Tokina Opera 16-28mm f/2.8 FF review

Add drama to wide-angle shooting with the second of Tokina’s new Opera lenses

Digital Camera World Verdict

This second lens in the Opera line-up has a robust build and delivers very good image quality, but it’s not a dramatic improvement over Tokina’s older ATX 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro lens. The latest competing Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 Art and Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 G2 zooms perform better, but the Tokina is only about half the price to buy.

Pros

  • +

    Fast f/2.8 aperture

  • +

    Excellent centre-sharpness

  • +

    Great value at the price

Cons

  • -

    Autofocus is neither rapid nor silent

  • -

    Corner-sharpness could be better

  • -

    No filter attachment thread

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Tokina has focused most of its attention on wide-angle lenses over the years, earning a good reputation in this sector of the market. Surprisingly, then, the first lens in the new series of Opera lenses was a Tokina Opera 50mm f/1.4 prime, but the second is a direct replacement for the popular ATX 16-28mm f/2.8 Pro wide-angle zoom for full-frame Canon and Nikon SLRs.

Tokina says the design ethic behind Opera lenses is that they’re ideally matched to the latest high-end, high-resolution SLRs, inspiring photographers to create ‘works of art’. As such the new 16-28mm is aimed squarely at enthusiast photographers, with Tokina’s typically sturdy and robust build quality, along with a fast and constant f/2.8 aperture rating. The metal mounting plate is weather-sealed and the bulbous front element is protected by a permanently fixed petal-shaped hood.

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Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.