Suggested for those who shoot both stills and video, the Tokina atx-i 11-20mm F2.8 CF offers minimized focus breathing and constant aperture in a package available for Canon and Nikon APS-C sized DSLRs.

Kenko Tokina’s announcement of the  sales release of Tokina atx-i 11-20mm F2.8 CF expands the “i” family from the company, which now offers three lenses, the other two being the atx-i 100mm F2.8 FF MACRO for full frame DSLRs and the atx-i 11-16mm F2.8 CF for APS-C sized Canon and Nikon DSLRs. The lenses are part of Tokina’s new lens line-up 2020, announced on march 6, 2020, in commemoration of Tokina’s 70th anniversary.

The atx-I Series is based on the honorable AT-X family of lenses from Tokina, with the abbreviation kept and an “I” – for interactive – added, to imply mutual communication between photographer and the lens. Tokina believes that this series will provide a tight bond between photographer and the lens in order to capture in the image that the photographer sees around.

Advantages for videographers

The note may suggest that photographers are the key public for the Tokina atx-i 11-20mm F2.8 CF, but the company believes the lens is also adequate for videographers and film makers who shoot both stills and video professionally. To support that claim, Tokina points to a series of features that represent advantages for such a kind of users.

A constant aperture throughout the full zoom range is something videographers will appreciate, but so is the minimized focus breathing, to guarantee that the subject framing does not show big change when focus is adjusted from near to far. The Tokina atx-i 11-20mm F2.8 CF offers a wide angle coverage that fits cinematic standards and allows users to shoot different perspectives using the same lens. Furthermore, its wide cinematic angle will help users feel confident when working in small places.

Tokina adds to this the fact that the lens is lightweight and compact, characteristics that make it ideal to use with a gimbal. One important note to remember is that  since the overall length does not change thanks to internal type of focusing, there is no need to do gimbal calibration every time the angle of view was changed.

Ideal for street snap or architecture photography

The company also notes that the lens offers natural footage, as the image is not distorted when panning due to very low distortion performance. With great color rendering and resolution abilities, meaning  excellent optical performance, the Tokina atx-i 11-20mm F2.8 CF is also, according to the company, “affordable price and high quality compared to really expensive cinema lenses.”

For photographers, the lens represents a good solution for wide-angle photography, covering an ultra-wide 11-20mm focal length, with a constant maximum aperture of f/2.8 that makes it an essential tool for the following genres of photography: landscape, group photos and environmental portraits, architecture (especially interiors) automobile photography, weddings, street snap and night sky photography.

The constant maximum aperture of f/2.8 throughout the entire zoom range makes the lens a key tool to achieve great results in low light conditions, for depth of field control and easy manual shooting, while maintaining a reasonable size and weight. Users of the classic AT-X PRO lenses will feel at home with this new version, which takes exterior, specifications and performance of Tokina’s popular and well acknowledged series and transplants it to the atx-i brand, designed with the contemporary cameras in mind.

The only f/2.8 fast ultra wide angle zoom for APS-C

To achieve an exceptional optical performance required for ultra wide angle zoom lens, the Tokina atx-i 11-20mm F2.8 CF features 14 Elements in 12 Groups, with  3 aspherical glass elements and 3 Super-Low Dispersion glass elements. These are used in order to minimize distortion, manage spherical aberration and astigmatism while achieving excellent edge-to edge resolution and high contrast through the entire image. Anti-reflective multi-layer coating improves light transmission and minimizes reflections while newly applied water-repellent coating makes wiping and cleaning the surface of the front glass element easier.

Improved AF accuracy through firmware update, internal focus, and one-touch focus clutch mechanism, for easy AF/MF switching without interruption of the shooting process, are some other features highlighted by Tokina. The Tokina atx-i 11-20mm F2.8 CF for Nikon F mount incorporates internal Silent-Drive focusing Motor (SD-M) in combination with precise GMR sensor to allow the lens to AF accurately and fast.

Presented as the only f/2.8 fast ultra wide angle zoom lens for APS-C sized DSLR cameras on the current market, according to Tokina’s research in April 2020, the Tokina atx-i 11-20mm F2.8 CF is a lens those looking for a wide angle solution should check. With f/22 as the smallest aperture, a minimum focusing distance of 0.28m, a filter diameter of 82mm,  dimensions of 89×92 mm (Nikon F) and 89×94 mm (Canon EF), and a weight, respectively, of 550g and 570g, the lens is sold with a lens hood included in the package. Expected price is around $530.00.