Tokina AT-X 116 Pro 11-16mm DX ultra wide zoom on Nikon D700 FX body

I’m in the middle of transitioning from my Nikon D80 DX-crop sensor DSLR to a Nikon D700 full format FX-sensor DSLR. I replaced the Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 DX lens (24-300mm) with:

• Nikkor 24-70 AF-S f/2.8
• Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 AF-S VR
• Nikkor TC-17E II teleconverter. I’m still getting acceptable sharpness with the 70-200 tele. Of course this is a compromise and I don’t think I’m going to use the converter a lot. Maximum aperture is f/4.8 with a f/2.8 lens. The teleconverter also works great on my Nikkor Micro 105mm AF-S VR macro.

I still have my Tokina AT-X 116 Pro f/2.8 DX ultra wide zoom lens. I was thinking about replacing it with a Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 ultra wide zoom lens but the Tokina actually works quite well on a FX body like the D700 – in FX mode!

As I’m never going to use DX lenses on an FX body in DX mode I turned DX support off in SHOOTING MENU -> Image area -> Set image area to FX and Auto DX Crop to OFF.

Sample Images

Even though I can’t use the Tokina at focal lengths shorter than 15mm due to sensor vignetting, it produces sharp (center) and crisp images at 16mm! The corners get a little muddy as you can see in the sample images. I included a photo (the last one) that was shot with a D80 (DX sensor) which shows much less pronounced corner softness.

Nikon D700, f/10, 1/400s, 15mm
Download full-size JPEG (right-click and save).

Nikon D700, f/9, 1/320s, 16mm
Download full-size JPEG (right-click and save).

Nikon D80, f/8, 1/250s, 16mm (11mm)
Download full-size JPEG (right-click and save).

While I wouldn’t buy a new Tokina AT-X 116 Pro for an FX body it still represents a viable option if you already own one or can get one 2nd hand at a low price. But if you own a Nikon FX body you probably aren’t on a budget anyway. On the plus side, there’s a weight advantage. The Tokina weights with 560g (20 oz) almost half of the Nikkor 14-24. Weight is also the reason why I’m going to keep the D80 and the DX lenses. Here in Europe, low-cost Airlines tend to enforce size & weight limits on hand luggage. Trying to board a plane with my entire (at least) 10kg (22 lb) FX equipment in a rather visible LowePro Fastpack 350 backpack could result in a missed flight. It would be useful to have an all-in-one travel FX zoom lens like the 18-200mm DX with VR II in the less than US$ 1000 area but unfortunately, Nikon doesn’t seem to be thinking in this direction at the moment.

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