The poor old Tokina AT-X 35-200mm f/3.5-4.5 has been languishing on a shelf, staring forlornly out at me and begging for just one more chance since I finished shooting for that review I wrote back in November 2012. Given that I didn’t really have much of a clue what to shoot this week, no ideas or plans, no desire to get to work on any of the ideas I’ve had stashed away, I decided to give the old Toki a chance to shine.

And—believe it or not—shine it did!

Mostly.

Given the Tokina’s failure to transmit much in the way of contrast or sharpness or color, it really likes flat light, like that found during a mostly overcast and raining day, like those we had here in North Texas several times this week.

Two shots of puddles got the most work (probably 4 minutes of slider play); two shots of that flower got a bit less (less than a minute each, I think); the others are straight from Lightroom’s RAW processor.

So GoGo, Tokina! I don’t think it’ll make it into regular rotation—everything is still backwards and the range is still rather limited (~52-300 in 35mm terms) on a crop sensor—but it might not go into the Goodwill pile when I move next…

D7000. Tokina AT-X 35-200 f/3.5-4.5. Remarkably little post-work in Lightroom, given the quality of this particular lens… EXIF is in the lightbox, if you care.

PS… Yes, there are 9 pictures… No, I didn’t miscount. Pick two and consider them a bonus.

PPS… when reading the title, please think of the hook on this classic song. (And remember the dancing and singing with some fondness. RIP.)

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  1. Love the shots – and the song! Why the cactus on the little pair of pants and the Christmas tree on the big pair? Such a mystery…