On 8 Dec 1998 09:07:49 GMT, for7@aol.com (FOR7) wrote:

>>You may find my Nikkor evaluation list interesting... (on my
>>web page, under "I babble"). The older Nikkor 28mm f3.5
>>was not one of Nikon's better efforts (the later AI/AIS
>>design is FAR better, as is the AIS 28mm f2.8 Nikkor).
>>Even the AF-D 28 is better than the old 28, so the Tokina
>>may be the better buy in this (oh, so rare...! ;-) case...

>Oh so rare? I guess the Tokina ATX lenses like the 80-200 2.8 , the 100-300 4,
>the 28-70 2,6-2.8, the 20-35 3.5/ 20-35 2.8 and the 17mm are rare cases too.
>It kills me to hear remarks like this since there are alternatives out there
>that offer better value with similar performance. Nikon isn't the only one that
>makes fine lenses.

Well, I would quibble with the assessment that the Tokina
lenses "offer better value with similar performance"
compared with Nikkors...
Maybe "inferior performance for lower price"... would
be more accurate...
Specifically, the Tokina 80-200 f2.8 I tried (perhaps a
no-longer made older optical version...) was really
excellent at infinity-focus, rather poor at mid distances,
and terrible near minimum-focus; I have not tried the
100-300 f4, but all reports I've seen from users indicate
that it is not wonderful wide open (kinda the point of having
it...;-); I recently tried the 28-70 f2.6-2.8 compared with
some other lenses (and reported on the results here) - I found
it not useable at the widest two stops for critical work, and
inferior to the Nikkor nearest equivalent lens (again, why use
a fast lens that is not especially good at wide stops - the
Nikkor 35-70mm f2.8 is useable at its widest stops); the
very wide Tokina zooms are not comparable with the Nikkor
20-35mm f2.8 in edge performance, from all accounts I've
seen; the 17mm f3.5 ATX I tried was well-aligned (and
apparently not defective...), but it was a poor lens,
being not critically sharp at the edges and corners at any
stop (the Nikkor 18-20mm lenses are "clearly" MUCH
better...). In no instance have I seen a Tokina lens equal
the performance of a current Nikkor lens (especially at the
wider stops - the ones generally of interest, and which
separate the excellent from lesser lenses...) - but Tokina
lenses can be good value for those on a budget, or for those
with lower standards...
(And, note that ";-)" near the end of the statement you
so strenuously objected too...;-)