| SOME
CONCLUSIONS ....
The
lens performs well and it seems and feels very well constructed,
promising durability.
.
|
|
The
Tokina AT-X M100AF 100mm f/2.8 Macro at work with Nikon
5T
|
SPECIFICATIONS
| Lens
construction |
|
11
elements in 10 groups |
| Diagonal
angle of view |
|
24°30' |
| Closest
focusing distance |
|
1.1
ft (0.35m) |
| Magnification
ratio |
|
1:2 |
| Aperture
range |
|
f/2.8~f/32 |
| Filter
size |
|
55mm |
| External
diameter |
|
2.7"
(69mm) |
| Length |
|
3.2"
(97.5mm) |
| Weight |
|
550g
(19.2oz) |
| Tokina
hood |
|
SH554 |
| Street
Price, new |
|
~US$300 |
| Nikkor
105mm f/2.8D AF Micro |
|
~US$650 |
It
seems a sweet lens for both portrait and macro photography. Internal
focusing and floating element systems provide very high resolution
and contrast, from infinity to its minimum focus distance (1/2
life size), as in the picture above.
Its
internal focus system does not cause the lens to extend while
focusing, thus it should work well on SLR cameras with built-in
flash. Also, since the front element does not rotate when focusing,
polarizing filters are easily accommodated.
Despite
of not using a tripod, images were very sharp. Film speed
was
not that high on all the samples here (ISO 200). Sorry, no
record of f/stop but depth of field was as expected for a macro
lens:
rather shallow. Auto Focusing was very fast on my F5 when prefocused
and I felt no need to make final adjustments manually. When
the image was a bit crowded I simply locked the focus and
moved
back and forth, just a little, to get the exact plane I wanted.
I
have yet to fully try it for portraits with lights and
at the
backdrop, maybe with a Nikon soft 1 filter to
avoid excessive detail, but I expect it to behave very well.
I now have
purchased
an inexpensive step-up ring to screw on any of my 62mm filters
on this 55mm lens.
Being
about half the price of the 105mm f/2.8D Micro Nikkor, I could
not expect it to have the same magnification ratio, 1:2 as against
1:1.
However,
with the aid of a the Nikon 5T/6T diopter lenses you can
get it, like in the case of the 70-180mm f/4.5-5.6D ED AF
Zoom Micro Nikkor.
At
right, coupled with a 5T Nikon close-up attachment lens,
an almost life-size handheld shot of coins. |
.. |
|
If
you like this alternate Tokina lens, the trick is to find
it,
since it has been discontinued, but the search will
be worthwhile. And for sure you will locate one for a lot
less than
I did.
Although
I am now the proud owner of the 105mm
f/2.8G ED IF VR AF-S Micro Nikkor, the Tokina lens has
been updated with a newer version allowing for
1:1
magnification that might be of your interest,
the Tokina
AT-X M100AF Pro D Macro lens
In
the meantime .......
Have
a great time 
|
