Tokina 100mm F2.8 MACRO AT-X PRO D lens: Nikon entry-level users beware of this!

#Photography #Tokina #100mm #wide #lens #nikon #beginner #aware #tips #review
Tokina 100mm F2.8 MACRO AT-X PRO D lens: Good to know about the 3x00 and 5x00 Nikon camera bodies and how they work together with the legendary Tokina 100mm lens. Some challenges with metering and no auto focus despite the AF letters on the tin. Also a tip for using the lens and how not to mount it!
This lens is excellent for flower photography. To learn more about shooting flowers, take a look here:
frederikboving.com/flower-pho...

[@twiglet2214]

Hi Frederik i received the lens today and tried it on my Nikon D7100 and initially all was fine ! I must have removed it and refitted later the same day and i was getting a f e e error and the shutter would'nt fire. Rang the supplier but in the meantime i found your video and had a derrrrr moment when you mentioned that the aperture ring must be set to highest f number before fitting lens to body. I did that and hey presto it works - manual and auto so thanks very much. Maybe the supplier would have put me straight about this but you definitely have. It's nearly as powerfull as a scanning electron microscope ! Beautifull crisp images. Sorted. Thank you.

[@frederikboving]

Thank you Stephen - glad the video helped you. I can fully relate to your story - been there, seen it etc. :-D I am sure you will not regret the Tokina 100mm - it is a fantastic lens, especially price/performance is outstanding. During summer it is one of the lenses I use the most.

[@sixpotshot]

Excellent tips and warnings. Very helpful, many thanks. I've got one on order to go on my D3200 about to be delivered this week - it will be my first macro lenses and I can't wait.

[@frederikboving]

I have had the 100mm Tokina for several years, and it almost constantly sits on my Nikon D750. I love that lens, and it's price/quality is outstanding. Have used it for tons of product shoots and I really like the focal length etc. Not the most silent of lenses, but I don't mind. All the best!

[@stardomee]

brilliant explanation! I have Tokina's other jewel of a lens, the 11-16mm which does autofocus in my d3200 so it's good to know about the perks of this one too (which has been in my radar

[@frederikboving]

Great to hear! I can recommend this lens - price/performance wise it is a REALLY good lens!

[@Americannorsk1]

Excellent information. Thank you :)

[@613hibiscus]

Thank you for this fine review.. I use it on a D500 and I also own a D3400.Thanks for letting me know that it is not compatible with the D3400.

[@cables07]

Thank you for this video. I got my lens second hand and it had no instructions. I could not figure out how to release the lens till your video.

[@frederikboving]

Thank you for sharing Courtney - issues like these (and no one talking about them) was one of the reasons I started this channel, so great that you found the video helpful! Take care!

[@kyfeam]

i keep buying and selling this lens.. stop the madness please!!! love this lens.. very under rated.. and cant beat the price.. this will be my third and final purchase..

[@saffronfalcon]

Its sharp. Saturation is amazing and colours look real. I had issues with misfocus but after i fine tuned the autofocus the results are extremely pleasing.

[@Laureen1954]

How do you fine tune the focus ? Thanks.

[@saffronfalcon]

@@Laureen1954 it depends upon your camera model. Nikon models D7100 and above have this feature called AF Fine Tune which let's you shift the focus plane forward or backward. You can search youtube, there are very good tutorials available.

[@ChileThailandtravel]

Good review. Really helped a lot. I have subscribed..

[@frederikboving]

Thank you - good to hear the video was useful.

[@MRBYERANI1]

Thanks for warning and details. I was thinking about to buy this Tokina lens(Tokina for canon) for my cameras. And after watching your video I came to know that my Canon cameras dosent not have built in autofocus motor. Afer doing bird photography for years now I am interested in macro photography and I don't know how autofocus essential for macro photography as I am beginner in macro photography. I don't know tokina 100mm lens for canon have built in autofocus motor. Now after this video I think Raynox dcr 250 will be good option for entry level macro photography. Later on I will go for canon's dedicated macro lens only. Thanks again for awesome video. Best wishes from India 🇮🇳🙏

[@frederikboving]

Thank you Anita! Best of luck finding a great macro lens! Best regards from Denmark!

[@MRBYERANI1]

Thanks for reply 🙏💐

[@sarmadalmouallem749]

I will never ever lay down a lens like that on the rear elements with no cap on🤦🏻‍♂️. It is a beautiful lens, thank you for the information.

[@frederikboving]

Sarmad Al Mouallem good point. A bad habit indeed 😳

[@edwardce8341]

I love my Tokina 100mm , great lens.

[@markv7458]

Had the same problem lining up the lens at first. Works great.

[@frederikboving]

Thanks for sharing- good to know I am not the only one :-)

[@rachelg7371]

I'm on a D850 and haven't used this lens in forever. Thank you for reminding me how to mount it correctly and the tip about lining up the yellow line with the dot on our camera. 😊 I don't think you mentioned the push and pull of the focus ring to switch it from manual to AF....I thought something was wrong with my lens because I couldn't close the barrel of the focus ring down all the way/flush, and that's because I had it in manual mode. As soon as I set the ring to AF, all was good🤦‍♀ lol. The odd thing is I couldn't find any of this information in the instruction Manual.

[@frederikboving]

Hi Rachel! It was actually exactly when I found out I mounted the Tokina 100mm upside down on my D750 that I decided to start this channel! I had to share my mistakes so that others would not repeat them! As you say, I have also forgotten to flip between AF and manual focus several times. If you have read the manual, then you do what only 0.00000001% of photographers do! But as far as I can tell, the manual here: tokinalens.com/download/product/5ab25b6cf1d39.pdf does actually mention the AF vs MF switch explicitly 🙂 All the best!

[@SH796]

thank you it is very important information.

[@frederikboving]

Thank you! Good you found this useful!

[@jesuscrisis5086]

the price is entry level, but the quality is professional, even above the canon L macro lens

[@jdcspixelworld]

Its been almost a year i am using this lens. I feel it really good. Only problem is, using auto focus. Specially when doing macro photography for insects.... they just disappears... lol ..its so loud ... so i always use manual focusing.... apart from that ... i find it so cool ... i use it with RP now. Earlier i was using with 1500D. I love it.

[@frederikboving]

Yep, it is a great lens! One of my absolute favorite lenses of them all!

[@Cotictimmy]

Hey Frederik, I've just ordered a super cheap copy of this Tokina lens today. Despite being AF-D with no focus motor, it is 'chipped' with electronic contacts (which means it will give you aperture control, EXIF data, and FOCUS INFORMATION on a mirrorless Z camera through the F2Z adapter. This means you should get a red focus confirmation square surrounding your chose focus point in the viewfinder (which will turn green when your subject is in focus.) I've found that both my 35mm f2.0 AF-D and a borrowed Nikkor 105mm f2.8 AF-D Micro will manual focus really easily when adapted on my new Z6. This Tokina brand 100 f2.8 ought to work exactly the same when adapted onto Z mount body (but as it is not a Nikon, then without testing it you can't be 100% certain.) I'll add a comment on here once the Tokina has arrived and I've tested it.

[@frederikboving]

👌

[@jenniferscottphotography3204]

Thank you so much! I have a d3400 and a d500, so I appreciate these clarifications! 😊

[@jancovanderwesthuizen8070]

If you have a D500, how did you not know this?

[@jen43072]

Janco van der Westhuizen I have both, and appreciate that he let us know there is a contact missing on the 3400 that will not allow me to use it with the metering system. What did you think I was referring to??

[@jancovanderwesthuizen8070]

@@jen43072 I was referring to the fact that the D500 is an expensive professional camera, despite its DX sensor, and I assumed anyone who owns a camera this advanced would be well aware of the autofocussing and metering properties of the lower end bodies

[@jen43072]

Janco van der Westhuizen I'm sorry to disappoint that I was not familiar with that difference, hence the comment thanking the reviewer. Have a wonderful day.

[@andyyu4742]

Does it produce any weird (mechanical like) sound when you are turning the focus ring? [that is one of my main concern before buying this lens]. Thanks for the video!

[@frederikboving]

Thank you! It does make a small sound, but not much. However, when you change the direction on the focus ring, it gives a small "klonky" sound. It is because the far end of the glass is a little loose. You can make the sound also by moving the far end of the glass by hand. Compared to my Tokina 11-16 DX II it is much less noisy, but it is not a glorious reference!

[@TechnikMeister2]

It uses screw drive autofocus from the camera so it will only work on Nikon pro bodies with a camera screw drive. You set the aperture to min F stop like you do on Nikon AF-D lenses.

[@frederikboving]

👍

[@musicwinder_yt]

Nice information 😊 good video 👍

[@frederikboving]

Thank you 🙂

[@TheGoodEggLog]

Hi Mr.frederik, I know this post of yours is old. But may you give me advice about tokina lens? I've been searching for this. I have the same DSLR Nikon D5600 as you have here in this video. As you said, the autofocus will not work. So it means I will do manual focus ring? Do I also need to adjust a screw that like what you did? Or it just a demonstration how the autofocus works in other D7000 Series.. thanks for clarification. I like and subscribed!

[@frederikboving]

Hi, yes, unfortunately the d5600 does not have a built in autofocus motor so you are left with manual focus only on the lenses with the mechanical autofocus. No screw to adjust, as you have guessed, it was just a demonstration of how the autofocus system works. Hope this helps. All the best!

[@TheGoodEggLog]

@@frederikboving wow thank you for taking time to response! You answered my question very precise!!! More power to your channel :)

[@bzztbzztboy]

I turned the aperture ring to 2.8 while it was focused on a close-up object, and now the lens is unable to reach infinity focus. There's a hard stop between the infinity and 3 meter focus mark on the lens. The aperture mechanism is also stuck now. The aperture lever is able to be moved freely, but the blades do not appear to move in response. This means the camera lens is wide open all the time... Previously, the lens worked fine. Have you ever encountered this issue?

[@frederikboving]

Hi Milton, sorry to hear about your issue with this otherwise fine lens! No, I have not had that issue. I always adjust the aperture via the camera body and don't turn the aperture ring . Are you sure the lens is not in "limited" mode versus "full", i.e. that the dial on the side of the lens limits the focus range?

[@bzztbzztboy]

@@frederikboving Nope, it doesn't stop around the middle of the range as you'll expect. The hard stop is just... before... infinity... which is absolutely infuriating. Think there's a catch lose in it or something.

[@frederikboving]

If you take the lens off the camera, can you then move the aperture blades by moving the lever? If not, then I think the lens is broken unfortunately.

[@bzztbzztboy]

Nope, I can't. Going to try disassembling if my local stores don't want to look at it.

[@shalvinshajahan7562]

I used this lens canon version on the entry level 1200D body with autofocus. What about that?

[@frederikboving]

Hey! Well apparently Canon are more liberal with their auto focus motors on entry level bodies than Nikon!

[@sambiswas1265]

Thankx for saving my money

[@sofiahilali4417]

Have you used sigma 105mm/2.8? Does it have built in focus? Will it work with Nikon D3300 since it does have the built it AF?

[@frederikboving]

Hi Sofia, I have not tried the Sigma 105mm/2.8, but in general there is no guarantee that a non-Nikon lens will work on a Nikon body. You always run a little risk. As far as I can see, the Sigma lens does have a built in AF motor, so it should work with the D3300. However, I found this link: www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/forums/threads/sigma-105mm-f2-8-macro-autofocus-issue-on-nikon-d3300.138150/ that there may be a problem with the Sigma and the Nikon D3300 together, but I cannot tell if it is a very specific problem for that photographer only or a more general problem. My best advice is to see if you can borrow a 105 lens and try it out before buying.

[@sofiahilali4417]

New2Photography thank you for taking the time to reply

[@raymondchan3587]

D7000 at least for AI-S lenses to have metering. This lens is equivalent to AF (no motor) not AF-S (with internal motor) for Nikon F mount, in manual mode it is AI-S.

[@frederikboving]

👍

[@ShashankD137]

Great review ! Did anyone ever tell u, u have a slight Arnold Schwarzenegger accent :)

[@frederikboving]

Ha-Ha :-D Hasta la vista baby + I'll be back! No, that one is new :-D I have had a lot of flare for my accent being very very Danish, but Arnold is new.

[@aussie8114]

GET TO DA CHOPPA

[@richardkemp4144]

I didn't realise those 1000 series DX bodies were so tiny, my D300s and D700 with battery packs seem like monsters by comparison!

[@frederikboving]

Indeed! Just got my Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 AI, and it is almost a kilo! Slap it on the D700 and you got a 2 kilo system! Pumping iron, here I come!

[@Audimann]

Try a D4 and a 200-500mm😁

[@AntPDC]

Compared with the excellent, but now low-tech, aging Tokina, the Micro Nikkor 105 f/2.8G is also a great lens. It has an internal SW Auto-Focus motor, internal focussing (no extension of the front element) AND vibration reduction. The Sigma 105 f/2.8 DG EX OS (made in Japan) has all of those things, but is now substantially cheaper than the Nikkor - similar in price to the Tokina. The Sigma is also a tad sharper than both the Tokina and the Nikkor, but the difference is minuscule in real-world shooting . Great build quality too. Your choice!

[@frederikboving]

Thank you for sharing 🙏🏻

[@jesuscrisis5086]

I shoot a host of business photography, as a pro photographer, I only use the zeiss makro 100mm and this - Tokina 100mm macro.

[@frederikboving]

Wow! I guess that proves that this is an outstanding lens and that the angry photographer has a point when he recommends this lens!

[@hrvojebracic]

I have a problem with tokina and Nikon d600. When in manual mode, after shooting, always change aperture speed. Any suggestion?

[@kchappelle]

Just ordered one for my D4S :)

[@frederikboving]

👌

[@aaffariya]

Sir, does it have purple fringe in macro???

[@frederikboving]

Hi! Tokina are famous for their excessive chromatic abberation, but as the D750 has a low pass filter, this mitigates the problem, so it is less of a problem for me. In this review: www.opticallimits.com/nikon_ff/819-tokina10028atxfx?start=2 they report that the lens has CA, just to give one example. They say also that the sigma 105 mm is a better and more modern lens, although somewhat more expensive, but definately worth to consider if the Tokina CA is a concern.

[@josenadesan]

Does this also apply to D5300 ?? Such a pity!

[@frederikboving]

José Nadesan yes, the lack of an in camera AF motor applies to all 3x00 and 5x00 cameras unfortunately.

[@khwnadianikhorang2897]

I'm using it on Nikon d3300, Cons: 1) I can't use a wide aperture, in fact the only aperture I can use is f/22. If I try using a wider aperture the lens doesn't work. Please clarify is this the fault with the camera or is it bcoz of a rare faulty lens 2) autofocus doesn't work on d3300 Pros: sharp & budget friendly macro lens

[@frederikboving]

I believe the D3300 lacks the focus motor in the camera body and that's the reason why the auto focus will not work (in response to your second point).

[@joaquimw2070]

Will this work with Z6 and adaptor?

[@frederikboving]

The Tokina lens has a screwdriver AF and requires the camera motor to be built into the camera body or the adaptor. As far as I can tell, the Nikon FTZ adaptor does not have a motor. So AF will not work is my guess. (www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/photography-accessories/ftz-mount-adapter.page)

[@wackycorgi3001]

Would the atx-i version of this lense be compatible with my nikon d3500?

[@frederikboving]

It would fit, but the D3500 has no AF motor in the camera body, so you would have to focus manually, so I would not recommend such combination.

[@wackycorgi3001]

frederikboving Good to know. Thanks for the fast reply!

[@hamadabdeli]

thank you

[@frederikboving]

You're welcome

[@ricardobecerra2546]

Good Night, excusme this lent is posible Works for nikon d5600, thanks.

[@frederikboving]

Hi Ricardo, yes, provided you buy your Tokina to fit Nikon (you can also get it for e.g. Canon and that of course will not fit Nikon). But notice - as I also say in the video - that auto focus will not work, as the D5600 has not built in AF motor. So you will have to focus manually.

[@ricardobecerra2546]

@@frederikboving thank You so much

[@Bardamu3000]

Hello Frederik, do you still own this lens? Would it be pair fine with a D750? I'd like to hear your take. Cheers.

[@frederikboving]

Yes and yes! The Tokina 100mm is a wonderful lens - my only complaint it the elaborate CA, but other than that I can only recommend it. It delivers a lot of value for money.

[@JayeshUllatil]

Does metering and auto focus work with a FTZ adapter on Z6?

[@frederikboving]

No, unfortunately not. The FTZ adapter lacks the AF motor, so your AF glass manual focus on the FTZ. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6OohoeKhritrpI

[@JayeshUllatil]

@@frederikboving Thanks 😊

[@princeharbinger]

Any difference with the Minolta version?

[@frederikboving]

Sorry, I have no insight into this. Have tried to google it, but found no specifics (not even DXO mark has tested it as far as I can tell). Ken Rockwell talks about the Canon and the Nikon version of this lens as if they are the same, and I would be surprised if Tokina would not try to keep the differences at a minimum to minimize production costs - that would be logical in my mind.

[@princeharbinger]

@@frederikboving Hey, thanks for your response. I found a small review on it. Oddly it says that it is 1:2 magnification. Here's the link. Also here's what it looks like. www.dyxum.com/reviews/lenses/Tokina-100mm-F2.8-Macro-AT-X-AF_review341.html www.ebay.com/itm/Tokina-AT-X-100mm-F-2-8-M100-AF-Macro-Lens-for-Minolta/163532399587?hash=item26134a63e3:g:fxgAAOSwXOVabC62

[@betadance222]

Just opened it today and tried it out in my kitchen...and I must admit, I'm a little confused. I'm using it with a D7500...and I can't get it to shoot at F2.8! I've had other prime lenses, such as a 50mm 1.8, and regardless of what I'm shooting, it will stay at whatever aperture I set it at. This one jumps all over the place depending on how far away I am from my subject (or so it seems) and almost never will let me shoot at 2.8! That's one of the main reasons I got this lens. What am I missing???

[@frederikboving]

Hi Gwen, A few suggestions / questions from my side: 1. Are you shooting in Aperture priority mode? (if in Auto mode, then you have no control of the aperture) 2. Is the lens mounted so that the aperture scale points upwards (you can mount it 180 degrees "wrong") 3. Is the mode selector positioned firmly? (sometimes the camera acts funny if the mode selector is somewhere between options) 4. When in Manual mode, can you then change / control the aperture via the front command dial? If not, check that the aperture is set at the green 3.2 value before you mount the lens + that you lock the pin to the right of the aperture scale. Hope this helps. Best Frederik

[@betadance222]

@@frederikboving Thank you so much for your help. 1) I always shoot in manual mode. 2) The lens is mounted correctly (though I did mess up the first time I tried, so I appreciated your video warning others about that!). 3) I've made sure the mode selector is firmly in one position. 4) In manual mode, I can change the aperture via the front dial...but only depending on how far away the object is I'm focusing on! If something is far away, I can decrease it to 2.8, but if it's anything remotely close, the max aperture gets more and more limited. I've never had a prime lens behave this way. Bad copy???

[@frederikboving]

@@betadance222 Hi Gwen, sorry for a few more "questioning" questions, not to dis-trust you but I have to try all possible venues before giving up (!): (1) are you sure you have moved the aperture ring to 32 (the green value) and locked it at that value? (2) If yes, have you tried to move the aperture blades manually (i.e. take the lens off the camera and move the lever manually?) Does it move freely? (3) What if you turn the screwdriver focus mechanism with a small screwdriver manually - does the aperture blades stand still while you do so? (4) is the switch on the camera on "full" and not "limit"? (5) is the AF/MF switch on the camera body (if there is one on the D7500) set to AF? (6) is the lens focus ring pushed forward to select AF and not MF? (7) Try turning the aperture all the way to 32 and then turning it back to f/2.8. Sometimes the issue is a "parallel misplacement", i.e. if the lens is mounted with a middle-if-the-road aperture, then the camera does not know what the scale is until you take it to the "extremes". So it may report f/4 when it is at f/2.8. - this is what I can think of right now, please let me know how you are doing!

[@ENTHO12]

hello there. Well i dont know if You solved your "issue" alredy. My 2 cents tho. All lenses are "darker" when you are close to subject. Especialy the macro lens becouse you can be very close. Its not a problem with lens itself. its just like it is =) Tokina just "let u know" about that change. BTW DOF is so small at that range, that u usualy want to close it even more=)

[@7or_7]

Is this lens good for Nikon z30?

[@frederikboving]

I would say no. It is made for full frame and it assumes that the camera has an f-mount with a built in AF motor. The Z30 is APS-C, works with Nikons new Z-mount and has not an AF motor built in. So even if you got an FTZ adapter, you would be working with a 150mm lens (FF equivalent) with manual focus.

[@ramkrishnachakraborty8475]

Sir, is AF of this lens works with Canon M200 fitted with adopter.?

[@frederikboving]

Hi Ramkrishna! I believe they make a version of this lens both for Canon and Nikon. For the Canon version you obviously don't need an adapter. If your question relates to the Nikon version, then the answer is no unfortunately. The Nikon version has no AF motor built into the lens and is dependent on "contact" to the Nikon body so the motor in the body can drive the mechanical AF in the Tokina lens. All the best!

[@ramkrishnachakraborty8475]

@@frederikboving Thanks Sir, I have Canon..Okey I am confirming for new version..❤👍

[@frederikboving]

@@ramkrishnachakraborty8475 Thanks! I am no Canon expert but be extra careful with Canon as they have several types of mounts. All the best!

[@aussie8114]

On my D810 this lens seems to almost always over expose by about 3/4 stop. I think it’s T stop value is not accurate to the f stops.

[@frederikboving]

That is annoying but I guess that you now know how to compensate. Lucky you with a D810 - I found it to be out of my budget reach at the time I bought the D750; the D810 is one of the best Nikon has ever made (Pro series aside) as far as I can tell.

[@aussie8114]

frederikboving Yes I do now know but do I remember to compensate. Usually not 😂

[@kapuramesh7310]

will it work on D90 nikon

[@frederikboving]

I have no experience with the D90, but maybe this is helpful? kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIi3nnSMg5WYa7M

[@asimomerovic2832]

Yes it Will Work

[@ShashankD137]

Itl work andi

[@bradl2636]

Have you compared to the new ATX-i..?

[@frederikboving]

Hi Brad, no, unfortunately not. But I did read a review that concluded that "the only real changes between this and the original AT-X Pro are cosmetic" and that the lens design is exactly the same. And the the Nikon version still comes with a screwdriver AF and not a built in motor. So not much new under the sun as I see it.

[@bradl2636]

@@frederikboving Is the earlier version dust and weather sealed?

[@frederikboving]

@@bradl2636 I think not. I found no rubber ring on the lens mount (like I do on the 70-200 f/2.8) so to me that is an indication it is not weather sealed.

[@bradl2636]

@@frederikboving I think then that’s upgraded on the new one that is dust and water resistant.

[@jacksonoliveirafotografia8077]

É para câmeras Full frame?

[@frederikboving]

Si. I have it mounted on my Nikon D750.

[@miamiSincar]

no photo test

[@frederikboving]

No test no

[@SS-sh6ww]

Lovely Video !

[@frederikboving]

🙏🏻