On Thu, 28 May 1998 15:23:53 GMT, canon50e@my-dejanews.com wrote:
>In article <356C034C.2B2@below.com>,
> see@below.com wrote:

>> Considering a wide angle lens for the ol' A2e. The Tokina 17mm has had
>> favorable reports and is a possibility as is the 20mm/2.8USM Canon.
>> How much difference in coverage is 17mm as compared to 20mm?
>> Anyone own/use the Tokina 17mm and what are your experiences?

>Hi, actually I'm also considering the Tokina
>17mm 3.5 lens also. A week or so I have posted
>a message similar to yours. A lot of people
>recommended the 20mm 2.8 Canon. Though
>since I already have the Canon 24-85mm lens,
>the 20mm doesn't seem to have a really big
>difference between the 24mm. Therefore, I am
>still considering the Tokina 17mm f/3.5.
>
>Anyways, the Canon 20mm f/2.8 is a great lens,
>but it's over my budget. I could get the Tokina
>17mm f/3.5 around $250 US in Hong Kong, so I
>guess that's the better bet.
>
>To inform you, I have heard from a friend that
>the Tokina 17mm f/3.5 is not actually 17mm
>but instead 19mm. But this really doesn't
>matter because almost all lenses are not right on
>the spot that range. So I guess the Canon 20mm
>f/2.8 would be around 21-22mm?
>
>Well, anyways, good luck, if you ever choose the
>Tokina 17mm please tell me how it goes so I
>could head out and get one myself.

As with everything, one person's "great" is another
persons "UGH!" - and so it was with the Tokina ATX
AF 17mm f3.5 I bought from someone who liked it
(and is a pro, and does have standards for lens
performance). As a sharpness nut, I was disappointed.
The lens sample I tried was not terrible, but it
was never really sharp at the edges/corners at any
stop, and was rather soft at the edges/corners until
well stopped down. For me, this was not adequately
good performance, but for $250, if you are not too
particular... (and, if you use a wide-to-tele zoom,
you may not be too particular...;-), it may be a good
buy. You are right that the 20mm is too close to the
24mm end of the zoom to bother with (unless it is
noticeably sharper at the stops of interest...;-).