Tokina 28-70 or Tamron 28-75 on 350D?

[sfdgs]

I officially gave my Rebel XT to my daughter and I was looking at getting one

of these used lenses for her to use. I can get a pretty decent deal on either

one. It seems all the reviews I read are mixed as to their performance, so I'd

like to know if there are any positive experiences with them. The Tokina

choices are the 28-70 f2.6-2.8 ATX Pro and the 28-70 f2.8 ATX Pro II. The

Tamron is the 28-75 f2.8. I've never owned a Tokina, but the reviews seem to be

pointing me in that direction. She carried around my 24-70L for several hours

at a time, so weight is not an issue. I like the idea that it's built like a

tank, just in case she bumps it around. She is taking good pictures and I'd

like to get the one with the best image quality. Any opinions?

 

Thanks, Jason

[alexdi]

At the long end, and especially at wide apertures, the Tamron is sharper and with greater contrast. The Tokina is a heavier, largely metal lens. It doesn't have modern anti-reflection coatings on the rear element, so it's more prone to flare.

 

Good as the Tokina is, for pure image quality, the Tamron is a better lens. Note that there were actually three versions of the former lens; the best were the first two. Tokina's more recent SV lens isn't worth considering.

[ken munn]

I'd argue that starting at 28 is too long on a crop body.

 

Look at lenses that start at the 17 or 18 length, available from Canon, Sigma, Tamron.

[sfdgs]

I should have stated earlier that she already has the Sigma 17-35 f2.8-4. That's why I'm getting something a little longer and faster so she can keep the shutter speed up.

[don_wilkie]

I have compared my Tamron 28-70 f/2.8 on my 5D against my Canon 17-40 f/4 L on my 20D and the IQ is the same, excellent.

[anthony_hicks]

I can recommend the Tamron. Small and light for an f2.8, and excellent IQ. I found its only minus point to be the focusing, which is slower, noisier and prone to hunting.

[anthony_hicks]

I meant to finish that sentence with "when compared to a Canon USM lens".

[tscheung]

I had the tokina 28-70 f2.6-2.8, sold to my friend and replaced to the 28-80 f2.8, both are solid and sharp.

[sfdgs]

Thanks for the advice. I went ahead and bought the Tokina, and the pictures are razor sharp from f4.0 and up. It is very prone to lens flare which I corrected blocking the sun with my hat over the lens. Could end up being aggravating in the future, but not too big of a deal right now.