Tokina or Canon wide view lens?

I used to have a Tokina 12-24 DX II and whilst it produced very sharp images it was prone to flare, it is a very well built lens but the AF/MF switch function is a bit of an odd design and I didn't get on with it very well at all. Although I rarely used it on MF there were times when I wanted to tweak the position that AF had given me and the Tokina switch/clutch mechanism is not good for this.

I found the autofocus performance just about acceptable but did get quite a few misses especially in situations when there was lens flare in the picture. The autofocus mechanism is actually driven by a little rubber belt which these days is a pretty old-fashioned way of doing things and I wondered if there would be any belt slip as the system aged.

Eventually I parted with it and bought the Canon 10-22 and although it doesn't feel quite as chunky and strong as the Tokina the improvement in use and performance is quite amazing. The Canon lens is just in a different class altogether.

I would suggest that if you can, try both lenses before you buy.