Tokina Firin 20mm F/2 Fe Af Lens for Sony E Review

Tokina Firin 20mm F2 FE AF Snap Verdict

There's nil like a fixed focal length lens to focus the heed.

Strip away the luxury of zoom, then composition and framing become a delicate art of manoeuvres and shuffles to find the elusive perfect viewpoint.

That position found and with camera switched to manual, for the ultimate feel you understand, one leg propped confronting a rock and body contorted in a style that would print a yoga chief, the shot is framed and captured. The slightly wonky horizon I can right after.

This is all function of the experience of a great lens; it makes yous call back about the shot, composition and the joy and experience of capturing a scene.

I looked at the Tokina Firin 20mm F2 Atomic number 26 MF last year and was impressed past the optical quality. The AF version is a very different beast in both fashion and use, however, the excellence of image quality is reflected in this the AF version.

The AF is accurate when coupled with the Sony A7 MKIII, maybe not as fast as the Sony G series lenses but fast enough for the style of lens.

20mm is ideal for landscapes, still, in the right hands, it can be a versatile focal length.

Getting artistic with some wide angled close-upwards shots the 28mm minimum focal altitude is a bit of a reach, just this distance is in line with Sony's ain premium 12-24mm.

20mm would have just added to the lenses flexibility.

Ultimately a 20mm is used for landscape shots, and for this, the Tokina Firin 20mm F2 Iron AF excels. Great image quality across the frame, no signs of chromatic and abrupt wherever y'all choose to wait in the image, depth of field permitting of course.

It goes without saying that background mistiness is polish and full of tone.

The Tokina Firin 20mm F2 FE AF is well worth a look, well weighted, looks excellent and ultimately enables you to capture great images.

For Tokina Firin 20mm F2 Atomic number 26 AF

• Excellent image quality
• Smooth background blur
• Fully intergrated electronics

Against Tokina Firin 20mm F2 Fe AF

• Minimum focus distance 28mm
• AF slightly slower than G lenses

I beloved 20mm lenses coupled with a good full frame body, and in this case, the Tokina Firin 20mm F2 Atomic number 26 AF information technology is a perfect partner for the Sony A7 MKIII.

The fit, balance and style all sit together, and while some premium lenses can leave the small Alpha bodies feeling a little unbalanced, the Tokina Firin 20mm F2 Atomic number 26 AF is just the right size.

As a 20mm lens, it's a great landscape solution, offering an splendid wide vista with minimal distortion. The fixed focal length and design lend themselves to the genre enabling you as a photographer to remember about composition without relying on the zoom characteristic to correct your positioning.

When I looked at the 20mm manual focus last yr I loved the build and image quality. The AF version is a very different lens in both design and function, the question is with the changes to the design in order to facilitate the AF will it still produce such stunning images.

Features

The Tokina Firin 20mm F2 Iron AF, dissimilar the FíRIN 20mm F2 FE MF, doesn't feature an discontinuity focus ring and this means that the design of the barrel is far cleaner and simplistic.

There are far fewer markings, indeed only the name printed on the side, and a skillful section of the length is coved with the manual focus ring.

The lens has a adept aperture range from f/2 at the wide open up through to f/22, and all electronics are in place to ensures full communication with the Sony body.

20mm focal length gives you an angle of view of 92°40 and a minimum focal distance of 28mm.

An essential feature for whatsoever landscape lens is internal focusing which enables you to attach filters without them spinning effectually on the stop of the lens each time you focus.

In social club to facilitate attaching a filter, there's a thread of 62mm.

Looking at the inner workings of the lens and you have 13 elements in 11 groups. The aperture is constructed from nine blades which help to produce the soft background blur when required.

Size and weight is kept compact and calorie-free measuring 73.4×81.v mm
and weighing in at 464g.

In the box along with the lens is the BH-623 lens hood. The Tokina Firin 20mm F2 Fe AF comes with a ii-yr limited warranty.

Build quality and handling

Lens design in recent years has evolved, gone are the big glass optics, multiple rings and markings and now we take lenses like the FíRIN 20mm F2 FE AF.

The blueprint has been simplified, and this simplification gives the lens a real feeling of quality.

The black terminate and elementary model name and numbers printed in white on the barrel are the only real markings, leaving the rest of the butt with plenty of space for the big focus ring.

The construction and detailing is elementary ergonomically pleasing and functional.

Equally a Sony E-mount, the lens attaches to the camera with the usual reassuring click when twisted into place.

As an AF lens it has full compatibility with Alpha E-Mount series cameras, so all communication between the lens and body is identical to that of a Sony branded lens.

Tokina FiRIN f/2 FE MF Review

In employ using AF the lens performs well. Switching between the unlike shooting modes causes no issues as apertures and exposures are inverse.

Switching the lens over to manual focus and the big focus ring comes into play. The size of this ring makes it piece of cake to use, and there's plenty of room for rotation to pull the image into focus.

When shooting stills and used with transmission focus assist switched on the lenses focus is responsive to adjustments, and has been designed with total access to Sony's manual focus assist features.

That large focus band too comes into play when shooting video and makes focus adjustments easy and smooth.

Since I started using the Sony Alpha arrangement, I have mainly stuck to zoom lenses. This isn't really out of pick information technology's simply that the fixed lenses for E-mount price a fortune.

Not only that simply most of these desirable lenses are almost as large as the DSLR equivalent, and that throws out the residuum of the camera, however lovely those lenses look.

The FíRIN 20mm F2 FE AF is a perfect balance, and the offset thing that yous find when out in the field is exactly that, the balance of the camera. Information technology'southward non too big or too heavy, like the Sony / Zeiss 24-70mm f/four it'southward but the right size.

I find this balance important for any lens that I'm going to utilize extensively, I generally keep the photographic camera in my hand and wrap the strap effectually my wrist, and then keeping weight and size to a minimum is essential.

This size weight thing also comes into play when y'all're shooting with a fixed lens. If you're moving most you may work up a chip of a sweat, but, yous don't want your wrist to twist off in the process.

I say this, as one of my favourite optical lenses is then large and heavy that I ached for weeks after testing. This is not the case for the Tokina Firin 20mm F2 FE AF.

Performance

For any AF organisation, accurateness and speed are essential.

When it comes to accuracy, I found that the lens was by and large spot on.

I did, even so, take a few issues when information technology came to photographing a seal that appeared as I was taking a few landscape shots in Devon. The camera signalled that it had locked on target, but when I reviewed the images, I could see that the focus was slightly off.

In this instance the lite was low, and the weather were overcast. The image was likewise shot in an instant then moving quickly from ane limerick to another equally the seal briefly popped above the surface.

Testing accuracy away from the spur of the moment scenario and that accuracy all appeared adept, simply the test did highlight that the AF speed was a little slower than that of the Sony lenses I have been using.

I too found that the camera had a piddling more difficulty finding focus in lower low-cal conditions.

Generally, the AF speed and accuracy was excellent in all AF modes.

Switching the camera to manual focus and the feeling of the lens changes. The large focus ring gives you a good level of control and responds instantly to any adjustments.

The full electronic integration also means that you have admission to the manual focus assist features.

Another aspect of the lens which stood out during the test, specially in the low lite conditions, was the image stabilisation.

Due to the communication between lens and body, the lens can make total use of the SteadyShot inside engineering science enabling you to shoot at longer shutter speeds than would commonly exist possible.

Physical performance and operation are just office of the story and of form where this lens comes alive is the image quality.

Hither nosotros have to look at the whole image before whatever aligning of faffing in the digital darkroom. RAW, unedited and ready to prove every defect and imperfection.

Firstly, new photographic camera and I still seem to have dust on the sensor, but this is something that will information technology seems will forever plague my images.

When information technology comes to image quality, in that location are a range of issues that we'll be looking for, chromatic aberration, focus, vignette and tonal graduation.

Although image quality has a great deal to do with the camera you are using, information technology does in equal measure out have to practise with the lens that fronts it.

Looking at the paradigm every bit a whole and colour and tone are well reproduced only it's the detail that shines through.

During the test, Pip (my canis familiaris), spent as much time as possible posing for the camera, she's quite vain, and the images that were taken highlight the quality.

Over the years I've looked at many lenses with big apertures, and despite the claims when it comes to quality, those lenses can't cope with the size of aperture they offer.

Here with the Tokina Firin 20mm F2 Atomic number 26 AF and using an f/2 aperture I focused ion on the eye. In the final image zooming in on the eye and you tin can run into the detail and clarity of the shot is as practiced equally it gets.

Non only that but the focus fall off is beautifully controlled from sharp through to the blur. In the background, the mistiness is smoothen with a expert level of graduation that gives the image a pleasing depth.

Zooming in on the background rock and you can see the potential of the smooth round bokeh produced by the nine-bract aperture.

Best portrait prime lenses

Switching to an prototype with high dissimilarity, shot on a bright sunny day, and checking the corners and edges there'due south no sign of Chromatic abnormality.

The image is just virtually equally clear as yous become.

Distortion is just as well controlled, and despite the broad focal length, there is but the slightest sign, which will get unnoticed unless you lot're looking for it.

Also, the vignette is slight with simply a bear on of darkening at the corners, this is far less than about lenses of this focal length and again highlights the overall quality of design.

Ultimately the optical quality of the Tokina Firin 20mm F2 FE AF is superb with the highlight existence the manner that the lens control tone and sharpness falloff.

Verdict

The Tokina Firin 20mm F2 FE AF is a perfect landscape lens with enough of flexibility and superb optical quality.

The Sony Due east-mountain fit lens has been designed to blend in seamlessly with the organization in style, weight and size.

Once fastened to the photographic camera it looks at home, and the designers at Tokina take done a great chore when it comes to this look and fashion.

Used on the Sony A7 MKIII the balance is ideal, merely what you want when it comes to a lens and trunk combo that you can deport around.

When out shooting landscapes the 62mm filter thread enables enough of options when information technology comes to attaching either circular filters of square filter systems.

In employ, the lens is fast and responsive, although on a few occasions especially in lower light conditions I did observe the AF a picayune deadening and the camera had a few issues locking onto a target.

Shooting in normal lighting conditions and the speed and accuracy was spot on.

Although primarily designed every bit an AF lens switch to transmission and this lens is extremely competent especially with the large focus ring and full compatibility with Sony's transmission focus assist.

Image quality, however, is where this lens stands out. The tone, detail and colour are well reproduced, but it's that sharpness falloff that makes this lens excel.

At f/2 this lens enables yous to capture images with near a cinematic appeal; rich colour, plenty of tone and depth.

If y'all're looking for a mural lens for your Sony Alpha series camera, so I would highly recommend y'all bank check out the Tokina Firin 20mm F2 Iron AF.

Tokina Firin 20mm F2 FE AF review sample images

• 20mm lens
• Mural Photography
• Lens Reviews
• Tokina
• Reviews

montalvosart1957.blogspot.com

Source: https://camerajabber.com/tokina-firin-20mm-f2-fe-af-review/

Share this post