2025-02-14 | ***Reading Time: 22 minutes***

Exploring London with a camera in hand is always a rewarding experience. The city’s lively streets and vibrant colors and its diverse architecture offer many photographic opportunities. This was one of the reasons that pushed me to host photography workshops in this city.

During my recent London workshop in October 2024, I had the chance to test the new Tokina atx-m 11-18mm F2.8 X lens around the city, capturing some amazing scenes and really put this lens to its limits. Here’s a look at one day with this impressive ultra-wide-angle lens, highlighting its capabilities and versatility.

Morning: Starting with Coffee and a Walk in Notting Hill

The day began early for me at the Lavazza flagship store, where I grabbed a tasteful coffee to kickstart the adventure. The amazing flavors of Lavazza coffee given me even more energy to walk around the city.

The sky was clear and the weather looked promising, so I headed to the vibrant and full of life streets of Notting Hill. With its colorful houses and iconic architecture, as well as the Portobello Road Market, this area was ideal for showcasing the lens ultra-wide focal length. The 11-18mm lens delivered excellent sharpness and contrast, even in the bright morning light. Its lightweight design made it easy to carry while walking through the neighborhood’s vibrant streets.

Before leaving Notting Hill, I made a quick stop at Sézane L’Appartement London to pick up a gift for my wife from her favorite brand.

It was a little strange for me to walk into a chic boutique with a camera backpack and a camera hanging off my shoulder, as I attracted some curious eyes on me. The very polite employee at the door asked me with a big smile if I was there to make some shots for the store, but I explained to her that I was there just to buy a gift for my wife. “Oh, I understand!” she said and smiled. She even helped me by proposing some products that might be suitable for the occasion (thanks!). So I left with a beautifully wrapped box and extra points for husband-of-the-day. Mission accomplished!

Late Morning: A Walk Through Hyde Park

Next, I walked to Hyde Park, one of London’s most iconic locations and one of my favorites in the city. The Tokina 11-18mm F2.8 X lens was really great for capturing wide views of the park’s landscapes. Whether framing the tree-lined pathways or focusing on details like reflections on the Serpentine, the lens handled everything with precision. Its compact size and smooth zoom functionality made it a joy to use while exploring.
Unfortunately the squirrels didn’t show up this time, but hopefully on my next visit I will manage to capture some shots of them.

Lunch Break

A quick stop for lunch at Honest Burgers was the perfect way to recharge for the rest of the day. The small tables in the cozy space reminded me just how portable and practical the Tokina lens is for a day out in the city. No matter if the lens was sitting on the table or in my camera bag, it didn’t bother me at all, while of course still providing great performance for its small size. Of course this applies to the whole APS-C system in general as you can carry some amazing gear (i.e. F2.8 and F1.4 lenses) in a relatively small camera bag. Ideal for travel!

Afternoon: Golden Hour at Tower Bridge

By mid-afternoon, I made my way to the Thames river to prepare for the golden hour. The Tokina atx-m 11-18mm F2.8 X lens truly shone here. Its wide focal range allowed me to compose a dynamic shot of Tower Bridge, capturing the golden hues of the sun reflected in the river and the nearby buildings while also capturing the movement of the clouds in the sky.
I only managed to make three 30sec long exposure shots before the very polite security guard asked me to fold my tripod as it was not allowed “for security reasons” in the area. He was kind enough though to allow me to finish my last 30sec exposure (the one below) before folding the tripod.

Evening: Low-Light Photography

When the sun set below horizon, it was time to test the lens in low-light conditions. The bright F2.8 aperture came in handy as the light began to fade, maintaining clarity and detail in the images. Even in low light conditions, the AF system worked ideal and I didn’t have to manual focus my shots.

I captured some nice shots of the City of London skyline, showcasing the illuminated skyscrapers against the darker sky. The lens handled the lighting conditions exceptionally well, with zero flare and great edge-to-edge sharpness. For low-light cityscapes, the Tokina 11-18mm F2.8 X proved to be an excellent companion.

Final Stop: Fujifilm House of Photography

To end the day, I had a planned a scheduled visit to the Fujifilm House of Photography in central London for an article I wrote for PTTL photo magazine (you can read the full article here).

It was the perfect opportunity to test the lens in an interior environment, surrounded by cutting-edge Fujifilm gear. The lens felt right at home in a space dedicated to creativity and innovation.

The staff at the back of the store, in the section where you can test some Fujifilm lenses and cameras, notice this lens and asked me if it was a pre-production copy. They were particularly curious about its performance, especially in autofocus, and they were very intrigued when the found that the lens performs amazingly well with all Fujifilm camera bodies.

Outro

This single day with the Tokina atx-m 11-18mm F2.8 X lens only showed a bare glimpse of what’s possible in a city like London for a photographer.
In term of the lens, its compact design allowed me to have this lens on my camera all day without tiring me. Its focal length range was ideal for capturing the style of photos that I like to shoot most, shots like urban landscape, travel and architectural. In terms of optical quality, the lens is a Tokina and that tells a lot, with cutting edge technology in optics. Last but not least, the autofocus performance was great resulting in proper focused shots both in day and night. This lens proved to be an ideal choice for travel, landscape photographers and videographers.

London

In terms of the city itself, obviously in a short post like this, I couldn’t show you all the locations in the city of London, it is something that you have to find out for yourself, either by travelling solo to this amazing city or, if you’re intrigued by this photography trip, feel free to join me in the upcoming London Photography Workshop and experience this incredible city through your lens. With hands-on guidance, hidden photographic gems, and plenty of creative inspiration, it’s an opportunity you won’t want to miss.

Visit the link below for more details, and happy shooting!