I finally got myself to test this old lens last week and now I have enough information to write the Tokina 80-400 review. I got the Canon
I tested the lens on my Canon EOS 7D
The Tokina 80-400mm looks like a very promising alternative to the much expensive Canon 100-400mm
Race car in daylight. Shot using Tokina 80-400mm at 400mm.
So, given the price, I was very excited to see how it will perform against the Canon 100-400mm
The Tokina has a very good build quality and feel, which makes a very good first impression on me.
However, the optical quality of the lens is not up to the Canon 100-400mm’s standard. The Tokina disappoints, even for a consumer zoom lens, in terms of optical performance.
It is soft and chromatic aberration is a huge issue, even at the optimal aperture.
For anyone looking for an excellent consumer telephoto lens on a budget, my first recommendation would be the Tamron 70-300mm VC lens.
For about the same price, you’ll get newer technology and sharper image.
If you want an even better lens, get the Canon 100-400mm, but be ready to pay the price.
Read on my Tokina 80-400 review below…
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Tokina 80-400 Review – Specs
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Official Name:
Tokina 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AT-X 840 AF-D FX
Focal Length Markings:
80, 135, 200, 300 and 400mm
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-D – Allows the lens to focus automatically on your subject and will pass distance information to the camera electronics for metering purpose.
FX – Compatible with both full frame, cropped sensor DSLR as well as film SLR.
Full Technical Specs (from Tokina’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 10 / 16 |
| Angle of View | 29°50′ – 6°31′ (DX) |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 8 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/32 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 8.2ft. (2.5m) |
| Filter Thread | 72mm |
| Weight | 1020g (35.9oz) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | ø3.1 x 5.4in. (79 x 136.5mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 1:5.4 |
| Available for | Canon and Nikon |
Tokina 80-400mm Optical Performance
Back to: Menu • Introduction
*NOTE* Test was performed using a cropped sensor DSLR.
Tokina 80-400 Review – Sharpness
The Tokina 80-400mm’s sharpness is only average both on the center and on the border of the lens.
The optimal aperture of this lens is f/8.
See the sharpness test below for this Tokina 80-400 review.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Tokina 80-400mm Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 80mm | Great | Excellent | Great | Great |
| 200mm | n/a | Great | Excellent | Great |
| 300mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
| 400mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
Tokina 80-400mm Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 80mm | Good | Great | Great | Great |
| 200mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
| 300mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
| 400mm | n/a | Fair | Great | Great |
Tokina 80-400mm Distortion
In terms of distortion, this lens is fairly well controlled with a very negligible amount of pincushion distortion across the zoom range.
See the distortion test chart below.
Tokina 80-400mm Vignetting
Tested on a cropped sensor body, there is no visible vignetting on this lens throughout the zoom range at all aperture.
You can see the result of the vignetting test on the chart below.
Tokina 80-400mm Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration is where this lens really fails to perform.
It is very visible throughout the zoom range and it would take a while to correct in post processing.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Tokina 80-400mm Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 80mm | Very High | Very High | Low | Low |
| 200mm | n/a | Low | Low | Low |
| 300mm | n/a | Low | Low | Low |
| 400mm | n/a | High | Low | Low |
Tokina 80-400mm Build Quality
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Tokina 80-400mm Materials
The build quality of this lens is excellent. Although still not comparable to a Canon L lens, the build is definitely better than most consumer grade lens on the same price range. Made in Japan.
Tokina 80-400mm Focusing
The autofocus speed is fairly fast and accurate. This lens is a front focusing lens which can cause the image to lose sharpness because the end of the could accidentally drop causing part of the image to blur.
The front element of this lens will not rotate during autofocus. So, using a polarizer is not 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
Tokina 80-400mm Compatibility
This is an FX lens. You can use it with either full frame camera or cropped sensor camera.
Tokina 80-400mm Sample Image
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Below are some sample shots taken with this lens.
Get the best price online from Amazon: For Canon
Conclusions on Tokina 80-400mm
Back to: Menu • Introduction
The Tokina 80-400mm is a very solid lens and it was a joy to handle.
However, it fails to perform optically compared to other consumer telephoto zoom lens on the market.
The major problem is the average sharpness as well as the chromatic aberration at almost all focal lengths.
Given the price, I’d recommend the Tamron 70-300mm VC lens instead of this lens.
Drawbacks
- Chromatic aberration is not well controlled. It is hard to correct in post processing.
- Sharpness is average throughout the zoom range.
- Heavy for a consumer zoom lens.
- Front focusing lens element sometimes cause image to lose sharpness.
Positives
- Vignetting is very well controlled (on a cropped sensor DSLR)
- Distortion is negligible
- Excellent build quality
- Good value for money
Tokina 80-400mm is Good For
People looking for a budget telephoto lens to shoot wildlife or landscape. But the Tamron 70-300mm VC, or even Canon 100-400mm is a much better alternative.
Tokina 80-400mm is Not So Good For
Fast moving sports photography or bird photography.
What Others Are Saying…
by “Somedude74″
I had this lens for about two weeks and tried very hard to like it but just didn’t. I have the Tokina 11-16, which I really like, so I decided to give this a try. Admittedly, cost was a big factor since the Canon 100-400 was a long way off in terms of finances. The big issue for me was softness and CA’s. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get very sharp photos…
Click here to read the full review
Where to Buy Tokina 80-400mm
Support this site, buy the Tokina 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 FX from Amazon:
If Amazon doesn’t have it in stock, try B&H Photo (Canon, Nikon) or Adorama (Canon, Nikon).
Check out the related lens review below as well to see more options.
Hope my Tokina 80-400 review will be of help on your purchasing decision.
I finally got myself to test this old lens last week and now I have enough information to write the Tokina 80-400 review. I got the Canon moun…
I finally got myself to test this old lens last week and now I have enough information to write the Tokina 80-400 review. I got the Canon moun…
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
Tags: tokina 80-400, tokina 80-400 review, tokina 80-400mm
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