Top of the Rock - NYC....

[Liz]

I purchased a Tokina 11-16 a couple of months ago. Although I've played around with it, yesterday I finally got to take it out for the day. I shot these from the "Top of the Rock" which is actually on the top of the Radio City building.

I'm not looking for critique on composition, but would like a sort of "lens critique" - what you see good and not-so-good (soft areas I might not be seeing, etc). That's why I'm posting more than one image. Also, this is my first ultra wide angle lens, so it's a whole new learning experience. I would like to know how I can improve my skills with this lens.

Thanks.....
Liz

[gahspidy]

Hey Liz, I've been meaning to get up there myself, but have had so little time. I would imagine there is quite a line to get uop there?
The city looks so great from above. Your lens looks sharp all around, but then again your not seeing the edges because of your cropped sensor, but that is fine.
I have read that they are giving balloon rides in central park. It might be nice to go up ( I think it is a 10 minute ride) in one.
Looks good, Liz

[Liz]

Hey Liz, I've been meaning to get up there myself, but have had so little time. I would imagine there is quite a line to get uop there?
The city looks so great from above. Your lens looks sharp all around, but then again your not seeing the edges because of your cropped sensor, but that is fine.
I have read that they are giving balloon rides in central park. It might be nice to go up ( I think it is a 10 minute ride) in one.
Looks good, Liz

Thanks Gary.....

Actually the line looked long from the outside (about 1/2 block), but it only took about 15 minutes total to get to the 65th floor. This included purchasing the ticket and waiting for the elevator. However, there are kiosks outside where you can purchase tickets. You can then take an escalator or elevator to the 67th floor. It actually wasn't that crowded for a Saturday afternoon. The only challenge for photographers on the 65th floor (the largest open area - much larger than the 67th floor) is shooting through thick glass which was very reflective. If you had a small p&s you could put your camera through a thin split between the glass panes. However, I believe the guards were stopping people from doing that for some reason.

The 67th has less glass because it is only 2 floors higher up - not a big fall. The walls are fairly high, and you have to work through obstacles (smaller walls, the floor below) to get a decent view, so obviously everyone else is doing the same thing. If it had been more crowded, it would have been very difficult to find a spot to do any shooting. I don't recall how the Empire State Building is set up - probably similar challenges.

It's $20 for adults and I would say worth it unless it's really crowded.

Liz

[Frog]

How wide were you? 11mm? I think I see some distortion but probably wouldn't have if I hadn't been looking for it.
Be interesting to compare for sharpness with the 12-24 but hard to do without doing the same shot with both lenses.

[Liz]

How wide were you? 11mm? I think I see some distortion but probably wouldn't have if I hadn't been looking for it.
Be interesting to compare for sharpness with the 12-24 but hard to do without doing the same shot with both lenses.

I believe the view of NYC was 11mm. Actually I think this lens is comparable to the 12-24 in sharpness (I initially bought the 12-24 and loved it but wanted the extra mm plus the f2.8). Here is a review by Ken Rockwell - the one that helped me make the final decision for this lens.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tokina/11-16mm.htm

Liz

[Frog]

Yeah that fast part would be nice. I heard about it a week after buying the 12-24 and the price isn't much more.