At the CP Plus 2015 Show, the Tokina AT-X 11-20mm f/2.8 PRO DX lens was made readily available in both Nikon and Canon mounts at the Kenko-Tokina exhibition site. Since they are made for APS-C (or DX) format DSLRs, I was given a Nikon D7000 to take the lens on a test run. I can report that the lens’s autofocus operation was smooth and precise, and the one-touch focusing clutch enabled an easy switch between autofocus and manual focus mode. The medium-torque manual focus ring was also quite responsive. Benefitting from ultra low-dispersion lens elements and multi-layer coating, the images I shot were sharp and showed little distortion in its 16.5-30mm equivalent focal range.
While the newest lens from Samyang is a 135mm f/2.0 ED UMC and it comes in mounts for Sony E, Sony A, Nikon F (with AE Chip), Canon EF, Pentax K, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds, and Samsung NX, the only one available at CP Plus was a Canon mount and that left me unable to try the lens. Physically, it is the most solid lens I have ever come across by this Korean manufacturer, and its manual focus and manual aperture rings moved smoothly. Everything about the lens felt right; unfortunately they didn’t bring a range of mount options for me to give it a whirl. The lens is also available as a Cine lens with geared focus and aperture rings and a de-clicked aperture control.
Follow all of the exclusive coverage from B&H of the CP+2015 Show in Japan at this link.
