Alright...am I seeing things or is this glowing?? Not just blurred but the highlights are actually glowing.
Here are two pics. One taken right after the other with a tripod. The blurred one was 2.8 and the sharper one was 5.6. I realize there is noise...but I wasn't worried about that.
You are the proud owner of a Tokina 28-70 f/2.8 Soft-Focus.
Honestly though, I think your lens is in serious need of calibration. Did it just start acting up recently? Is there condensation in the lens or something? Did you drop it?
I purchased it about a month ago off of ebay, It works pretty flawless otherwise. It is nice and sharp after about f/5. But I was hoping to be able to use it indoors in low light situations. But I guess that won't be happening. It could probably use some calibration...I wonder what that would cost...hmmmm...
How can I tell how old the lens is??numbers on the side say... "6901892" Its a Tokina AT-X PRO SV 28-70mm
I had a Tokina ATX Pro 28-80/2.8 which behaved like this. Very much unuseable wide open and still produced a soft focus effect at f/4-5. I dumped it and returned to the canon camp. Maybe I will try a tamron 28-75 next.
I had the very same problem. I returned mine immediately. It is a shame, because otherwise this is a great lens--I actually prefer it to anything on the market for build and feel. But the optics wide open are awful.
well...at least I am not alone. I will have to see how it performs outside around f/5-f/8...just too darn cold right now. It might be worth keeping for now.
maybe i'm just lucky, but my tokina is extremely sharp from f/4 on. It's actually a little sharper than my 17-40 @ f/4, but is not as good in color saturation & contrast. Also, it is about as sharp as my 70-200 f/4 @ 70mm, but again color saturation & contrast not as good.
At f/2.8 mine is also a bit soft, but nothing like yours. no glow. however my buddy has the older tokina 28-70 f/2.6-2.8 and has a similar 'soft-focus' issue on his 20D. He sent it back to tokina for service & it cost him around $100 and it's still a bit soft, but the glow has been reduced.not sure if it's worth it to you.
Also, i believe he told me the 'glow' has something to do with the coatings on the lens - not updated for digital sensors... but, I'm not sure.
my 28-70 atx pro sv doesnt have that glow, and my lense seems to be sharp from f/4 on as well. i just bought the 28-80 from another member so i will try to compare the two.
What is eveyone complaining about? I've used this as portrait lens on Nikon DX cameras for many year and the 'tokina glow' produces stunning results shot at 70mm and wide open. Tried on film but but dont like focal length. Especially good for close focus, e.g. h&s, portraits of women who are no longer teenagers. They LOVE the results. Rock solid lens, you will pass it on to your kids. If I want sharp portraits I use Nikon 85mm f/1.8 AF D model with 9 curved diaphragm blades for great bokeh and great sharpness. Tried the 85mm 1.4 version but DOF wide open at 6 ft distance is about 3/4 inch, not very usable. And contrary to what some say, there is very much such a thing as portrait lens that's too sharp; they are simply cruel on some older folks or people with less then perfect complexions. If you want a 28-70 zoom that sharp at all focal lengths and f stops, you need something else. There is a 28-80mm f 2.8 version but haven't used it. Feel the glow!
