Tokina AT-X 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 DX Fisheye

Manufacturer: Tokina (Kenko Tokina Co., Ltd.)
Type: Fisheye zoom lens (DX/APS-C)
Mount: Nikon F, Canon EF-S
Year introduced: 2006 (Nikon/Canon mount; Pentax-branded version December 2005)
Optical construction: 10 elements in 8 groups (1 SD glass element)
AOV: 180° to 100° on DX (diagonal)
Maximum aperture: f/3.5-4.5
Minimum aperture: f/22
Diaphragm blades: 6
Close focus: 14 cm (5.5”) from front element
Reproduction ratio: 1:2.56
Dimensions: 70mm diameter x 71.1mm length
Weight: 350g (12.3 oz)
Price: ~$400-500 at introduction; $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 that no other lens could match. 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 and beyond.

The lens was originally developed by Tokina as an OEM product for Pentax. In December 2005, Pentax announced a “10-17mm digital fisheye zoom lens” for their *ist cameras, but Wetpixel users quickly identified it as a Tokina-manufactured product, sparking hope that Nikon and Canon mount versions would follow ([1]). Those hopes were realized in 2006, when Tokina released the lens in both mounts.

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” ([2]). Berkley White of Backscatter went further, calling it “arguably the greatest wide angle lens ever made for underwater photography” ([3]).

Why It Dominated Underwater Photography

The Tokina 10-17mm became dominant for several interconnected reasons:

Revisions

Original DX Version (2006)

The original AT-X 107 DX featured a built-in lens hood, available in Nikon F and Canon EF-S mounts. It was previewed at Photokina 2006, where it attracted significant attention from the underwater photography community ([11]). First underwater test images by Raimundo Fernandez on a Canon 400D were published in November 2006, showing encouraging results ([12]).

A well-known aftermarket modification involved having the built-in lens hood shaved off (available in Germany for approximately 50 euros, with a lens replacement guarantee if damaged during the process). This modification anticipated the NH version by several years ([13]).

NH Version (2011)

The AT-X 107 NH replaced the DX version with two key changes:

The NH version retailed for $619 and was available in both Nikon and Canon mounts. Community reaction noted that the update was “basically the same as getting the hood shaved off,” a modification that had already been available from third-party services ([16]).

Nikon Z-Mount Limitation (2020)

Tokina formally announced that autofocus does not work with both versions of the 10-17mm when used with the Nikon FTZ adapter on Z6, Z7, and Z50 mirrorless cameras. Manual focus remains functional. This was a significant blow to DX underwater photographers considering the transition to mirrorless, as the lens had no native Z-mount equivalent ([17]).

Port Compatibility

The Tokina 10-17mm spawned an entire ecosystem of dedicated dome ports across all major housing manufacturers:

ManufacturerPortSizeTypeYearSource
NexusDP1017-104.75”Coated glass2007[18]
SeacamFisheye Macro 105mm~4”Glass2010[19]
Zen Underwater100mm dome~4”Glass2010[20]
AquaticaMini Dome 1004” (100mm)BK-7 coated glass2010[21]
AquaticaMega Dome9.25”Glasspre-2010[22]
AquaticaPort adapter (Sea & Sea NX)Adapter2010[23]
UnderWater Camera StuffModular 5” Dome5”Acrylic2011[24]
Subal9” dome + 18mm extension9”Coated glasspre-2011[25]
Barry Guimbellot / Creative IllusionsDIY mini dome~4”Custom acrylic2010[26]
Nauticam4.5” mini dome4.5”Acrylic/glass2010[27]
Sealux180F domeGlasspre-2008[28]
Sea & SeaUniversal Dome 210AR8”Plantex2020[29]

The Aquatica port adapter for Sea & Sea NX ports was specifically designed to accommodate the Tokina 10-17mm without additional extension, enabling photographers to migrate housing systems while keeping their ports ([30]).

The Mini Dome Revolution

The Tokina 10-17mm was the primary catalyst for the mini dome port revolution of 2009-2011. Eric Cheng noted in early 2010 that “crop sensor SLR users have more flexibility due to the availability of the Tokina 10-17 fisheye zoom, one of the most popular underwater wide-angle lenses” when discussing the trend toward tiny dome ports ([31]).

Alex Mustard wrote the definitive article on mini domes in March 2010, using the Tokina 10-17mm as the primary test lens. He identified two key advantages of mini domes specifically enabled by this lens:

  1. Strobe positioning — The small dome allowed strobes to be tucked very close to the port, dramatically improving lighting quality for CFWA subjects at working distances under 100mm (4 inches) ([32]).
  2. Subject magnification — The lens’s 14 cm close focus combined with the small dome’s compact physical profile allowed the photographer to get physically closer to subjects than with standard domes ([33]).

Mustard cautioned that mini domes produced a virtual image that was closer and more curved than standard-sized domes, making corner sharpness more difficult to achieve. He recommended them specifically for close-focus work rather than general wide-angle photography ([34]).

Barry Guimbellot’s DIY mini dome project, inspired directly by the Tokina 10-17mm, became a widely read Wetpixel article. After professional underwater photographer Marty Snyderman showed him the lens, Guimbellot was “instantly sold” and designed a custom dome port for his Nexus housing, reporting sharper images with more saturated colors than his original large dome ([35]).

Mustard’s DEMA 2011 talk “Domes without the Drone” covered the practical pros and cons of mini domes extensively, with many commenters noting they used their Tokina 10-17mm behind standard 8” domes and were satisfied with the combination ([36]).

DX vs FX Debate

The Tokina 10-17mm played a central role in the long-running DX vs FX format debate for underwater photography. Its existence was one of the strongest arguments in favor of DX:

Borut Furlan published a comprehensive DX vs FX comparison in 2011 arguing that DX was more suitable for underwater photography. One commenter noted that “the Sigma and/or Tokina Fisheye lenses” were “superior” alternatives for DX, with the Tokina being “more versatile” than the primes despite the Sigma 10mm being slightly sharper ([37]).

Alex Mustard argued in his D7100 review that “most serious underwater photographers don’t need convincing about the merits of the smaller DX format,” citing “versatile lenses, like the Tokina 10-17mm fisheye zoom, highly suited to underwater subjects” as a key reason ([38]).

Nauticam explicitly promoted the Tokina 10-17mm as a core advantage of DX systems in their NA-D500 housing announcement: “A fisheye that zooms! The Tokina 10-17 is the ultimate super wide field of view range, and full frame systems don’t have it” ([39]).

Reviews and Field Reports

The Tokina 10-17mm appeared in virtually every Nikon DX camera and housing review published on Wetpixel from 2006 through 2020:

Professional Endorsements

In the 2015 “Wetpixel Asks the Pros: Wide-Angle” survey, multiple professional underwater photographers cited the Tokina 10-17mm as their preferred or go-to wide-angle lens:

Competition-Winning Images

The Tokina 10-17mm was used to create images that placed in major international competitions:

Competitors

Legacy and Decline

The Tokina 10-17mm’s dominance was tied to the DX DSLR format. As the industry transitioned to mirrorless cameras from 2018 onward, the lens faced an existential challenge: it could not autofocus on Nikon Z cameras via the FTZ adapter ([60]), and Tokina never produced a native Z-mount version with zoom capability.

Despite this, the lens remained in active use well into the 2020s. Morten Bjorn-Larsen was still shooting it on a D500 in 2020 ([61]), and forum classifieds showed the lens and its associated dome ports continued to trade actively. The Nikon D500 kept the lens relevant as many underwater photographers held onto their DX DSLR systems even as the broader market moved to mirrorless.

The lens’s influence extended beyond its own lifespan. The concepts it popularized — fisheye zoom versatility, mini dome ports, CFWA technique, and compact travel-friendly wide-angle rigs — became standard expectations that manufacturers had to meet with newer systems like Nauticam’s WACP and WWL wet lenses.

Timeline

References

Wetpixel Live


Sources

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  2. Wetpixel article, Nov 6, 2006: Underwater Impressions Of Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye
  3. Wetpixel article, Jan 15, 2010: Aquatica Canon 7d Housing
  4. Wetpixel article, Dec 18, 2013: Field Review Nikon D7100 And Subal Nd7100
  5. Wetpixel article, Mar 31, 2010: Thoughts On Mini Domes
  6. Wetpixel article, Feb 17, 2010: On Tiny Dome Ports
  7. Wetpixel article, Nov 6, 2006: Underwater Impressions Of Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye
  8. Wetpixel article, May 12, 2015: Nauticam Ships The Na D7200
  9. Wetpixel article, Aug 29, 2012: Wetpixel D800 Camera Review
  10. Wetpixel article, Mar 1, 2010: Diy Small Dome Port For Cfwa
  11. Wetpixel article, Sep 15, 2006: Pre Photokina 2006 Announcements
  12. Wetpixel article, Nov 6, 2006: Underwater Impressions Of Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye
  13. Wetpixel article, Jul 12, 2011: Tokina Releases Updated 10 17mm Lens
  14. Wetpixel article, Jul 12, 2011: Tokina Releases Updated 10 17mm Lens
  15. Wetpixel article, Jul 12, 2011: Tokina Releases Updated 10 17mm Lens
  16. Wetpixel article, Jul 12, 2011: Tokina Releases Updated 10 17mm Lens
  17. Wetpixel article, Feb 20, 2020: Tokina Announces Test Results With Nikon Z Cameras
  18. Wetpixel article, Feb 25, 2007: Nexus Announces 475 Glass Dome Port For Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye
  19. Wetpixel article, Feb 17, 2010: On Tiny Dome Ports
  20. Wetpixel article, Mar 31, 2010: Thoughts On Mini Domes
  21. Wetpixel article, Mar 24, 2010: Aquatica Announces New Mini Dome 100
  22. Wetpixel article, Feb 16, 2011: Nikon D7000 And Aquatica Ad7000 Review
  23. Wetpixel article, Mar 25, 2010: Aquatica Announces Port Adapters For Subal And Sea And Sea
  24. Wetpixel article, Apr 7, 2011: Underwater Camera Stuff Releases 5 Dome Ports
  25. Wetpixel article, Sep 26, 2011: Subal Nd7000 Review Part 2
  26. Wetpixel article, Mar 1, 2010: Diy Small Dome Port For Cfwa
  27. Wetpixel article, Dec 2, 2010: Field Review Nikon D7000 And Nauticam Na D7000
  28. Wetpixel article, May 2, 2008: Sealux Cd300 Underwater Housing For Nikon D300 Review
  29. Wetpixel article, Jul 20, 2020: Preview Seasea 201ar Dome By Morten Bjrn Larsen
  30. Wetpixel article, Mar 25, 2010: Aquatica Announces Port Adapters For Subal And Sea And Sea
  31. Wetpixel article, Feb 17, 2010: On Tiny Dome Ports
  32. Wetpixel article, Mar 31, 2010: Thoughts On Mini Domes
  33. Wetpixel article, Mar 31, 2010: Thoughts On Mini Domes
  34. Wetpixel article, Mar 31, 2010: Thoughts On Mini Domes
  35. Wetpixel article, Mar 1, 2010: Diy Small Dome Port For Cfwa
  36. Wetpixel article, Nov 15, 2011: Domes Without The Drone
  37. Wetpixel article, Mar 18, 2011: Dx Or Fx
  38. Wetpixel article, Dec 18, 2013: Field Review Nikon D7100 And Subal Nd7100
  39. Wetpixel article, May 23, 2016: Nauticam Ships Housing For D500
  40. Wetpixel article, Nov 6, 2006: Underwater Impressions Of Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye
  41. Wetpixel article, May 2, 2008: Sealux Cd300 Underwater Housing For Nikon D300 Review
  42. Wetpixel article, Dec 2, 2010: Field Review Nikon D7000 And Nauticam Na D7000
  43. Wetpixel article, Feb 16, 2011: Nikon D7000 And Aquatica Ad7000 Review
  44. Wetpixel article, Sep 26, 2011: Subal Nd7000 Review Part 2
  45. Wetpixel article, Dec 18, 2013: Field Review Nikon D7100 And Subal Nd7100
  46. Wetpixel article, Oct 26, 2016: Field Review Nikon D500
  47. Wetpixel article, Nov 11, 2016: Field Review Nauticam Na D500 Housing
  48. Wetpixel article, Feb 10, 2019: Nikon D500 Mid Term Report By Don Silcock
  49. Wetpixel article, Jul 20, 2020: Preview Seasea 201ar Dome By Morten Bjrn Larsen
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  53. Wetpixel article, May 18, 2015: Wetpixel Asks The Pros Wide Angle Part 1
  54. Wetpixel article, Oct 19, 2016: Results Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2016
  55. Wetpixel article, Oct 16, 2018: Result Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2018
  56. Wetpixel article, Mar 18, 2011: Dx Or Fx
  57. Wetpixel article, Nov 13, 2007: Sigma Announces Two Newdigital Fisheye Lenses
  58. Wetpixel article, Mar 18, 2011: Dx Or Fx
  59. Wetpixel article, Feb 20, 2022: Tokina Announces 8mm Fish Eye For Sony E Mount
  60. Wetpixel article, Feb 20, 2020: Tokina Announces Test Results With Nikon Z Cameras
  61. Wetpixel article, Jul 20, 2020: Preview Seasea 201ar Dome By Morten Bjrn Larsen
  62. Wetpixel article, Dec 1, 2005: Pentax Digital Fisheye Zoom Lens
  63. Wetpixel article, Sep 15, 2006: Pre Photokina 2006 Announcements
  64. Wetpixel article, Nov 6, 2006: Underwater Impressions Of Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye
  65. Wetpixel article, Feb 25, 2007: Nexus Announces 475 Glass Dome Port For Tokina 10 17mm Fisheye
  66. Wetpixel article, Nov 13, 2007: Sigma Announces Two Newdigital Fisheye Lenses
  67. Wetpixel article, Feb 17, 2010: On Tiny Dome Ports
  68. Wetpixel article, Mar 1, 2010: Diy Small Dome Port For Cfwa
  69. Wetpixel article, Mar 24, 2010: Aquatica Announces New Mini Dome 100
  70. Wetpixel article, Mar 25, 2010: Aquatica Announces Port Adapters For Subal And Sea And Sea
  71. Wetpixel article, Mar 31, 2010: Thoughts On Mini Domes
  72. Wetpixel article, Dec 2, 2010: Field Review Nikon D7000 And Nauticam Na D7000
  73. Wetpixel article, Feb 16, 2011: Nikon D7000 And Aquatica Ad7000 Review
  74. Wetpixel article, Mar 18, 2011: Dx Or Fx
  75. Wetpixel article, Apr 7, 2011: Underwater Camera Stuff Releases 5 Dome Ports
  76. Wetpixel article, Jul 12, 2011: Tokina Releases Updated 10 17mm Lens
  77. Wetpixel article, Sep 26, 2011: Subal Nd7000 Review Part 2
  78. Wetpixel article, Nov 15, 2011: Domes Without The Drone
  79. Wetpixel article, Aug 29, 2012: Wetpixel D800 Camera Review
  80. Wetpixel article, Dec 18, 2013: Field Review Nikon D7100 And Subal Nd7100
  81. Wetpixel article, May 18, 2015: Wetpixel Asks The Pros Wide Angle Part 1
  82. Wetpixel article, May 23, 2016: Nauticam Ships Housing For D500
  83. Wetpixel article, Oct 26, 2016: Field Review Nikon D500
  84. Wetpixel article, Oct 19, 2016: Results Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2016
  85. Wetpixel article, Oct 16, 2018: Result Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2018
  86. Wetpixel article, Feb 20, 2020: Tokina Announces Test Results With Nikon Z Cameras
  87. Wetpixel article, Jul 20, 2020: Preview Seasea 201ar Dome By Morten Bjrn Larsen
  88. Pentax fisheye zoom announcement — James Wiseman (2005) (article)
  89. Pre-Photokina 2006 announcements — Eric Cheng (2006) (article)
  90. First UW impressions — Matt Segal (2006) (article)
  91. Nexus dome port announcement — Matt Segal (2007) (article)
  92. Sigma fisheye competition — James Wiseman (2007) (article)
  93. Sealux CD300 review — Colin Gans (2008) (article)
  94. Canon 7D / Aquatica review — Berkley White (2010) (article)
  95. On tiny dome ports — Eric Cheng (2010) (article)
  96. DIY mini dome for CFWA — Barry Guimbellot (2010) (article)
  97. Aquatica Mini Dome 100 announcement (2010) (article)
  98. Aquatica port adapters for Subal and Sea & Sea (2010) (article)
  99. Thoughts on mini domes — Alex Mustard (2010) (article)
  100. D7000/Nauticam review — Alex Mustard (2010) (article)
  101. D7000/Aquatica review — Keri Wilk (2011) (article)
  102. DX or FX — Borut Furlan (2011) (article)
  103. UW Camera Stuff 5” dome ports (2011) (article)
  104. NH version release — Adam Hanlon (2011) (article)
  105. Subal ND7000 review — Andrej Belic (2011) (article)
  106. Domes without the Drone — Alex Mustard at DEMA (2011) (article)
  107. D800 review — Adam Hanlon (2012) (article)
  108. D7100/Subal review — Alex Mustard (2013) (article)
  109. Wetpixel Asks the Pros: Wide-Angle (2015) (article)
  110. NA-D7200 announcement — Nauticam (2015) (article)
  111. Nauticam NA-D500 announcement (2016) (article)
  112. D500 review — Adam Hanlon (2016) (article)
  113. WPOTY 2016 results (2016) (article)
  114. Azores with D500 — Don Silcock (2016) (article)
  115. NA-D500 housing review — Adam Hanlon (2016) (article)
  116. WPOTY 2018 results (2018) (article)
  117. D500 mid-term report — Don Silcock (2019) (article)
  118. Z-mount compatibility — Adam Hanlon (2020) (article)
  119. Sea & Sea 210AR dome review — Morten Bjorn-Larsen (2020) (article)
  120. Tokina 8mm Sony E-mount announcement (2022) (article)
  121. Wetpixel Live Ep. 41: More Thoughts on 8-15mm Fisheye Lenses (unknown)
  122. Wetpixel Live Ep. 207: How to Use Fisheye Lenses Underwater (unknown)