josephs@ttidcb.UUCP (Bill Josephs) (06/07/85)
Good suggestions re: user reports on lenses. Let me just add some
comments on the same 35-200mm Tokina Lens. I also bought mine for my
Nikons -- FG and FA. I can concur with most of the sentiments
expressed; I've had mine for about a year and a half and have had no
hardware problems with it at all -- carrying it, my 24mm f2.8 and a
500mm mirror through England, New Zealand, Tahiti and China. I use it
mostly for scenery, but have taken lots of closeups of flowers as well
as many portraits in China -- especially of parents and children.
Comments: there is a focus shift between 200mm and about 150mm
-- focusing should be done after composing and zooming, not before.
My lens is more than sharp enough for 8 x 10s -- I've not tried 11 x
14s but 8 x 10s (with lots of cropping) are sharp. The contrast is
not as good as my 24mm but it is adequate (better than my mirror
lens). I find it much preferable to carrying a 35, a 50, a 100 and a
200 (the lenses it replaces) and it is fast enough for use with
Kodachrome 64. I also use it indoors -- with flash -- VR400 and an
SB16 flash (GN 120-140 with ASA 100 film). Again, it is fast enough
for this combination in my wife's school auditorium! It works well
with the FA -- however it doesn't select the wide angle program vs.
the tele program -- it is always in tele mode.