Tokina officially announces the Opera 16-28mm F/2.8 FX

[Canon Rumors Guy]

Tokina has officially announced the Opera 16-28mm F/2.8 FX zoom lens for Canon and Nikon full-frame DSLRs.
Key Features:

EF-Mount Lens/Full-Frame Format
Aperture Range: f/2.8 to f/22
Three Aspherical Elements
Three Low Dispersion Elements
Multi-Coating
Silent Drive DC Motor Autofocus System
9-Blade Diaphragm
Built-In Lens Hood

Preorder the Tokina Opera 16-28mm F/2.8 FX Zoom

Press Release:
Inspired by the focal length and aperture of the widely acknowledged Tokina AT-X 16-28mm F2.8 PRO FX lens, Tokina opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF has been developed with the same concept as the already released opera 50mm F1.4 FF, to offer the photographers another contemporary tool for professional photography.
Super wide angle, superior resolving ability coupled with high contrast and...

Continue reading...

 

[BeenThere]

Getting to be a crowded field of choices in the wide aperature ultra wide angle zooms. Good for us. Will be interested to see what the reviewers say.

 

[LSXPhotog]

I really wish they didn't have a bulbous front element. :-(

 

[bsbeamer]

Very curious to see how this performs against the Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 and Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4 DI OSD Lens for Canon EF. Own the 15-30mm G1 and it's a phenomenal lens.

 

[Trey T]

Getting to be a crowded field of choices in the wide aperature ultra wide angle zooms. Good for us. Will be interested to see what the reviewers say.

Decades ago, zoom lenses had a hard time trying to match prime lenses, both sharpness and fast aperture. Today, they're closing the gaps w/ their improved lens design and demand for non-OEM brands. i.e. Sigma Art (crop) 18-35mm f/1.8 is an excellent lens, particularly very sharp from 20mm-35mm @ f/2.0. I hope one day, Canon will outsource lens making to companies like Sigma, Tokina, or alike.

I predict that there will be significant amount of negative reviews simply because the zoom stop in the ~middle of 24mm and 35mm, at 28mm. Given that it's $600 cheaper than the 14-24mm f/2.8 Art and $1300 cheaper than the 16-35mm f/2.8L, the overall review will be positive. Therefore, it's a safe bet to preorder w/o any reviews.

 

[slclick]

Decades ago, zoom lenses had a hard time trying to match prime lenses, both sharpness and fast aperture. Today, they're closing the gaps w/ their improved lens design and demand for non-OEM brands. i.e. Sigma Art (crop) 18-35mm f/1.8 is an excellent lens, particularly very sharp from 20mm-35mm @ f/2.0. I hope one day, Canon will outsource lens making to companies like Sigma, Tokina, or alike.

I predict that there will be significant amount of negative reviews simply because the zoom stop in the ~middle of 24mm and 35mm, at 28mm. Given that it's $600 cheaper than the 14-24mm f/2.8 Art and $1300 cheaper than the 16-35mm f/2.8L, the overall review will be positive. Therefore, it's a safe bet to preorder w/o any reviews.

For a time I owned and enjoyed the Sigma 24-35, it was like having 3 primes in one.

 

[Mistral75]

Very curious to see how this performs against the Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 and Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4 DI OSD Lens for Canon EF. Own the 15-30mm G1 and it's a phenomenal lens.

This Tokina opera 16-28mm f/2.8 FF is basically a revamped Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro FX (announced in July 2010) with a slightly different appearance, a focus ring matching the directional turn of the mount it's meant for and, may be, new coatings and a quieter autofocus (DC motor and reduction gear supposedly 'encapsulated' -like a Diesel engine!).

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I've always liked Tokina wide lenses, for the price, I might try it once I've seen some reviews and have the filter adapter for my R. Meanwhile, I have a vintage Tokina 17mm f/3.5 that is pretty good.

 

[timmy_650]

This Tokina opera 16-28mm f/2.8 FF is basically a revamped Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro FX (announced in July 2010) with a slightly different appearance, a focus ring matching the directional turn of the mount it's meant for and, may be, new coatings and a quieter autofocus (DC motor and reduction gear supposedly 'encapsulated' -like a Diesel engine!).

It makes me wonder how much the Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro FX will drop in price. It is a little under $600 new.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

It makes me wonder how much the Tokina AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro FX will drop in price. It is a little under $600 new.

I see the old one is marked down $50 to 579, the replacement is $699. If the old ones sell out at that price, so be it. I expect a bigger discount once new ones are plentiful.

 

[funkboy]

Tokina "pro" lenses have always been excellent value for money. Very satisfied with my 11-16 f/2.8 (which BTW mounts just fine on FF & is perfectly acceptable as a "real" 16mm f/2.8).