tokina 11-16 alternatives?

slinks

slinks

Well-known member
Hi I am very tempted to go for a tokina 11-16 but the lack of manual aperture control may be an issue unless i buy another nikon mount that has control and even if I do get a mount with the screw adapter, I still really don't know where my aperture is at.

is there an alternative manual lens out there that can match the quality of the tokina? I looked around and cant seem to find anything matching. I am willing to go for any type of mount as well.


oh and another quick question, has anyone tried using the peleng 8mm on the gh1?
I found this image for the g1 which wasn't really impressive but I was wondering if anyone else has had experience with it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcartiersr/3453537154/in/photostream/

thanks!
 
slinks said:
oh and another quick question, has anyone tried using the peleng 8mm on the gh1?
Click to expand...
Yes, in video mode, not in stills. It's a barrel-distortiony wide lens. You can actually get wider on the GH1 than the Peleng, if you go for the 7-14 Micro 4/3 zoom lens.
 
thanks Barry for the reply although for $1100 I would wish it was a tad faster. I may consider it but I'm not too fond with racking with these digital lenses. They just dont "feel" as good as the old manual lenses for racking focus. Hey, I guess if I can do it with the DVX I can do it on these huh.

if panny comes out with a 2.8, that would be gold.
 
Yeah, the slow speed is the main thing that keeps me from getting the Panasonic. But at 7-14mm, it's going to be crazy wide. Way, way wider than the Tokina. But it's more expensive, slower, and would be exclusive to Micro 4/3, whereas the Tokina could be used on Nikons or other camera bodies too.
 
I have the Tokina 11-16 and really like it, but there are limitations. I am using it with one of the screw-down adapters that I just received so I haven't had a long time to play around with, but it seems feasible. I have yet to do a lot of shooting and I'm not really sure what I'm doing:)

One issue for me is that I always use the GH1 with a monopod, shoulder-mount, etc. and with the manfrotto 577 release plate. So far it seems like I'm going to have some issues using the manfrotto camera plate with the screw-down Nikon adapter. Comes down to clearance of the tripod plate in relation to the screw on the adapter.

I tried to put the camera on my monopod and couldn't get it to slide in because of the protruding screw. It might be as simple as reversing the mounting of the camera, etc. but I'll have to play around with it.

Might also have to change to a smaller quick-release system when using the Tokina or Tamron I have.

I hope to have some reasonable footage soon.

J.
 
I ended up putting a Manfrotto 394 on top of the 577. The quick release is nice. Only problem is you can't change the battery with the 394 on there. Good thing they last a long time so it's not a real pain.
 
insanityfw said:
One issue for me is that I always use the GH1 with a monopod, shoulder-mount, etc. and with the manfrotto 577 release plate. So far it seems like I'm going to have some issues using the manfrotto camera plate with the screw-down Nikon adapter. Comes down to clearance of the tripod plate in relation to the screw on the adapter.

I tried to put the camera on my monopod and couldn't get it to slide in because of the protruding screw. It might be as simple as reversing the mounting of the camera, etc. but I'll have to play around with it.

J.
Click to expand...

I have a solution for you...Hacksaw. I cut that ungainly end of the screw off with no adverse effects. It was messing with my setup as well. I didn't completely cut the end off but removed enough to get the clearance necessary. The torque needed to turn the screw is minimal so with a greatly reduced profile it fits my steadicam, shoulder mount and tripod plates with no loss of 'grip' to turn the thing. Beats the hell out of trying to replicate the screw with home improvement center options as well.
BTW, I have the Tokina 11-16 and it is a brilliant lens.
Cheers,
Sam.
 
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If you need better aperture control than ceicio7's bolt adapter (link) there is an alternative made
by a company call 16-9. Here's a link to their info page

http://www.16-9.net/nikon_g/

I know it says nikon g everywhere but it should work for dx including the tokina 11-16/2.8 dx
 
thats exactly why I may prefer the tokina Barry...or if there is a m42 mount that would be good too since those can practically go on any camera...red too I think? But the one of the things is that if a good canon that I like comes out the tokina would be quite a hassle. heard of some using a Qtip or something in it.

I'm just wondering when Nikon will be releasing the "ultimate" hd-dslr. They are the only company I think that wouldn't ruin their pro video camera department because I dont think they have 1. So what are they waiting for? :P

eh back to topic...

wow davis that adapter looks sweet...hmmm guessing you use this adapter in conjuction with a canon ef to 4/3s mount?
 
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SonicStates said:
I have a solution for you...Hacksaw. I cut that ungainly end of the screw off with no adverse effects. It was messing with my setup as well. I didn't completely cut the end off but removed enough to get the clearance necessary. The torque needed to turn the screw is minimal so with a greatly reduced profile it fits my steadicam, shoulder mount and tripod plates with no loss of 'grip' to turn the thing. Beats the hell out of trying to replicate the screw with home improvement center options as well.
BTW, I have the Tokina 11-16 and it is a brilliant lens.
Cheers,
Sam.
Click to expand...

Brilliant Sam. You're right, it doesn't take much to twist the screw at all. I will get on this after the Thanksgiving guest go home. Now, where did I put that hacksaw?

Thanks for the great tip.

Jason
 
I went with the 394 due to my stabilizer rig using it. The 323 sounds like a better solution.

Another option (albeit an expensive one) is the Novoflex MFT/NiK - no screw on that adapter.
 
Barry_Green said:
But to what purpose? I'm sure you're aware that it wouldn't be any wider than the stock lens you already have, right?
Click to expand...

yeah you're right. I just got caught up with the faster fstop and all the great reviews. not worth the few extra stops at that price and wideness...Oh well, back to the drawing board.

I am also now tempted to get the 323. the huge base plate gets annoying with these hdslrs.
 
I use the Tokina 11-16 with a Novoflex Nikon/MFT adapter, you adjust aperture by turning a ring, which is quite sensitive, you need little movement for changing setting, but I got used to it really quickly and did fantastic shooting. The Tokina is super. It's firm, steady, a bit heavy, definitely not "made in Taiwan" plastic. One thing though, if you turn the lens itself a little within the little space that turning is possible within the mount lock, the aperture may change one step, I had this happening once in the middle of a shot, but it takes quite a lot of effort to turn the lens like that. I hope you know what I mean, English is not my first language.

But I would replace the Novoflex by something better if I find something (am now looking at the 16-9 link)

Also, in another thread someone suggested to change the ISO in your GH1 for changing exposure rather than changing your aperture. I find this idea quite interesting and am going to try this. You can change it in the menu so that you can change ISO in smaller steps.
 
slinks said:
thats exactly why I may prefer the tokina Barry...or if there is a m42 mount that would be good too since those can practically go on any camera...red too I think? But the one of the things is that if a good canon that I like comes out the tokina would be quite a hassle. heard of some using a Qtip or something in it.

I'm just wondering when Nikon will be releasing the "ultimate" hd-dslr. They are the only company I think that wouldn't ruin their pro video camera department because I dont think they have 1. So what are they waiting for? :P

eh back to topic...

wow davis that adapter looks sweet...hmmm guessing you use this adapter in conjuction with a canon ef to 4/3s mount?
Click to expand...

I own the nikon mount version of the tokina 11-16/2.8 but currently I do not own a GH1. I sold it and now shoot 7D. (I may flip the 7D and go back if GH1 body only if it goes on sale in the US sometime soon).

Currently I put the nikon mount version of the tokina lens on my canon 7D with the fotodiox EF to Nik adapter and this leaves me no way to control the aperture.

Q-TIP
The default aperture on the nikon mount version of this lens is closed (f22) and there is a narrow gap within which the lever slides. In this gap I wedge the stem of a Q-tip cut to the length of about 10mm. It is sufficient to keep the lever (and hence aperture) where I want. In most situations I adjust it so the aperture is a almost wide open so I am guessing this is about f3.5. I then adjust ISO to match exposure. In daylight I move the Q-tip so the aperture is aroudn the f8 / f11 amrk. I could use ND's but the filter diameter makes this expensive plus there is no need to try for dof when shooting wide shots.
 
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