USER REVI EW | TOK I NA F I R I N 20MM F/ 2
T0KINA FIRIN 20MM F/2 FE An independent prime lens for Sony E-mount cameras is quite a rare thing. Here’s what we thought PRICE £799/$949
WORDS & PICTURES ADAM DUCKWORTH
RIGHT AND BELOW The Fírin f/2 provides crisp, natural results in both low and bright light
okina’s new Fírin 20mm f/2 lens is one of the few independent primes for Sony E-mount cameras.
It’s very small and portable, yet still has the high-quality, modern optical design necessary for such high- resolving cameras. The lens uses the same glass as Tokina’s current 20mm f/2 manual focus lens, but the new version is autofocus using an ultrasonic motor. This makes it reasonably fast and quiet, although it did hunt a little at times when compared to native Sony G Master glass in low-light conditions. It’s certainly not the lens to use for tracking fast-moving action, but that’s not really what a prime like this is for. In documentary-style use, it proved plenty quick enough for snapping into focus on people’s faces and staying locked on them, even tracking subjects as they moved across the frame. The lens works flawlessly with Sony’s advanced AF features, such as face detection. In very low light, however, it did struggle a little to lock on, despite its fast f/2 maximum aperture.
“THE LENS WORKS FLAWLESSLY WITH SONY’S ADVANCED AF”
Bokeh is something usually more associated with longer lenses, but with the Fírin offering a fast f/2 aperture, you can actually get some pleasing out-of-focus areas in the background of an image, especially if the subject is close to the lens. There are very few E-mount lenses that are so wide yet can offer a distinctive look when shot wide open, thanks to the fast maximum aperture. The Tokina comes with a lens hood, and the front element is not the huge bulbous affair found on some wide glass. Effective multi- coating makes it good at controlling flare, although low winter sun shining right into the lens did show some ghosting. However, it’s a pleasing effect and contrast wasn’t affected much. The smaller front element allows a reasonably compact 62mm filter thread, so oversize filters aren’t needed. The biggest let-down with the lens is the lack of weather sealing. For a lens that could become a workhorse for a landscape photographer who wants to travel light, it’s a bit of an oversight that some shooters may find tough to ignore.
Unfortunately, the lens doesn’t offer any focusing marks or depth- of-field scale, but does have a wide focusing ring and AF/ MF switch for quick manual tweaks if desired. Using it in manual focus is not as pleasing as the older, MF-only version with its manually-geared mechanics. If you love AF and face detection, the AF version is the one to go for. If you’re an MF fan, stick with the older lens. Where it does excel is optical quality, thanks to its use of two aspherical and three super-low dispersion elements, which cut down all types of distortion alongside offering high resolving power. The colours are very natural and the images show good contrast without being too extreme. The images are sharp and it’s worth mentioning the consistency of sharpness as you change apertures. At very narrow apertures and wide open, the details are excellent. You can use the lens at any aperture without worrying about image degradation, even at the edges of the frame. There is some vignetting, but this can be removed in post.
66 DEF I N I T ION | JULY 20 1 9
Powered by FlippingBook