Tokina SZ-X SD 28-105mm F/4-5.3 F4-5.3

 

 

Because I was impressed by the overall performance of it's smaller brother I decided to try out the Tokina SZ-X SD 28-105mm F/4-5.3 to see if it could deliver a similar performance over a more versatile focal range (albeit with slightly slower maximum apertures)

 

Build quality and finish:

A similar story to the 28-70mm, this lens has a lot of metal and an overall solid feel. This lens is a push/pull design as opposed to the traditional 2 touch design of the smaller 28-70mm but otherwise has a very similar finish.

Image Quality:

And once again a similar story, very similar!. Wide open we have decent central resolution at the wide end and decent resolution across the frame at the long end. Stopped down to F8 produces razor sharp results ideal for landscapes. Because of the relatively slow maximum apertures bokeh is not a consideration all too often but when coaxed into producing it the lens shows a relatively smooth performance for an older zoom lens, one benefit of the slow apertures is that axial chromatic aberrations (sometimes referred to as bokeh CA) is extremely well controlled. That just leaves colour and contrast, both excellent across the aperture range!

By clicking on these images you can go to flickr where a larger version is available:

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Conclusion?:

It has to be another recommendation, apart from low light work where the slow maximum apertures would be a disadvantage this is a great all rounder and puts in a  decent optical performance, best of all people are practically giving them away, go and buy one!

 

Tokina 28-70mm f/3.5-4.5 SZ-X270 SD

 

 

Build quality and finish:

There is nothing lacking here, the lens is mostly metal and has smooth focus and zoom rings. Overall construction is very good considering this was not a top of the line lens, the only possible criticism is that there is no internal focus mechanism so using a polarizer filter can be tricky as the front element rotates during focusing but this is not unusual for an older zoom, especially one that was modestly priced.

Image Quality:

In short; great! The lens has superb colours, almost too saturated sometimes! In terms of sharpness the centre of the frame is pretty good at 28mm wide open and stopped down to F/8 is sharp across the frame, just as sharp as most of my 28mm primes! Wide open at 70mm sharpness is already very decent across the frame and is superb at F/5.6. Contrast never seems to be lacking and even the bokeh is smooth in most situations although at 28mm with close backgrounds it can be understandably busy. Overall I was impressed by the results from this lens, it's best stopped down at the wide end which I tend to do with most lenses as I usually do landscape work at wide angles and at 70mm it's really very good wide open so can be useful for portraits. The lens has a macro mode and while it doesn't allow for a huge magnification it's worth noting that sharpness remains decent even at or near the minimum focusing distance.

By clicking on these images you can go to flickr where a larger version is available:

 

Conclusion?:

It's well made, light, has great image quality and a decent macro mode, the only thing I found lacking was a non rotating front element, this is another bargain lens that you can buy for a ridiculously small price and get great results from, I recommend it!