal lengths, vignetting is pretty well controlled at other focal length at any aperture.
You can see the result of the vignetting test on the chart below.
Chromatic Aberration
As usual, chromatic aberration control is a primary weakness from a Tokina lens.
The chromatic aberration at 16mm at f/2.8 are pretty apparent. Stopping down to f/4 or more will greatly reduce chromatic aberration control.
If you have to shoot at 16mm at f/2.8, I’d suggest you correct the problem in post processing using either Adobe Photoshop
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 DX Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 |
| 16mm | High | Low | Low | Low |
| 24mm | Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| 35mm | Low | Very Low | Negligible | Negligible |
| 50mm | Low | Very Low | Negligible | Negligible |
Build Quality
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Materials
The PRO designation indicates that Tokina used special finish to make the build more solid. Made in Japan.
Zoom Ring
The zoom ring is fairly smooth and easy to operate. The zooming mechanism is very good and this lens does not have any zoom creep (the lens will not accidentally zoom when you tilt it downwards or upwards).
Focusing
The autofocus speed is pretty fast and accurate although it exhibits some minor noise during autofocus.
The f/2.8 aperture will help prevent focus hunting during low-light shooting.
The front element of this lens will not rotate during autofocus. So, using a polarizer will not be a problem.
For Nikon user: This lens does NOT have a built in Motor, which means it will NOT autofocus when used with cameras with no internal focusing such as Nikon D40
Compatibility
This is a DX lens and that means it can only be used for a cropped sensor camera. You should not use this lens with a full frame camera such as the Nikon D3
Sample Image
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Below are some pictures that I took using the Tokina 16-50mm lens:
Get the best price online from B&H Photo: For Canon, For Nikon.
Conclusions
Back to: Menu • Introduction
The Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 DX is a rather inconsistent lens. The primary weakness of this lens is at 16mm and 50mm.
Sharpness, vignetting and chromatic aberration is very pronounced at those 2 focal lengths. At other focal lengths, everything is fine.
Build quality, zoom ring and autofocus are all top notch.
As I’ve said at the beginning of this review, this lens will not be my first pick when you want a fast, standard zoom lens.
If you’re looking for such lens, I’d recommend you take a look at the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8 Di-II VC instead.
Below are the conclusions for Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 DX:
Drawbacks
- Borders are soft at 16mm and 50mm at f/2.8
- Barrel distortion is very apparent at 16mm
- Chromatic aberration is apparent at 16mm
- Vignetting is apparent at 16mm and 50mm at f/2.8
Positives
- Very sharp on the center at all focal lengths
- Very sharp on the border, except at 16mm and 50mm f/2.8
- Distortion is well controlled except at 16mm
- Excellent build quality
- Good autofocus speed and accuracy
Good For
Non-professional use, everyday walk-around lens (due to the inconsistent optical quality).
Not So Good For
Professional photography (or where optimal optical quality is required).
What Others Are Saying…
by “Lee Krohn”
This is another great lens in the Tokina pro line, and a great match to their 50-135 zoom. Fine image quality for sure; I only wish it were a purely internal focusing and zooming lens like the longer one…
Click here to read the full review
by “D. Holt”
This is a great lens. Build is like a tank. Auto focus is fast and a little noisy, but it’s focused from the camera so it’s always a little noisy… Has some CA and color fringing sometimes…
Click here to read the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 DX from B&H Photo:
If Amazon doesn’t have it in stock, try Adorama (Canon, Nikon) or Amazon (Nikon
See the related lens review below as well.
That’s the end of this Tokina 16-50 review, hope you enjoy it and can make good use of this information here.
This is a Tokina 16-50 review. The Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 DX is an old lens from 2006. It was made to target the professional photographers who …
This is a Tokina 16-50 review. The Tokina 16-50mm f/2.8 DX is an old lens from 2006. It was made to target the professional photographers who …
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
Tags: tokina 16-50, tokina 16-50 review, tokina 16-50mm, tokina 16-50mm review
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