The Tokina AT-X 165 PRO DX makes an excellent standard lens giving the digital photographer the equivalent of a 24-75mm lens in terms of film. From the nature enthusiast to the portrait artist to photojournalist, everyone will be able to appreciate the AT-X 165's bright F/2.8 constant aperture. This wide aperture allows for faster shutter speeds in low-light conditions or a more shallow depth of field for more pleasing portraits. The out of focus background from a wide aperture setting concentrates attention on the subject giving the photo more strength and intimacy.

Tokina's exclusive One-touch Focus Clutch Mechanism allows the photographer to switch between AF and MF simply by snapping the focus ring forward for AF and back toward the camera to focus manually. There is no need to change the AF-MF switch on Nikon cameras and there is no second AF/MF switch on the lens for Canon, everything is accomplished by the focus ring.

The front element of the AT-X 165 PRO DX has a newly formulated WR or "Water Repellent" optical coating on the glass. This new coating makes marks such as spots left by water or finger-prints much easier to clean than standard multi-coating.

The rear optical group of the lens contains 1 SD (Super-Low Dispersion) glass element to reduce the number of elements (pieces of glass) in the optical design in order to make the lens more compact, light-weight and faster focusing.