Reviewed: Tokina AT-X 12-28mm F/4 PRO DX

Verdict: This lens provides good quality image and can be set to a constant aperture of f/4 creating smooth bokeh areas. It is quite weighty at 530g and it’s not as wide angled as some of the competitors

The Tokina AT-X 12-28mm f/4 PRO DX is built for both Canon and Nikon cameras. On a Canon EF-S DSLR it operates with an effective focal length of 19-45mm, and on a DX format Nikon it’s slightly wider at 18-42mm as a result of the different crop factors. It offers a constant maximum aperture of f/4 and 9 aperture blades help create smooth bokeh in out-of-focus areas.

A new optical design includes 2 glass aspherical elements and 2 SD (Super-low Dispersion) elements working together to reduce distortion and control chromatic aberration. In total there are 14 lens elements in 12 groups, and multi-layer coatings help to limit ghosting and flare.

There’s a new AF GMR magnetic precision sensor and a new SD-M (Silent Drive-Module) that has lowered the sounds emitted by the autofocus system, allowing for much quieter AF, and with pleasing speed. Manual focus is set through the one-touch focus clutch AF/MF mechanism, rather than full-time manual override.

Image quality

The Tokina performed well during testing. At 12mm, we detected a mild vignette but stopping down to f/5.6 negated this entirely. There was a modest amount of barrel distortion, but less than most rivals, and we didn’t detect any distortion at 28mm. Our test images were satisfyingly sharp across the zoom and aperture range, however at f/4 the corners of the frame were fractionally soft. We detected some chromatic aberration throughout testing.

Spec

Mounts: Canon and Nikon

Min aperture: f/22 Elements: 14/12

Filter size: 77mm

DxL: 84x90mm

Weight: 530g