Tokina AT-X 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 DX Fisheye
Manufacturer: Tokina Type: Fisheye zoom lens (DX/APS-C) Year introduced: 2006 AOV: 180° to 100° on DX Close focus: 14 cm (5.5”) Weight: 350g Price: $619 (NH version, 2011)
Overview
The Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom became the single most important underwater wide-angle lens of the digital crop-sensor era. Offering 180° to 100° angle of view on DX/APS-C cameras, it provided unprecedented compositional flexibility in a compact package. Its 14 cm close focus distance, combined with compatibility with small dome ports, revolutionized close-focus wide-angle (CFWA) photography and made the lens the default wide-angle choice for DX shooters from 2006 through the entire DX DSLR era.
As Matt Segal noted at its introduction: the lens was “of most benefit to cropped-sensor Canon users, who until this point, had no suitable option to approach a 180 degree field of view” ([1]).
Why It Dominated
- Zoom flexibility — 180° to 100° AOV gave compositional versatility impossible with primes like the Nikon 10.5mm
- Mini dome revolution — compact size + 14 cm close focus made it ideal for 4” mini domes, enabling CFWA techniques. Alex Mustard demonstrated he could fill the frame with a sea urchin smaller than half a tennis ball at 10mm ([2])
- Travel-friendly — small lens + mini dome meant dramatically smaller/lighter wide-angle rigs
- No alternative — Canon crop shooters had zero fisheye option before this
- Port ecosystem — every major housing manufacturer built dedicated ports (Nexus, Aquatica, Zen, Seacam, Subal, Nauticam)
- FX compatibility — NH version usable on full-frame cameras (Nikon D800 DX crop mode, full image at 14.5–17mm)
Revisions
- 2006 original: Built-in lens hood, Nikon F mount first, Canon EF-S followed
- 2011 NH version: Hood removed for wider coverage (corner-to-corner on FX at 14.5–17mm), new WR (Water Repellent) coating, $619 ([3])
- 2020 Z-mount limitation: Autofocus does NOT work with Nikon FTZ adapter on Z cameras; manual focus only ([4])
Reviews & Discussion
- First underwater impressions by Raimundo Fernandez on Canon 400D (November 2006) ([5])
- Nexus 4.75” coated glass dome port announced specifically for it — “truly a landmark lens for underwater photography” (February 2007) ([6])
- Alex Mustard mini dome article demonstrates CFWA capabilities (March 2010) ([7])
- Keri Wilk used extensively in D7000/Aquatica review (2011) ([8])
- Mustard’s D7100 review: “versatile lenses, like the Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom, highly suited to underwater subjects” (2013) ([9])
- Adam Hanlon used as primary wide-angle for Nikon D500 review (2016) ([10])
- Still the default DX wide-angle in 2017 ([11])
Timeline
- 2006-11: First UW impressions published ([12])
- 2007-02: Nexus announces dedicated dome port ([13])
- 2010-02: Eric Cheng discusses mini dome ports with Tokina 10-17mm ([14])
- 2010-03: Mustard demonstrates CFWA revolution; Aquatica Mini Dome 100 announced ([15], [16])
- 2011-07: NH version released (hood removed, WR coating, $619) ([17])
- 2020-02: No autofocus on Nikon Z cameras via FTZ ([18])
References
Sources
- Wetpixel article, Nov 6, 2006: Underwater Impressions Of Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 31, 2010: Thoughts On Mini Domes ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 12, 2011: Tokina Releases Updated 10 17mm Lens ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 20, 2020: Tokina Announces Test Results With Nikon Z Cameras ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 6, 2006: Underwater Impressions Of Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 25, 2007: Nexus Announces 475 Glass Dome Port For Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 31, 2010: Thoughts On Mini Domes ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 16, 2011: Nikon D7000 And Aquatica Ad7000 Review ↩
- Wetpixel article, Dec 18, 2013: Field Review Nikon D7100 And Subal Nd7100 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Oct 26, 2016: Field Review Nikon D500 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Sep 20, 2017: Field Review Retra Flash By Alex Mustard And Friends ↩
- Wetpixel article, Nov 6, 2006: Underwater Impressions Of Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 25, 2007: Nexus Announces 475 Glass Dome Port For Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 17, 2010: On Tiny Dome Ports ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 31, 2010: Thoughts On Mini Domes ↩
- Wetpixel article, Mar 24, 2010: Aquatica Announces New Mini Dome 100 ↩
- Wetpixel article, Jul 12, 2011: Tokina Releases Updated 10 17mm Lens ↩
- Wetpixel article, Feb 20, 2020: Tokina Announces Test Results With Nikon Z Cameras ↩
- First UW impressions (2006) (article) ↩
- Nexus dome port announcement (2007) (article) ↩
- Mini domes — Alex Mustard (2010) (article) ↩
- NH version release (2011) (article) ↩
- D7100 review — Alex Mustard (2013) (article) ↩
- D500 review — Adam Hanlon (2016) (article) ↩
- Z-mount compatibility (2020) (article) ↩