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Archive 2011 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue

  
 
ricardovaste
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p.1 #1 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


Sorry, not really an alternative lens, but this is driving me insane almost. To me, this is clearly faulty, but I'm trying to describe it to the people I bought it to and I'm just repeating myself.... I've sent them this photo.

The lens is at 11mm, manually focused all the way to infinity, as far as it can go. It is at 2.8. I take a photo, and review, but upon inspection the photo doesn't seem right. From around 5-7 feet seems the point of focus and then... to me.. the distance, infinity, seems clearly out of focus. With the lens focused as far as it can go, this suggests to me that it is faulty, poorly calibrated - no?

I've had it a few months, and hadn't noticed the problem before (yes, silly me), but I'd only used the lens at f8-16 before whilst at infinity, and wider apertures for closer images... hence why I hadn't actually seen the issue. However, it has a 3 year warranty, so I'm hoping they can just repair/replace it, despite the long time. It's not like it's been heavily used, looks like new really.

Thanks for your help...

Oh, and this is just a snap in the back garden to illustrate... click for larger file, around 5MB:
11mm f2.8 manually focused at infinity (as far as it'll go)



Edited on Apr 01, 2011 at 05:13 AM · View previous versions



Apr 01, 2011 at 04:16 AM
Sami Ruusunen
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p.1 #2 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


Many times the mechanical stop of the focusing ring goes bit past the infinity. Use the liveview with 10x magnification to check if that's the reason or is the lens even not reaching the infinity at all. If you find out the lens is not working as intended, can't see any reason why not to send it back to seller.

edit: if the image above was taken with lens focused to infinity then there seems to be something wrong



Apr 01, 2011 at 04:38 AM
ricardovaste
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p.1 #3 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


Thanks for adding to my insanity Sami

I'm aware lenses often focus beyond infinity, however, if that were the case here everything would be out of focus. But close objects are in focus.

It is as you say, as far to infinity as it can go at 11mm



Apr 01, 2011 at 05:11 AM
denoir
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p.1 #4 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


I don't think infinity is out of focus in that shot - it's just that the lens isn't capable of higher resolution at infinity. I have the Tokina 11-16/2.8 as well and I can take a test shot with mine to see if I can confirm it if you wish...


Apr 01, 2011 at 05:16 AM
Sami Ruusunen
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p.1 #5 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


denoir wrote:
I don't think infinity is out of focus in that shot - it's just that the lens isn't capable of higher resolution at infinity. I have the Tokina 11-16/2.8 as well and I can take a test shot with mine to see if I can confirm it if you wish...


Well if the lens was really focused to infinity, the infinity part of the image would be sharper than the close distance right?



Apr 01, 2011 at 05:20 AM
denoir
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p.1 #6 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


Yes, that's true. I was just looking at the infinity crop but the other one seems to show that the close distance shot is sharper.


Apr 01, 2011 at 05:23 AM
ricardovaste
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p.1 #7 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


To me I'm clearly seeing out of focus rendering, not simply lower resolution

The lens would have to have something seriously wrong with it for the resolution to be that bad at 2.8... nevermind only bad at infinity :S



Apr 01, 2011 at 05:30 AM
denoir
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p.1 #8 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


ricardovaste wrote:
The lens would have to have something seriously wrong with it for the resolution to be that bad at 2.8... nevermind only bad at infinity :S


Are you sure about that? It's not exactly a top performing wide angle.

Here are two full images,one at f/2.8 and one at f/8. I used live view for focus (Canon 7D):

11 mm @ f/2.8
11 mm @ f/8



Apr 01, 2011 at 05:37 AM
ricardovaste
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p.1 #9 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


Actually, it is a top performing wide angle, easily one of the top APS-C wide angles out there. Have you looked at the full res file I uploaded?

The files you post look in focus to me, very different to what I'm seeing. (edit: read as 'very different to what I'm seeing with mine above')



Apr 01, 2011 at 05:41 AM
alundeb
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p.1 #10 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


My canon 10-22 does similar things. To keep my sanity, I just accept that it doesnt get really sharp at infinity, at all apertures.



Apr 01, 2011 at 05:53 AM
ricardovaste
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p.1 #11 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


It goes away when you stop down of course...

Sigh, doesn't seem my sanity will be saved here. It's being forwarded to the technician anyway, hopefully he'll know what he's talking about.

Good day all.



Apr 01, 2011 at 06:00 AM
Sami Ruusunen
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p.1 #12 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


denoir wrote:
Are you sure about that? It's not exactly a top performing wide angle.
]


Show me a better perfoming f2.8 wide angle on this focal length.



Apr 01, 2011 at 06:08 AM
jfueng
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p.1 #13 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


My lens performs about the same. I haven't made any amazing shots to print out so I guess it doesn't really matter.


Apr 24, 2011 at 02:04 PM
ricardovaste
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p.1 #14 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


True... if you don't do anything with your photos... not much point having a lens. I print often, often quite large too.

I'm sad to report that the shop has just started ignoring me now, completely. I was told the report was being forwarded to the technical staff around 3 weeks ago, I've tried to get in contact numerous times since and they're just ignoring me. So not am I only left feeling just cr*p about the experience but I've now got quite a limited lens, where I have to shoot around f5.6-f8 if at infinity... usable, I know, but not why I bought the lens.



Apr 25, 2011 at 04:43 AM
ricardovaste
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p.1 #15 · Tokina 11-16/2.8 infinity focus issue


Has anyone else had this problem? I took it apart on the weekend and managed to work out how to tweak infinity. Mine is so far off that it is perhaps still a little off at 11mm & 2.8, but not very noticeable now and is very usable... whereas before it was a serious problem and stopped me using the lens in a lot of situations.

I took some snaps of roughly how to take it apart & adjust, so if anyone would fine them useful I'll put them up.



Jul 19, 2011 at 05:23 AM





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