Pros:
Cons:
We rarely see a situation when we can present a rather unambiguous summary. Here I have no doubts what I should write, though. If the Tokina 16.5-135 mm was launched right after the initial announcements, so in the first half of 2006, it would stand a chance of interesting many customers. The Canon enthusiasts, apart from a cheap, plastic and optically weak EF-S 17-85 mm, had only a relatively expensive EF-S 17–85 mm at their disposal. It was equipped with stabilization and an USM but it compared badly with the Tokina when it came to the focal lengths’ range. Nikon had a plastic 18-55 mm “kit” lens and a more solid and optically better 18-70 mm. Once again both these devices had significantly narrower focal lengths’ range than the Tokina. Sony was just a novice and Pentax disposed of just a solid 18-55 mm kit lens and an optically and mechanically good 16-45 mm device.
Tokina had a delay of four years and in that time the situation on the market changed radically. Currently Canon offers such models as an EF-S 15–85 mm and an EF-S 18–135 mm – both stabilized, the first optically excellent and, additionally, a bit cheaper than the Tokina now. Nikon launched the Nikkors 16–85 mm VR, 18–135 mm and 18–105 mm VR. Sony has a brilliant Zeiss 16-80 mm and a significantly cheaper and optically decent 16-105 mm model. Pentaxt presented a 17-70 mm model. Also third-party competitors of Tokina, such as Sigma and Tamron, didn’t let slip the chance of improving their offers during that time.
The Tokina 16.5–135 mm, with such a weak performance at the maximum aperture and such chromatic aberration results at the wide angle, has rather slim chances of getting a good position on the market now. Its focal lengths’ range, undoubtedly interesting, is its only asset and it might prove to be definitely not enough.