Lens Comparison: – Nikon AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm 1:4 F4 Ed DX Wide Angle Lens VS Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX

Last Updated on February 18, 2023

I’ve been using the Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX for some years now, but to follow my passion for Nikon pro/ semi-pro lenses I couldn’t resist grabbing this Nikon AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm 1:4 F4 Ed DX when it popped up on ebay. I know everyone likes to brag, but I managed to get this lens for less than half the going rate! It’s slightly older than the current DX Nikon 12-24 model, but was made to a higher standard.

Enough of the guff, here’s the comparison! These are all taken using my Nikon D300 and have not had any post-process done on them at all.

Click on a photo for a larger version.

ISO 200 – 1/100 sec – F/13

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm 1:4 F4 Ed DX

Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX

ISO 200 – 1/100 sec – F/16

Tokina 12-24mm f4 DX

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm 1:4 F4 Ed DX

Conclusion
Well it’s a bit soon to be making sweeping conclusions, the lens only arrived half an hour ago! Admittedly the Nikon lens meters darker than the Tokina, but then it’s always better to meter too dark than too late, all that can be fixed thanks to the marvel that is RAW data processing. Also queering the results is the fact that I’ve not done any post process on these images, and in my experience photos taken using super wide lenses need the most love of any in Lightroom/ Photoshop. So I’m glad I bagged a bargain, but whether there’s a ton of difference, well, only time will tell.