Well, I know I promised to shoot only the Zomb-E this week, but after 4 days, I realized that it’s not a total loss, or even a partial loss, really. The Zomb-E remains a strong performer, and a lens that will remain in my collection (and in use) for many years.
Plus, the two cheap lenses I ebayed came in yesterday and I couldn’t wait to play with them.
This image comes courtesy of the little-known Tokina AT-X 35-200mm f/3.5-4.5. I picked it up for less than $40, including shipping… Despite the seller’s assurances to the contrary, there’s a small chip in the front element and three spots of I-know-not-what, but am afraid is mold (though they don’t look like any of the pictures of lens mold that I found online) on the second element from the front. So I’ll probably be quarantining the lens after I finish testing.
Despite the chip and the probably-not-mold-but-what-else-could-it-be-? I’m fairly pleased with the lens’s performance. The out-of-camera saturation is a bit low in harsh light, but that’s to be expected. The contrast is decent, distortion no worse than I’ve seen in 21st century lenses, and bokeh is pleasant.
I’ll have more pictures and full writeup in the coming weeks. It would be sooner, but I’m heading off to Big Bend on Saturday, and will not be taking this lens with me, I don’t think.
Anyway. This shot is the result of playing around with a picture a bit in Aperture. It’s somewhat more tortured than my usual efforts, but not too outrageously.
D7000, Tokina AT-X 35-200mm f/3.5-4.5, zoomed to about 150ish. ISO100, 1/800th (AP mode), f/4.5
