Tokina Cinema Lenses

[Phil Goetz]

These will all be arriving April / May 2014:

Cinema ATX 11-16mm T3.0 Micro 4/3 $1899
Tokina Cinema ATX 11-16mm T3.0 Micro 4/3 Mount

Cinema ATX 11-16mm T3.0 EF Mount $1899
Tokina Cinema ATX 11-16mm T3.0 EF Mount

Cinema ATX 16-28mm T3.0 for PL $4499
Tokina Cinema AT-X 16-28mm T3.0 for PL Mount

Cinema ATX 16-28mm T3.0 for EF $4499
Tokina Cinema AT-X 16-28mm T3.0 for EF Mount

11-16mm f/2.8mm

Product Highlights

- Super-wide angle T3.0 zoom lens (APS-C)
- Proven and Award Winning Tokina optical design
- Rugged All-Metal lens housing
- Geared Focus, Aperture, and Zoom rings
- 4K approved
- Super 35 and APS-C coverage
- Minimum focus distance of 13.8"
- Available in Canon EF Mount OR MFT Mount

Built around the original, award-winning Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8mm DSLR camera lens, the NEW Tokina Cinema AT-X 11-16mm T3.0 brings its superior optical performance and distortion free optical design to professional and independent film making. Tokina engineers developed a special all-metal cinema housing that provides geared manual focus control with easy to read distance scale, a de-clicked aperture ring for smooth iris pulls, and zoom ring for use with remote control systems.

Built to meet the demanding needs of hard working cinematographers, the Tokina 11-16mm T3.0 utilizes 2 Super-low Dispersion and 2 Aspherical lens elements to achieve excellent contrast and sharpness while minimizing flare and ghosting. A bayonet mount, petal-type lens hood is also included.

16-28mm F/2.8mm

Product Highlights:

- Full frame super-wide 16-28mm lens
- Fast T3.0 aperture
- 4K approved
- LDS (Lens Data System) support is possible.
- Common 114mm front diameter for matte boxes
- Minimum focus distance of 11.03"
- Available in Canon EF Mount OR PL Mount

Built around the highly innovative Tokina AT-X 16-28mm F/2.8 FX full frame optical design, the NEW Tokina Cinema AT-X 16-28mm T3.0 brings its award-winning performance into the film making arena. Tokina rehoused these superior optics in an all new cinema housing that provides geared manual focus control with an easy to read distance scale, geared zoom ring, and a de-clicked aperture with 9 curved blades that yield beautiful out of focus highlights while reducing the chance of diffraction at small apertures.

To deliver the results that working professionals demand, Tokina incorporated 3 Aspherical lens elements and 2 Super-low dispersion glass elements in the optical design to achieve excellent contrast and sharpness with minimizing lens flare, diffraction, and ghosting. The lens has an industry standard 114mm front diameter for attaching a variety of matte-boxes.

[Bill Ward]

Any word on whether they'll offer the 11-16 in a PL mount at some point soon?

[Dave Allen]

For those prices, I can take quality lenses including Tokina's and Sigma F1.8s and have them cine rehoused and have huge chunks of cash left over.

[Gary Huff]

Originally Posted by Dave Allen

For those prices, I can take quality lenses including Tokina's and Sigma F1.8s and have them cine rehoused and have huge chunks of cash left over.

Actually, you cannot.

[Dave Allen]

Actually, one can and many have.

Customized cine lens

[Gary Huff]

Originally Posted by Dave Allen

Actually, one can and many have.

Did you? I don't personally know anyone who has any lenses modified by that company, and when I reached out to those whose opinions I rely on in my investigation into getting some cinemods done, I was informed that these were very poor in quality.

This and this are the ones I typically hear about that are great buys. And they are substantially more.

[Dave Allen]

It's ok if you are unfamiliar with this company or their product line. But as stated and demonstrated, one can have standard lenses cine modified for quite a bit less than Tokina's cine lenses.

They charge about $600 USD for prime lens mods, and about $1000 USD for zoom cine mods and they do the popular Tokina 11-16.

Alternately for those on a budget, there is a guy in Ebay who machines up very tight fitting one piece focus gears. He can make either low profile or large diameter gears, the latter of which would give more precise focus puller control. About $30 per custom gear.

[Brian Drysdale]

On the reviews I've read on the Cinematic lens conversion say that it's more a cosmetic modification to make the lens look good. It seems that with the modified Canon prime there are no end stops on the focus scale, which make.the focus markings meaningless and these marking I gather are inaccurate.

They seem to be relying on the original still lens mechanics, rather than going the more expensive route of building new mechanics for the cine lens. With the Cinematics it seems you do need to pick the right lens, with good mechanics,

Perhaps effectively that's no different to putting on a gear ring onto the stills lens, I've done the latter with Zeiss Contax lenses, but they weren't the same as a modern cine lens with an accurate expanded focus scale. Nice lenses if you can get a set, they're very well engineered.

You need to physically compare these Tokina cinema lenses to other lenses or lens conversions and see how well they operate. Price wise they're a bit more than the high end modified stills versions, you'd need to check the focus scale and other mechanics to find out if the difference is worth it to you.

[Gary Huff]

Originally Posted by Dave Allen

It's ok if you are unfamiliar with this company or their product line.

Well, that's a misstatement of my post. I have not physically touched this item because there is no one in my circle that has these, but I am familiar that this company exists and mods these lenses at these prices.

But as stated and demonstrated, one can have standard lenses cine modified for quite a bit less than Tokina's cine lenses. They charge about $600 USD for prime lens mods, and about $1000 USD for zoom cine mods and they do the popular Tokina 11-16.

This is a mere cosmetic shell with no overlay (I did ask if you had purchased one of these mods, I guess the answer is a "No, I Dave Allen have not purchased any of these mods, nor do I have any actual experience with them"?) It doesn't add accurate focus marks, manual aperture control, or, in the case of the Sigma 18-35 from GL Optics, a 300 degree focus throw. In the case of the Tokina 11-16, I am very interested in having that lens with a manual aperture, so can you please link to me where I can get such a thing for less than the Tokina Cine lens?

Alternately for those on a budget, there is a guy in Ebay who machines up very tight fitting one piece focus gears. He can make either low profile or large diameter gears, the latter of which would give more precise focus puller control. About $30 per custom gear.

Actually, "precise focus puller control" is not accurate. Gears like this make it easier for a follow focus unit to turn, but it doesn't add throw. To add throw, the lens has to be modified internally, so, no, it's not at all anything like the much more expensive units I listed.

If you don't have experience with this, don't you think you should before you randomly google up cheaper prices for poor mods?

[Dave Allen]

Since you seem to have a penchant for rather less than diplomatic replies, allow me to respond in kind; So you have never seen one, handled one or used one? Like I said, it is ok if you are unfamiliar with the product and thus not in a position to be familiar with it. So an accurate statement would be "I, Gary Huff, am not familiar with the product to any degree.".

Actually, "precise focus puller control" is not accurate....

What is not accurate is your removal of the context of my statement which was: "the latter of which would give more precise focus puller control. " meaning more than with a smaller diameter focus gear.

Gears like this make it easier for a follow focus unit to turn, but it doesn't add throw. To add throw, the lens has to be modified internally,

You, Gary Huff, have made another erroneous statement. lol

By employing a larger focus gear and keeping the drive gear the same, the ratio changes, thus making for more precise control than a focus gear that is closer to the size of the barrel diameter.

Brian Drysdale, I completely agree with your post. Zeiss has told me that some of their most popular cine primes are just rehoused existing still cam glass at a much higher pricepoint.

It will be interesting to see the reviews of the new Tokina cines as they work their way into the hands of users.

[Gary Huff]

Originally Posted by Dave Allen

Since you seem to have a penchant for rather less than diplomatic replies, allow me to respond in kind; So you have never seen one, handled one or used one?

No, I made it very clear I sought out the opinion of those who had whose expertise I trust.

What is not accurate is your removal of the context of my statement which was: "the latter of which would give more precise focus puller control. " meaning more than with a smaller diameter focus gear.

You are implying that it gives you more throw. Do you know what focus throw is? It does not give you more throw.

[Phil Goetz]

11-16 in PL is NOT on the price sheet. I am looking to see if it is in the product road map in the future for Tokina. Cinematics had a booth at NAB. I stopped to talk to them. They are re-housing lenses. They are an option. It depends what your threshold for pain is in terms of having a DVinfo sponsor to buy it from and reps to support the product. This forum is one place to share experiences and opinions to crowd source input on products.

[Phil Goetz]

Gary - let me know it you want to swing by and try the Tokina lenses.

We have all these in stock:

Tokino TC-116C: TOKINA 11-16MM T3.0 CINEMA FOR CANON
Tokina TC-116M43: TOKINA 11-16MM T3.0 CINEMA FOR MICRO 4/3
Tokina TC-168C: TOKINA 16-28MM T3.0 CINEMA FOR CANON

[Brian Drysdale]

The Zeiss CP primes use the glass from the stills lenses, but the mechanics are more than the still lens barrel having a cine conversion.

Zeiss Eye Candy by Adam Wilt

[Gary Huff]

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

The Zeiss CP primes use the glass from the stills lenses, but the mechanics are more than the still lens barrel having a cine conversion.

Exactly right. More blades in the iris (14 vs 9), and 300 degree focus throw instead of the 90-270 degrees depending on the lens. Plus, the CPs all have manual aperture control, which is only the ZFs for the stills (and they turn the way Nikon's focus, unlike the CPs).

Frankly, I never use the Tokina in AF so I prefer not having the sliding ring, and I want manual aperture control for mounting on the GH4. That makes it a good deal at $1900.