Pls Advice !!

BornToRide · 7th November 2003

considering to save up for a wide angle lens...
considering between two...pls advice so can make up mind.
1) Tokina AF20-35 f/2.8 AT-X AF PRO--$1097 @ CP
2) Nikon's 18-35 f3.5-4.5 --$900 @ CP

For a difference of $200 i get a faster lens...but the nikon has a lot of good reviews...n i belive it will also give a good resale value. am i right in saying that?
third party lenses also produce lenses with state of the art techniques right? or at least their brochures claim it to be. so how can a third party lens be inferior to a nikon? mmmm..

just want clear a doubt...is it really true nikon's lenses produce sharp images? or r we paying such high price tags for the brand name?will i get a good resale value on the tokina?

Astin · 7th November 2003

Actually beyond sharp or no sharp, you also need to consider:
- colour reproduction
- better contrast
- distortion
- dark corners

especially so for wide angle zooms, a lot of physics and optics engineering involved.

sadness · 7th November 2003

hi brother!

how are things? it has been some time!

i actually just exchanged my AF18-35 f3.5-4.6 for a AF20-35 f2.8 Tokina ATX Pro. read and heard so much about this lens that i thought i'd change it for a month with my friend. in fact, i don't feel like changing back...now. haha

from my observation, the distortion rate of the 18-35 is not so bad. to me, still very good quality and distortion rate is highly acceptable. the built is good. the weight is good too. doesn't feel too light. i didn't test it for the ghosts and flares. perhaps u have to find out more from the other 18-35 users.

generally, the $900 u're paying for this lens is in my opinon, pretty ok. this is a Nikkor lens, the resale value is always there, provided kept in good condition. but why would you want to trade this lens in, unless u're upgrading to a f2.8 series lens? which is precisely what i did.

the AF20-35 Tokina lens is awesome. all the usual comments, sharp, good, nice, colour tones... i'm very pleased with this lens in fact. i think it is tremendous value for such a good lens. i can't believe that it is being sold at more than half the price of the Nikon 17-35 f2.8 lens. i don't observe much distortion at 24mm and up. perhaps some slight distortion at 20mm. i noticed vignetting when i use my Cokin P filters at 20mm. slight though.

i have not shot much with this lens yet, but there are some examples from a recent escapade in Ubin. i also have some examples on the 18-35 nikkor lens. i am able to email to u. PM me.

seriously, if u do not have the dough and still fancies a good f2.8 wide lens, perhaps the Tokina ATX 20-35 f2.8 is the best way to go.

the resale value of this lens shouldn't be as bad as the Nikkor lens.

u have read so many reviews about this Tokina lens and the Nikkor lens that i really do not need to go into details. both are good. it is a matter of choice between a Nikon lens and a Tokina lens. the 2mm is extra on the Tokina in exchange for f2.8 constant...

hey, did i tell u about the ATX Pro 17mm f3.5 Tokina lens?

it is brilliant on S2Pro! making it around 25.5mm.

i'm sure there are other inputs from other Nikon users.

BornToRide · 7th November 2003

HELLO Sir...how have u been....i've been under a lot of stress lately...y?.....EXAMS !!! hehehe...
Yup...tokina 17mm has excellent reviews .
If tokina is really that good y do people talk about it degradingly?
mmmm....holidays around the corner....gonna work my butt off to get the tokina 2.8 then. hehehehe.. thanks sir.
but then again... comparing the nikkor 18-35 and 19 or 20 -35mm f 3.5 - 4.5 which would be better?

BornToRide · 7th November 2003

ya sir....would love to c ur photos ....my e-mail add is r7racer@yahoo.com.sg
Thanks!

james m · 7th November 2003

Originally Posted by BornToRide

considering to save up for a wide angle lens...
considering between two...pls advice so can make up mind.
1) Tokina AF20-35 f/2.8 AT-X AF PRO--$1097 @ CP
2) Nikon's 18-35 f3.5-4.5 --$900 @ CP

another one to check out is the new Tamron that is on the way ...

Tamron SP AF17-35mm F2.8-4.0 Di LD Aspherical (IF) Macro

Cheesecake · 7th November 2003

hello,

maybe when we both saved up enough $$, we can go and test the lens for ourselves. get a 'feel' of the Tokina and Nikon. maybe after doing so then will we know which lens we really want.

rgds,
cheesy

sebastiansong · 7th November 2003

the sigma 15-30 f3.5-f4.5 is definitely worth considering if you can spare 800 for a 2nd hand

otherwise the tokina 19-35 is a good cheap buy for around $300

BornToRide · 7th November 2003

Yes cheesecake...that's a good idea!!...we shall do that. 15-30 f3.5-4.5 for $800?--second hand?...may i just ask wat makes it so special that its so ex?

Cheesecake · 7th November 2003

Originally Posted by BornToRide

Yes cheesecake...that's a good idea!!...we shall do that. 15-30 f3.5-4.5 for $800?--second hand?...may i just ask wat makes it so special that its so ex?

then gotta wait till next jan when i finally might save enough! but my mind is more or less set on which lens to get...

the Sigma is 15-30mm... the engineering part for the 15mm is probably why it is so expensive? never tried sigma or tamron before. can't comment anything on their lenses.

would love to find out more though.

Jay · 9th November 2003

Originally Posted by sebastiansong

the sigma 15-30 f3.5-f4.5 is definitely worth considering if you can spare 800 for a 2nd hand

otherwise the tokina 19-35 is a good cheap buy for around $300

Hi, saw a posting in other website someone is selling this for $700 in good condition if I'm not wrong.

7th November 2003	#1
BornToRide Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: WEST Posts: 662	Pls Advice !! considering to save up for a wide angle lens... considering between two...pls advice so can make up mind. 1) Tokina AF20-35 f/2.8 AT-X AF PRO--$1097 @ CP 2) Nikon's 18-35 f3.5-4.5 --$900 @ CP For a difference of $200 i get a faster lens...but the nikon has a lot of good reviews...n i belive it will also give a good resale value. am i right in saying that? third party lenses also produce lenses with state of the art techniques right? or at least their brochures claim it to be. so how can a third party lens be inferior to a nikon? mmmm.. just want clear a doubt...is it really true nikon's lenses produce sharp images? or r we paying such high price tags for the brand name?will i get a good resale value on the tokina?

7th November 2003	#3
sadness Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: New York, New York! Posts: 468	hey hi brother! how are things? it has been some time! i actually just exchanged my AF18-35 f3.5-4.6 for a AF20-35 f2.8 Tokina ATX Pro. read and heard so much about this lens that i thought i'd change it for a month with my friend. in fact, i don't feel like changing back...now. haha from my observation, the distortion rate of the 18-35 is not so bad. to me, still very good quality and distortion rate is highly acceptable. the built is good. the weight is good too. doesn't feel too light. i didn't test it for the ghosts and flares. perhaps u have to find out more from the other 18-35 users. generally, the $900 u're paying for this lens is in my opinon, pretty ok. this is a Nikkor lens, the resale value is always there, provided kept in good condition. but why would you want to trade this lens in, unless u're upgrading to a f2.8 series lens? which is precisely what i did. the AF20-35 Tokina lens is awesome. all the usual comments, sharp, good, nice, colour tones... i'm very pleased with this lens in fact. i think it is tremendous value for such a good lens. i can't believe that it is being sold at more than half the price of the Nikon 17-35 f2.8 lens. i don't observe much distortion at 24mm and up. perhaps some slight distortion at 20mm. i noticed vignetting when i use my Cokin P filters at 20mm. slight though. i have not shot much with this lens yet, but there are some examples from a recent escapade in Ubin. i also have some examples on the 18-35 nikkor lens. i am able to email to u. PM me. seriously, if u do not have the dough and still fancies a good f2.8 wide lens, perhaps the Tokina ATX 20-35 f2.8 is the best way to go. the resale value of this lens shouldn't be as bad as the Nikkor lens. u have read so many reviews about this Tokina lens and the Nikkor lens that i really do not need to go into details. both are good. it is a matter of choice between a Nikon lens and a Tokina lens. the 2mm is extra on the Tokina in exchange for f2.8 constant... hey, did i tell u about the ATX Pro 17mm f3.5 Tokina lens? it is brilliant on S2Pro! making it around 25.5mm. i'm sure there are other inputs from other Nikon users.

7th November 2003	#7
Cheesecake Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: I live in a haunted house!!!!! Posts: 12,835	hi hello, maybe when we both saved up enough $$, we can go and test the lens for ourselves. get a 'feel' of the Tokina and Nikon. maybe after doing so then will we know which lens we really want. rgds, cheesy __________________ You'll Never Walk Alone! 初恋的感觉杀很大!

7th November 2003	#8
sebastiansong Moderator Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Singapore Posts: 979	the sigma 15-30 f3.5-f4.5 is definitely worth considering if you can spare 800 for a 2nd hand otherwise the tokina 19-35 is a good cheap buy for around $300 __________________ www.pbase.com/sebastiansong

7th November 2003	#2
Astin Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Astin Studio Posts: 4,724	Actually beyond sharp or no sharp, you also need to consider: - colour reproduction - better contrast - distortion - dark corners especially so for wide angle zooms, a lot of physics and optics engineering involved.