SAR reader Chris got that official answer when he asked Tokina if they will make an A-mount version of their 11-20mm lens:
We are sorry to inform you that we will not produce AT-X 11-20 mm for SONY mount.
Best regards,
A.T.
Tokina/HOYA div. Kenko Tokina Co., Ltd
54 Responses
Sony is not showing any commitment to A-mount, why would anybody else.
“Not any commitment” is false. “Not any” implies exactly 0 products. That means no A77 II, not any of the 70-XXX updates, etc.
I doubt he was being literal. In any case, can’t blame these manufacturers. Why invest in a dying mount?
That is Sigma’s usual way of approaching a-mount. Nothing indicative of a “dying mount”. Whatever that means.
It’s an APS-C lens, only thing thats interesting is when i reaches full frame.
Like the 11-16 at 14.5mm.
Sony should state very clearly and very quickly its intentions for the A mount.
They “should” have done it early 2014.
If they haven’t done it by now, they probably won’t.
How do you know that Sony didn’t tell their intention for A mount to Tokina or Sigma?
They did. On several occasions. Of course, drama queen doom preppers managed to miss that.
Well, most photographers live without any Tokina lens. If I would ever like to buy Tokina, the only lens of the brand that is interesting for APS-C A-mount owners is F/2,8 11-18 mm in two versions. The main difference between version I and II is a name, they are quite similar optically in every aspect. 11-20 mm seems to be the 3rd version of the same lens, and I suppose it will be the same optical formula with slightly increased zoom range that doesn’t make any visible advantage to previous versions.
Tokina 300mm f4 is nice on APS-C.
Get used to this kind of news!
You got that right.
Any company now designing new lenses is probably going to think long and hard if an A mount version will really be necessary.
Non-news really – other than the 11-16, Tokina has no interest in the a-mount.
Fine, fine, I’ll shoot e mount with 10-18 then.
“small bad news”…are you about 12 years old?
What kind of a title is that?
English is not his first language.
Sounds like adolescent nit-picker is yours.
The language or grammar is not the problem…it is the fact that whenever there is something negative, he downplays it…whenever there is something positive, he sensationalises it.
It is propaganda fanboyism nonsense.
You consider a third party wide angle APS-C lens to be Big news?
Do you ever watch the news and they say “and now for some slightly bad news”…if the chimp admin was announcing a third party wide angle APS-C lens …he would not name the title “some small good news”…
The fact is…he is toning down bad news and bigging up good news….that is what they call propaganda””
Hmm I thought it’s fine. What is wrong with it?
Does anybody use any of the Tokina 11-x lenses at anything other than 11mm? 20mm is of no use to anyone who would reach into their kitbag to pull out a lens that does superwide…
A faster 11mm prime (or a f2.8 competitor to the Sigma 8-16) would be better than 11-20mm f2.8 IMO, especially given that the 11-16 is sharpest at 11mm, so Im guessing the new 11-20 will be worse at 20mm that the Sony 16-50 f2.8.
I’m guessing most fans of the Tokina 11-16 who happen to have the Sony 16-50 will just shrug and say ‘so what?’.
Weird comment. 🙂
This is a landscape lens. And yes: zooms are useful when shooting landscapes. It is often much easier to frame with a zoom than walk 100 meters. Especially if that would mean walking on water or levitating over a canyon.
Of course some people will decide to move around and use the 11mm because they want the wide angle.
But the main reason why many people use this lens exclusively at 11mm is that… they don’t think about composition. They just want to put as much as possible in the frame.
Fair point. I think a faster prime would be more useful than a slower zoom though.. the SLR Magic 12mm T1.6 is one of my most used video lenses for example, wish something like that was available for a-mount!
Might be just me, but using primes makes me think more about composition rather than less… some of my best shots have occurred when I have one camera and one prime, because it limits me and forces me to think about what sort of shot I want even before I get to the location.
I totally agree that primes make one think about composition. – especially if you’re still early in the learning process. They make you think about it, because they limit your options.
I’ve learned photography with primes (I got my first camera when I was 8, but the first zoom when I was 17 :)). For me ability to zoom was a miracle.
I could consider primes for sharpness – at least unless I can afford something like Nikkor 14-24/2.8. Nothing else.
For me, landscape is all about precision. If you have a fixed lens, you’ll inevitably end up with weird stuff near the borders and you’ll have to crop.
And I like zooms because of the controlled compression (i.e. changing relative size of objects).
The point of a zoom is to not change lenses as often.
Let’s face it, us A-mount users are on a sinking ship. What Sony hasn’t revealed yet is if it’s a tiny leak or if we’ve already struck the iceberg. 2015 will be the decisive year, especially the first half.
2015 April 1st all a-mount gear will stop working at precisely 1200.
Yes, and you could use an A100 for the next 10 years. How is that comment relevant? For someone who got into the system, perhaps on the lower end, and are looking ahead at their upgrade path, they’re seeing the A-mount options disappear and thus now being forced into a new system, whether that’s Sony’s e-mount or Canikon, etc.
Personally, after the introduction of the 5-axis stabilization, adapting my A-mount lenses to E-mount looks like a perfectly fine option, so I don’t even care about death of A-mount anymore. That, and I’m already invested in upper-end A-mount gear, so figure I’m set for quite a while anyway.
First, that “upgrade path” everyone is talking about is quite vague of a concept, to the point of being nonsensical, especially in Sony’s case. Second, no a-mount options are disappearing, it’s imaginary expectations that are disappearing. Third, how are you being “forced” in a new system or how come a-mount is “dying” when “adapting A-mount lenses to E-mount looks like a perfectly fine option”?
Well, some people don’t consider complete reliance on adapters to be much of a “system”…
No a-mount options are disappearing? They’ve already scrapped the lower-end a-mount models, which are how most budding photographers come into a brand/system. That pretty much shows they’re only worried about carrying us old dogs along for a bit longer, trying to hold onto market share while they convince us e-mount is the way go (and they’ve pretty much sold me with the new tech). I’d expect another generation of the existing A-mount cameras, then watch for them to disappear. If I’m wrong, great, but I doubt it…
I agree that current adapters are not perfection, but if Sony decides to rely on them exclusively, I think they will manage to do a proper job. Unless one believes that they won’t even do that, then surely amount isn’t going anywhere.
Considering entry-level cameras, I don’t really see this as exclusive to Sony, it’s where the market is heading. Here comes that idea of “upgrade path”, except it is not a great argument. No matter which system you invest in, if you decide to move up, you quite surely won’t be keeping your entry-level camera or kit lens. It’s a moot point, especially when you count in the huge price drops we are seeing on the higher-end cameras.
Right, but if you’re smart, you start upgrading your lenses before you upgrade your camera, as glass is the most important thing. Now, if you’re sitting on an a3000/a5000 and looking to buy a high-end prime, for example, are you going to get the FE Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 (or upcoming f/1.4), or go for the 35mm f/1.4 A-mount, which already cost hundreds more, and requires you to also spend 4 bills on the adapter to use it? Probably the former… And after you’ve done that a couple/few times and you then decide to upgrade your body, what are you going to do? Scrap all of it to start over in A-mount, or just buy yourself an a7000, A7, A9, etc.
I think the path; not just for the user, but for Sony; is pretty clear. I hope I’m wrong, but if you look at it logically, it just makes sense. Personally, I’ve come to terms with it, and I’ll be fine with the right adapter once my A bodies die out (which shouldn’t happen for quite some time).
Besides that, though, I’m digging on E-mount! I’m already using my a6000 much more often than my DSLR/T’s these days, as it’s just so much more portable and practical (and the image quality is just as good). I think my large DSLR bodies are being relegated to professional-only use now, as they just seem like overkill for most everything else. I can’t wait to get my hands on an A7II, though that will probably be a while, as I can’t justify the outlay right now.
You mean that an e-mount beginner will probably continue to invest in e-mount? Sure thing. And this may very well mean that Sony will at some point stop developing a-mount. Which isn’t great, but that doesn’t mean that existing users will be left hanging. Simply put, the definition of “a-mount is dying” is quite vague. Are we going to miss the cameras, the lenses, the mount itself, or people will be left with their “useless gear”? I don’t see anything like that happening.
I am sold on e-mount too, but I wouldn’t hesitate to invest in a-mount today if it suited me better. If I start shooting in cold weather again, I’ll probably go for an a77/99.
Right, I guess it all depends on the definition. I think what most are saying – including myself – when they say “A-mount is dying” is simply that body production will dry up in the near future (like after this next generation). You’re right, though, it’s not like all our A-mount gear suddenly becomes useless. Especially with the new 5-axis stabilization coming on E-mount, I have no problem mounting my A-mount glass on those bodies. In fact, I still plan on buying some the A-mount Zeiss glass that I don’t have yet.
Agreed on the cold weather shooting – that’s one area where the e-mount bodies suck because of those tiny batteries that lose their power in no time. Kinda sucks in MN winters… 🙂
“It’s imaginary expectations that are disappearing”….well said, well said.
Its only “small” Bad news because Admin doesn’t shoot A-Mount. The only part that is “bad news” for him is that when Tokina releases the lens he cant say “Great News” A-Mount Owners. The Tokinia 11-20 is now available for pre-order! “Click Here” so I can make some money for click through advertising/sales !
If only Sony were more open about A-mount specs… Then, we could see more 3rd party manufacturers redesigning their lenses to be used on Sony cameras. Not only A-mount shooters would benefit from this, but also those E-mount shooter who like to put big lenses on their mirrorless cameras via adapter.
I am not surprised. Smart A-mount users already jumped ship to E and FE mount long ago. They have sold their now outdated 1st generation non-weather sealed F2.8 zeiss zooms and primes before the prices dropping so much now. All the young adults are going for the stylish, modern looking E-mount bodies and lenses. Without new users, A-mount is not sustainable. The slow and outdated A-mount protocol is he biggest bottleneck in the advancement of focusing speed and video quality, and did I mention the manual aperture control lever? that’s technology from the stone age…
Would you please elaborate on the outdated protocol. What exactly is outdated about A-Mount, that prevents it from advancing in focusing speed and video quality?
And don’t just blurb out your opinion… Concrete facts please!
All I see from you for now is baseless bias. A-Mount AF today is way more reliable than any E-mount AF system to date.
Manual aperture control lever? Oh, you mean the thing that no one pays attention too. You mean that thing that doesn’t require lightening fast adjustment and isn’t detrimental to performance in anyway.
I’ve moved over to FE yet haven’t bought any lenses. Don’t plan on it either. Some of us who have “jumped ship” are still eagerly awaiting an updated A99, would prefer it and see no value necessarily in “stylish” cameras simply because they’re stylish.
If you want high FPS with auto focus after each frame, then the speed of the aperture mechanism is in fact relevant and could be a limiting factor.
No news since it’s not related to the A9 🙂
We’ve had the occasional exception, but as a general rule Tokina hasn’t produced A-mount versions of their lenses for years – maybe since the Minolta era?
So I agree – it seems very minor news that yet another Tokina lens doesn’t support A-mount- which was a shame as I liked their ATX-Pro range
Not dead yet
Whether A mount dies is irrelevant if — and this is a big if — Sony produces a more capable LA-EA adapter. If they can create one that has more frame coverage and the speed/accuracy of the A77ii (or better), it doesn’t really matter of they stop producing A-Mount bodies. At that point, E bodies become universal for all practical purposes.
Personally, I’d love to see a mirrorless A-to-E adapter that’s driven by the camera’s own AF system. I don’t know how technically feasible it is, but it would make my next body a high-end E without any hesitatoin.
(And I say this as someone who just transitioned from an a6000 to an A77II because most of my lenses were As, and I didn’t love the LA-EA2’s compromises)
To all those saying A mount lenses are loosing value- yes and no. 135mm 1.8 seems to be doing just fine on the second hand market. It depends on the lens, rarity and whether E mount has filled that gap yet. 50mm 1.4 Zeiss I saw go for 930 on ebay yesterday. I paid 1300.00…however, I don’t regret it. I also knew when I bought it that the price was a bit overblown. Low demand and high price can only go one way. As far as all the others, including some of Minolta’s legacy lenses such as the 200mm 2.8. I see no movement in resale value this past year. Yet, take a look at what the 35mm 2.8 and 55mm 1.8 E mount are going for on ebay. Freaking, get ready to loose 300 bucks easy if you bought full retail. To many hitting the second hand market and not enough demand. So much for resale going the way of E mount.
A mount is still a HUGE value when you consider all of your options. You still retain AF control with almost any lens and I have yet to experience a failure from a screw driven lens- EVER. Between what Sony has supplied users with thus far and anticipated updates through at least 2016- we’re talking years…literally years away from A mount being useless. Even then, adapters will always be readily available.
“We are sorry to inform you that Sony is planning to invent yet another mount soon”… 😉
Even they know A-mount is dead…was last respectable Sony mount…now only wobble-pleasure mount for selfie faggts..sad sad
Jeez, now even A mount users will take it up the @nus..even though last non-fagts in Sonydom…
Well, 11-16 was and will be the ONLY lens they are currently producing for A mount. Why? No idea. I love Tokina’s lenses, and I have two – 11-16 which is THE best wide angle zoom on the system wit the rest lagging far behind. And I have 28-80/2.8 which I see as one of the most interesting portrait zooms out there… I’d gladly buy 11-20 as 11-16 is too narrow, I lack more FR at the long end on 11-16… But alas… That will not happen… That’s sad… But not tragedy.
There’s also the Sigma 8-16 for a-mount, which is also excellent.
Yes the 8-16 is very good. I actually own both the Sigma and the Tokina. I use the Sigma in preference, and use the Tokina only when I need faster glass. Pity that not many people even know the Sigma 8-16 exists – it seems to get overlooked a lot in wide angle discussions.
RIP Tokina, Long life Sigma (actually their Art lenses are just a pure joy – BTW, I have just got the 1,4 35 Sigma Art and on Sony A99 it is miraculous)