Hello fellow Nikoneers,
I spent a lot of time debating what I should do for a Mid range Zoom. I
am a wedding/Event photographer. I shoot the majority of my weddings
with an F5, supplemented with a Mamiya 645 as needed for enlargements.
In the past I’ve used only primes other than the Nikon 80-200 2.8 mainly
because I have to have sharp images to be able to get a sellable 11x14+
image out of 35mm film @ ISO 400. I don’t care for the one touch
zoom/focus ring design, and also wanted something wider than 35mm on the
wide end so that did away with the Nikon 35-70 2.8 for me. Then I
considered the New Nikon 28-70 2.8S, which I’m sure will be a beauty of
a lens, but I have no real need for "S" technology for my style of
shooting, and wow what a price. So, that’s when the real quest began.
I have always been somewhat of a Nikon snob. You know the type, "Why buy
a Nikon camera and put a 3rd party lens on it?". But, about 1.5~2 years
ago I bought a Tamron SP 90mm 2.8 Macro lens that, by the way, is such
an excellent portrait and macro lens, I sold my Nikon 105 2.8 Micro.
Anyway, back to the story at hand. After much research and
deliberation, I just received (Wed) my shiny new Tokina 28-70 Zoom. I
don’t have the film back yet so, I cannot comment on the optical quality
yet, but I was inspired to write this simply because of its build
quality. It has the Nikon-like crinkle finish, an all metal body, and
feels quite balanced on my F5.
What impressed me more than anything else was the way it felt when
manual focusing. It truly feels like a manual focus lens, not "loose"
like all the other AF lenses I’ve shot in manual focus mode. I believe
this is achieved by the AF/MF clutch system they use. In conclusion, I
guess only time will tell the true build quality of this lens, but my
initial observation is that this is a mechanically a "Pro" caliber lens,
and that Tokina has done a Stand-Up job on this lens. I’ll try to post
more soon with observations on the optical quality of this lens. If it
turns out that the Optical quality of this lens is up to par with the
build quality, IMO this is a great alternative to the new Nikon 28-70
2.8S, that is, if you don’t need a Silent wave motor.
Happy Shooting,
Wayne Jordan
Jordan’s Photography
Trussville, AL USA
Psalm 8:3~4
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
