An excellent capturing essential in mountainous with Tokina AT-X 107 DX Fisheye (10-17mm f/3.5-4.5) lens

The Tokina AT-X 107 DX lens, which was introduced in 2006, was one of the earliest fisheye zoom lenses specifically designed for digital DSLR cameras. Its unique "zoom" fisheye capabilities made it a popular choice among underwater photographers. Despite its compact size, measuring just 71mm x 70mm and weighing 377 grams, I was drawn to this lens for my professional photography work, albeit in a different environment - capturing the beauty of mountains.

In my previous review of the Tokina SZ 500mm reflect lens, I emphasized the importance of using extreme focal lengths - such as ultra-wide or super-telephoto lenses - to create distinctive and professional-looking photographic art that stands out in today's highly competitive market. As I discussed in that article, that lens provided me with a unique opportunity to carry a super-telephoto lens at all times. In this review, I would like to share my experiences and feedback on the opposite end of the focal length spectrum - the ultra-wide fisheye - using the compact lovely Tokina AT-X 107 DX lens in the field.

An important feature of this lens is its ability to be used on both crop sensors and full-frame sensors simultaneously. While the full range of 10mm to 17mm is only available on crop sensors, the lens's image circle from 14.5mm and above perfectly covers the entire area of a full-frame sensor.

10mm vs 14mm: as you can see above 14mm Tokina AT-X 10-17mm image circle covers all the sensor area of the full frame cameras, both images taken on Nikon D610 full frame camera body. 1/30 second exposure time at ISO100.

To demonstrate the potential of the Tokina AT-X 107 DX lens in mountain photography, I would like to mainly showcase the images that I captured using this lens, as the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words". Let's have more photos and fewer words!

Tokina AT-X 107 opens the door of creativity

The Tokina AT-X 107 open the door of creativity by allowing photographers to experiment with different angles and perspectives. The extreme wide-angle view of this lens can give a completely new and unique perspective to subjects. This can lead to striking images that stand out from the norm.

Tokina AT-X 107 is a versatile Wide-Angle lens

Tokina AT-X 107 is a versatile wide-angle lens ideal for photographing in remote areas as it is very small, compact and lightweight!

Optical Performances: Color rendition, sharpness, and Chromatic Aberrations

The Tokina AT-X 107, which was introduced in 2006, can still produce professional-grade image quality for sensors under 30 megapixels. It has a very good color rendition and center sharpness, but edges are slightly less sharp at wider apertures which enhanced by stopping down. Chromatic aberration is also a concern only on wide aperture but can be corrected both by stopping down and effectively in post-processing.

Applying noise reduction tools is very effective to control chromatic aberrations of Tokina AT-X 107 lens. Please check the bottom table for comparison of center and corners of the photo at 100% before and after applying the de-noise algorithm in PS. Picture is taken at f10 on Nikon D610. 1/250 second exposure time at ISO100.

Color Fringe (CA II) at high contrast area at center of the frame before NR post process	After post process in PS
Lateral Chromatic Aberration (CA I) on bottom right corner of the frame before NR post process	After post process in PS
Lateral Chromatic Aberration (CA I) on bottom left far corner of the frame before NR post process	After post process in PS

Minimum focus distance

The Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens has a minimum focus distance of 5.5 inches (14cm) throughout its zoom range. This allows you to get very close to your subject and capture unique compositions! The lens performance is amazing at short distances, also a pleasant Bokeh for far out of focus subjects.

Nightscapes

The Tokina 10-17mm fisheye lens is great for nightscapes and astrophotography with its wide-angle view and fast f/3.5-4.5 aperture. You can capture panoramic views of the night sky, including stars and the Milky Way, while adding more surrounding scenery for context.