Introduction

How well does the Tokina 11-20 f2.8 DX lens work with the Nikon Z7ii? Let me start by saying that this post is primarily aimed at photographers who are serious about the quality of their images but probably not making a living as photographers. Like me, they need or wish to be selective as to what gear they spend their money on.

I am a photography enthusiast making primarily landscape images in the greater Toronto area and north of the city. Until recently I was shooting with a Nikon D7100 crop sensor camera and my wide angle lens was the Tokina 11-20 f2.8 which is a DX format or crop sensor lens. My two other lenses were the Tamron 70-200mm G2 and the Nikon 17-55 DX lens.

When I purchased my Nikon Z7ii, I retired the 17-55 DX and bought the Nikon 24-70 f2.8 S lens. I am continuing to use The full frame Tamron 70-200 G2. I wasn’t sure how the Tokina 11-20 would perform with the Z7ii, but I decided to keep it in the camera bag.

What follows is not the results of exhaustive testing on my part but simply my personal observations and some sample images. You can read more about the Tokina 11-20 f 2.8 lens here.

Compatibility

The Tokina 11-20 f2.8 when mounted on the FTZ adapter causes the Z7ii to automatically go into DX mode with no option to override and stay in full frame mode. As a result, the image you see on the back of the camera and in the EVF fill the screen without any vignetting for the full range of the lens from 11mm to 20mm. The Tokina autofocuses with the Z7ii. Since the Z7ii is in DX mode, only part of the sensor is being used which means that the effective focal range of the lens is from approximately 17-35 mm, the same effective focal range as you would have if you were using the lens with a DX format body. The size of the image file produced by the Z7ii is also smaller with the camera yielding roughly a 19.5 megapixel image instead of the usual 45.7 megapixel image when the Z7ii is in full frame mode.

My Use Case

While it would be hard to argue with the fact that a full frame lens like the Nikon 14-24 f2.8 Z mount would be a superior option in terms of file size and image quality, the question for me was whether I could be happy by saving the $3K cost of that lens and continuing to use the Tokina 11-20 f2.8 which I already own.

One of the reasons that I opted for the Z7ii was because of it’s high MP sensor. A 47MP file allows for considerable cropping while still leaving lots of detail in the file when making large prints. My thinking is that the 19.5 MP file that the Z7ii yields in crop sensor mode is still plenty detailed enough for printing at reasonably large sizes. In addition, for me at least, I feel that I am less likely to want to crop a wide angle image as cropping the image would usually defeat the purpose of using a wide angle lens in the first place. I realize that this is not always the case, but for me I am usually shooting wide angle for expansive landscapes or for astrophotography.

How does the Tokina 11-20 f2.8 perform when paired with the Nikon Z7ii?

It might be that for many, the fact that the Tokina is going to produce 19.5 MP images from a 47MP camera is a deal breaker. However, if you look beyond that very important point, the lens does have a few things going for it.

Autofocus

The autofocus on the Tokina 11-20 f2.8 plays well with the Z7ii. To me it seems to find focus with no issues and images are sharp. The focus motor is a bit loud which might be an issue when shooting video.

Maximum Aperture and Size

The Tokina 11-20 is a constant aperture f 2.8 lens so it lets in a lot of light. This makes it a decent choice for astrophotography or other low light shooting situations. At the same time, because it is a DX format lens it is relatively compact which makes it a little easier to take with with you in circumstances where the weight of your camera bag may be a concern.

Image Quality

In spite of it’s relatively low price point, this lens (or at least my copy of it) produced sharp images when I was using it with my D7100 and the images seem just as sharp to me when paired with the Z7ii In my test shots the images seem to have good sharpness in the corners as well as the centre of the image. They are not as sharp in my opinion as what I get when using the Z mount 24-70 f2.8 but I wouldn’t expect them to be. I will post some sample images below so you can judge for your self.

Conclusion

In my case I am quite content to stick with my Tokina 11-20 as my wide angle lens for now. I don’t think that I want to spend $3000 on a fast Nikon Z mount wide angle lens at this point. I am watching for some native Z mount third party offerings to come on the market and I am content to wait a bit. Since I already own the Tokina, this is an easy decision for me. In the future I look forward to owning a top quality Full Frame Z mount wide angle lens but in the meantime, as an enthusiast photographer on a budget, I feel that the Tokina 11-20mm lens is good enough to meet my needs.