This is the Tokina 16.5-135 Review – I know, the focal length is totally awkward!
This is Tokina’s first attempt in making a walk around consumer zoom lens and I was pretty excited to test it at first.
I was expecting a very solid performance like the Tokina 11-16 wide angle lens, but I was soon disappointed with the quality of this lens.
I tested the Canon
Unfortunately, during testing, the Tokina does not perform well optically.
Disappointing beach test shot. Tokina 16.5-135 and Canon EOS 7D.
Sharpness was good overall, but what really kill the deal was poor distortion, vignetting and chromatic aberration control.
In terms of build quality, it is a fairly good lens for a consumer grade lens but missing an image stabilization feature which is crucial to have for a lens in this zoom range.
If you want to see a better alternative for this lens, the new Tamron 18-270mm PZD lens is a much better alternative to this lens.
See the result from my Tokina 16.5-135 review below.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Tokina 16.5-135 Review – Specs
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Official Name:
Tokina AT-X 16.5-135 DX AF 16.5-135mm f/3.5-5.6
Focal Length Markings:
16.5, 24, 35, 50, 70, 105 and 135mm
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.
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 | 9 / 15 |
| Angle of View | 82 – 12° |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 9 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 19.7in. (0.5m) |
| Filter Thread | 77mm |
| Weight | 21.5oz. (610g) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | ø3.46 x 3.1in. (84 x 78mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 1:5.43 |
| Available for | Canon and Nikon |
Optical Performance
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Tokina 16.5-135 Review – Sharpness
The Tokina 16.5-135mm has a very good sharpness both on the center and on the borders.
The optimal aperture is f/5.6.
See the full sharpness test below for this Tokina 16.5-135 review.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Tokina 16.5-135mm Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 16.5mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 35mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 70mm | n/a | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 135mm | n/a | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Tokina 16.5-135mm Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 16.5mm | Great | Excellent | Great | Great |
| 35mm | Great | Great | Great | Excellent |
| 70mm | n/a | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 135mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
Distortion
Distortion is one of the weakness on this lens. On 16.5mm, there is a visible barrel distortion and on the other focal length, there are visible pincushion distortion.
See the distortion test below.
Vignetting
Vignetting is also a problem on this lens. It is very visible especially on 16.5mm and 135mm.
You can see the result of the vignetting test on the chart below.
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration control is a department that Tokina handles well and this lens is no exception.
This lens shows an average chromatic aberration control throughout the zoom range.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Tokina 16.5-135mm Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 16.5mm | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| 35mm | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| 70mm | n/a | Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| 135mm | n/a | Low | Low | Very Low |
Build Quality
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Materials
Feels solid and heavy for a consumer grade lens. Made in Japan.
Focusing
The front element of this lens will not rotate during autofocus. So, using a polarizer is not a problem.
Autofocus is accurate. However, it is a shame that Tokina still relies on the screw drive mechanism (an old mechanism) for autofocusing function.
What this mean 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 an DX lens. You can only use it with a cropped sensor DSLR camera. It is NOT compatible with a full frame DSLR or film SLR.
Sample Image
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Below are some sample shots that I took with this lens.
Get the best price online from Amazon: For Canon
Conclusions
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Tokina made a bold move by launching their first consumer grade walk-around zoom lens, but they still need to get most things right.
Distortion, chromatic aberration and vignetting are not under good control.
Also, they might need to update their lens feature and autofocus mechanism to be able to keep up with the competitor’s such as the Tamron 18-270mm PZD lens (which I highly recommend as an alternative to this lens).
In conclusion: nice try, but try harder.
Drawbacks
- Poor distortion control
- Poor vignetting control
- Poor chromatic aberration control
- Outdated autofocusing mechanism
- No image stabilization features
- A bit heavy for a walk around lens
Positives
- Good sharpness throughout the zoom range
- Good build quality
Good For
Nothing. See the Tamron 18-270mm PZD review instead.
Not So Good For
Everything. See the Tamron 18-270mm PZD review instead.
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Tokina 16.5-135mm f/3.5-5.6 DX from Amazon:
If Amazon doesn’t have it in stock, try B&H Photo (Canon, Nikon) or Adorama (Canon, Nikon).
Be sure to check out the related lens review below.
Hope this Tokina 16.5-135 review has helped you in your buying decision.
This is the Tokina 16.5-135 Review – I know, the focal length is totally awkward!
This is Tokina’s first attempt in making a walk around co…
This is the Tokina 16.5-135 Review – I know, the focal length is totally awkward!
This is Tokina’s first attempt in making a walk around co…
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
Tags: tokina 16.5-135, tokina 16.5-135 review, tokina 16.5-135mm
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