- Jan 2, 2006
- 10,455
- 35
- 91
So I finally have a well-rounded lens lineup: Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8, Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8, and Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8.
A few thoughts on the Tokina:
1. Build quality is good but not up to par with professional Nikon glass.
The Tokina body is made up of a lot of plastic while Nikon lenses are mostly metal. There is a tiny, tiny bit of play on the zoom ring of the Tokina while the Nikons have literally ZERO play on any moving part. The Nikons are incredibly flush.
2. The focus clutch ring mechanism is going to be an issue when there's sand and water. It is not sealed in the slightest and water infiltrates it with no problem whatsoever. Water will enter though the seams around the focus ring and will literally leak back out the front inside lip of the lens, meaning water is going under and through the focus ring.
http://fuzzybabybunny.smugmug....435486388_W2kwP-X3.jpg
The focus ring clutch mechanism looks like it's a prime candidate for getting sand trapped under it, rendering it gritty at the best and completely locked up at the worst. This happened to me with my Tamron 180mm Macro, which had a similar focus clutch mechanism. It got completely locked up and I had to disassemble it to clean out the sand.
I suspect that the easiest way for sand to get trapped inside is through the rubber grip of the focus ring. When switching from MF to AF, the focus ring can actually PUSH sand particles directly into the lens that have previously been trapped in the troughs of the rubber grip.
I was able to slide a business card under the focus ring and the zoom ring. Such a gap between ring and body easily allows grit to enter.
3. The stock Nikon lens caps fit the Tokina better than the Tokina's own lens caps.
4. The Tokina rear lens caps should NOT be used on Nikon lenses that have the rubber weatherproofing gasket, as the Tokina caps will bend the rubber outwards because they are fatter than stock Nikon caps. Continual stretching and bending outwards of the rubber may lead to an improper seal when the rubber gasket lens is later mounted.
5. When water was run over the lens water readily infiltrated under the focus and zoom rings.
6. Surprisingly, even without a rubber gasket on this lens at the body mount, no water leaked through the metal to metal interface between the lens and body. The body and lens are connected quite tightly and flush.
Moral of review: be especially careful of this lens in gritty/sandy environments. Do not allow it to even touch sand because the rubber grip around the focus ring will collect it and then funnel it INTO the lens the next time you toggle the MF/AF clutch mechanism.
ADDITION: I took off the plastic ring that covers access to the front element using a lens friction tool.
Upon further examining the focus ring mechanism, I can say without a doubt that grit entering this space would be game over. We are talking hardcore penetration of whatever mechanism allows the rotating action of the focus ring. There are so many wide seams and so many open spaces for grit to collect in. Combine this with the fact that there is lubricant under the focus ring that will actually TRAP sand, and you've got a sure fire way to destroy this lens.
Judging from the design, it is entirely possible and quite easy for the following to happen:
1. Losing the "click" as you move from MF to AF or AF to MF. Sand can get underneath the clicking mechanism, block it, and then you would have a focus ring that will just slide up and down freely from AF to MF and vice versa. Happened on my Tamron. Even after cleaning the clicking was never the same.
2. Sand will get trapped underneath the focus ring and make it gritty or seize up.
3. Sand will enter into a very sizable empty space within the lens barrel directly underneath the focus ring, causing absolute havoc to both MF and AF as it prevents the focus barrel from rotating.
The actual light path behind the glass elements seem to be very well sealed from the front, so I would not expect sand or grit to actually get behind any of the lens elements. I could be wrong though because I was unable to further take apart the lens.
The front element requires a special tool to pop off. In my experience front elements are very easy to screw off by hand, but this requires a special spanner tool with pointed ends to unscrew the element, or some kind of suction device on the element itself.
I was able to repair my Tamron myself by fashioning my own lens tool and ordering a completely new outer barrel (the barrel that the focus ring rotates around), but this was my ONLY option. Tamron said it was uneconomical to repair due to sand. So if you get sand in this Tokina you'll either have to buy special tools to open it up, clean it yourself, and then perhaps replace a barrel, or you could sell it for parts, or you could write it off completely. There is probably no sending it into Tokina to get it fixed for a modest price.
A few thoughts on the Tokina:
1. Build quality is good but not up to par with professional Nikon glass.
The Tokina body is made up of a lot of plastic while Nikon lenses are mostly metal. There is a tiny, tiny bit of play on the zoom ring of the Tokina while the Nikons have literally ZERO play on any moving part. The Nikons are incredibly flush.
2. The focus clutch ring mechanism is going to be an issue when there's sand and water. It is not sealed in the slightest and water infiltrates it with no problem whatsoever. Water will enter though the seams around the focus ring and will literally leak back out the front inside lip of the lens, meaning water is going under and through the focus ring.
http://fuzzybabybunny.smugmug....435486388_W2kwP-X3.jpg
The focus ring clutch mechanism looks like it's a prime candidate for getting sand trapped under it, rendering it gritty at the best and completely locked up at the worst. This happened to me with my Tamron 180mm Macro, which had a similar focus clutch mechanism. It got completely locked up and I had to disassemble it to clean out the sand.
I suspect that the easiest way for sand to get trapped inside is through the rubber grip of the focus ring. When switching from MF to AF, the focus ring can actually PUSH sand particles directly into the lens that have previously been trapped in the troughs of the rubber grip.
I was able to slide a business card under the focus ring and the zoom ring. Such a gap between ring and body easily allows grit to enter.
3. The stock Nikon lens caps fit the Tokina better than the Tokina's own lens caps.
4. The Tokina rear lens caps should NOT be used on Nikon lenses that have the rubber weatherproofing gasket, as the Tokina caps will bend the rubber outwards because they are fatter than stock Nikon caps. Continual stretching and bending outwards of the rubber may lead to an improper seal when the rubber gasket lens is later mounted.
5. When water was run over the lens water readily infiltrated under the focus and zoom rings.
6. Surprisingly, even without a rubber gasket on this lens at the body mount, no water leaked through the metal to metal interface between the lens and body. The body and lens are connected quite tightly and flush.
Moral of review: be especially careful of this lens in gritty/sandy environments. Do not allow it to even touch sand because the rubber grip around the focus ring will collect it and then funnel it INTO the lens the next time you toggle the MF/AF clutch mechanism.
ADDITION: I took off the plastic ring that covers access to the front element using a lens friction tool.
Upon further examining the focus ring mechanism, I can say without a doubt that grit entering this space would be game over. We are talking hardcore penetration of whatever mechanism allows the rotating action of the focus ring. There are so many wide seams and so many open spaces for grit to collect in. Combine this with the fact that there is lubricant under the focus ring that will actually TRAP sand, and you've got a sure fire way to destroy this lens.
Judging from the design, it is entirely possible and quite easy for the following to happen:
1. Losing the "click" as you move from MF to AF or AF to MF. Sand can get underneath the clicking mechanism, block it, and then you would have a focus ring that will just slide up and down freely from AF to MF and vice versa. Happened on my Tamron. Even after cleaning the clicking was never the same.
2. Sand will get trapped underneath the focus ring and make it gritty or seize up.
3. Sand will enter into a very sizable empty space within the lens barrel directly underneath the focus ring, causing absolute havoc to both MF and AF as it prevents the focus barrel from rotating.
The actual light path behind the glass elements seem to be very well sealed from the front, so I would not expect sand or grit to actually get behind any of the lens elements. I could be wrong though because I was unable to further take apart the lens.
The front element requires a special tool to pop off. In my experience front elements are very easy to screw off by hand, but this requires a special spanner tool with pointed ends to unscrew the element, or some kind of suction device on the element itself.
I was able to repair my Tamron myself by fashioning my own lens tool and ordering a completely new outer barrel (the barrel that the focus ring rotates around), but this was my ONLY option. Tamron said it was uneconomical to repair due to sand. So if you get sand in this Tokina you'll either have to buy special tools to open it up, clean it yourself, and then perhaps replace a barrel, or you could sell it for parts, or you could write it off completely. There is probably no sending it into Tokina to get it fixed for a modest price.
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