Quick to Catch the Action

Nilofer Khan puts the Tokina atx-i 11–16mm f/2.8 CF, an ultra wide angle lens designed for photographers and videographers, on BP’s test bench.

- Nilofer Khan

Last year, Tokina launched the third version of its popular AT-X 116 PRO DX and DX II lenses, the atx-i 11–16mm f/2.8 CF. The atx-i is a new series by the company, and the 11–16mm is the first lens in the lineup. According to Tokina, the “i” in the title of the series stands for interactive, which implies mutual communication between the photographer and the lens. Just like the AT-X series, the lens caters to APS-C bodies.

Features

Constructed using 13 elements in 11 groups, including two aspherical glass and two Super-Low Dispersion glass elements, the 11–16mm features a nine-blade diaphragm. It has anti-reflective multi-layer and water-repellent coatings. The lens incorporates an internal silent focusing motor, along with the GMR sensor to increase AF speed. Its Internal Focus ensures that the overall length does not change while focusing or zooming. Instead of the AF/MF switch, Tokina has included their useful Onetouch focus Clutch mechanism and a fairly detailed distance scale. It helps to quickly set hyperfocal distances, particularly useful with lenses at these focal lengths.