Tokina atx-m 56mm 1.4 E für Sony E

Following our review of the Fujifilm mount version, the performance of the Tokina atx-m 56mm f/1.4 E isn't all that surprising anymore. It has its merits with a couple of caveats. In terms of sharpness, it can deliver where it counts the most for such a lens - in the broader image center. The borders and corners are soft at f/1.4 and f/2. Beyond, they are pretty decent and really sharp at medium aperture settings. Lateral CAs and image distortions are on a moderate level, albeit you can spot them in critical scenes. Vignetting can be obvious at f/1.4. The lens has no correction profile, so it'll require manual efforts if you want to fix this. As far as the soft criteria are concerned, the bokeh quality is certainly a strength of this lens. Out-of-focus highlights are very clean at f/1.4 and remain circular except in the far corners. The general blur rendition is also smooth. On the downside, axial CAs (bokeh fringing) can be noticeable at large apertures. You may also stumble across purple fringing in difficult scenes with harsh contrast. Thanks to an all-metal body, a smooth control ring, and internal focusing, the mechanical quality is surprisingly high. Unlike most E-mount lenses, it features a step-less aperture ring which can come in handy for video work. It doesn't feature any weather sealing, though. The AF speed is moderate but noiseless. The most difficult aspect around the Tokina lens is not its performance but the sheer amount of competition that it faces in E-mount.