One thing you need to be clear about: this zoom maintains its fisheye characteristics
even when zoomed out to 17mm. Barrel distortion, while not as pronounced as
at 10mm, is still fairly apparent and all the provisos noted earlier apply.
That said, it is easier to correct distortion at 17mm in post, since the effect
is less flagrant. So when I approached a beautiful, white stone church in my
neighborhood, I was fully prepared to deal with lens distortion. I recalled
a shot I took of a church interior with my first fisheye in Old San Juan, Puerto
Rico, and couldn't wait to get inside. I waited for services to end, and
with the priest's permission proceeded to photograph the interior from
virtually every angle. I made exposures at the various zoom settings, but focused
mostly on fisheye views. One shot of the church organ on an upper level was
especially impressive, as was a wall replete with stained-glass windows. I of
course photographed the church exterior as well.
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Shooting
with the Tokina fisheye at the 10mm setting, you get a completely
different perspective when shooting with the camera held level and
aimed straight into the scene, compared with shooting at an angle,
which exaggerates distortion effects. Owing to low-light levels,
all church interiors were shot at ISO 3200. |
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As far as sharpness and contrast in the AT-X 107 AF DX Fisheye zoom are concerned,
I had no complaints. Clearly and expectantly, the lens is sharpest at its center,
with the image growing softer toward the edges, notably when delivering full
fisheye coverage. Still, overall optical performance was impressive. I was hard-pressed
to see a difference in a nearly identical image of the same scene shot with
a fixed fisheye and with this zoom.
All I know is that I liked this lens so much I'm buying it. I anticipate
making good use of the fisheye zoom to give me a whole new perspective on the
world.
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Optical
performance clearly drops off toward the left and right edges when
the AT-X 107 AF DX Fisheye was shot at 10mm for this fisheye perspective.
However, examine the cropped central section and note how clear
the text is. |
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Technical Specifications
Sensor/Mount: APS-C/Nikon D, Canon EOS
Focal Length: 10-17mm
Max. Aperture: f/3.5-4.5
Min. Aperture: f/22
Optical Construction: 10 elements/eight groups
Min. Focus Distance: 5.5"
Reproduction Ratio: 1:2.6
Filter Size: NA
Dimensions (Diameter x Length): 2.75x2.8"
Weight: 12.3 oz
Lens Hood: Petal-shaped (built-in)
Price: $559
For more information, contact THK Photo Products, Inc., 7642 Woodwind Dr., Huntington
Beach, CA 92647; (800) 421-1141; www.thkphoto.com.
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