First test
PRICE: £249
TOKINALENS.CO.UK
Mirror lenses used to be all the rage, but their popularity has certainly waned in recent years. Perhaps it’s time for a revival – and this tiny Tokina could be the one that gets the ball rolling Tokina SZX 400mm f/8 ReflexMF
“STICKINGWITH FAST SHUTTER SPEEDS WILL PAY DIVIDENDS”
SPECS › Price £249. T2 mount: Tokina offers Canon EOS EF/RF, Fujifilm X, Sony E, Nikon F/Z, Micro Four Thirds. T2 mounts in other fittings are readily available › In the box Lens cap, back cap, BH- 673 screw-in lens hood, adapter › Format Full-frame, APS-C, Micro Four Thirds › Filter 67mm › Construction Six elements in five groups MIRROR LENSES COMBINE mirrors and glass lens elements to give a long telephoto focal length using a ‘folded’ light path. In practice, this catadioptric design means physically much shorter, lighter lenses than you would expect for a long telephoto. The Tokina SZX Super Tele 400mm f/8 Reflex MF lens is 77mm long and weighs around 355g including the mount – about the size of a fast-aperture short telephoto. It can fit virtually any camera via the T2 mount, which comprises two components. There’s an inner section with a 42mm screw thread (0.75mm pitch), and this is what is screwed onto the lens. This section is housed in an external ring which has the camera fitting. The T2 mount is simple and widely used, but it’s free of any linkages, so
there’s no EXIF data. You might have to set the camera up to allow shutter release without any lens on, because no lens will be detected. It’s a manual focus lens – there has only ever been one AF mirror lens – with a fixed f/8 aperture. Having a modest fixed aperture meant using mirror lenses on film cameras was a challenge, since you could not easily juggle ISO, but that’s not a problem with digital. Plus, you get high quality at superfast speeds. The broad focusing barrel is great to grip, and the nice action takes you from infinity to the minimum 1.15m focusing distance in about three- quarters of a full rotation. The lens actually focuses past infinity and the 1.15m point to allow for expansion and contraction, and as you focus closer than 3m, the lens barrel indicates the macro magnification rather than distance – with a maximum of 1:2.5. I had a Canon EOS EF T2 mount, and used it on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. Balance proved good, with the camera being the senior partner. I had a solid tripod and ball head for my test chart shot, but outdoors
I used the lens handheld most of the time. The lightness is a clear benefit, but extra heft can help with handheld shooting. There’s no image stabilisation on the lens or on my test camera, so I kept shutter speeds at 1/500sec and above, adjusting ISO to suit. Keeping the camera steady was not easy, especially on breezy days. It’s worth practising calm, steady breathing and a smooth release. Being f/8 made for a pretty dim viewing image, so focus needed care. Shooting handheld on my DSLR, I didn’t have the option of a focus magnifier – manually focusing took extra time. I didn’t always get it right, so if your camera offers focus peaking, a focus magnifier or any focus confirmation aids, use them. I looked for scenes to make the most of the ‘doughnut ring’ bokeh effect mirror lenses are renowned for, created by the design: out-of- focus highlights come out as bright circles. It’s most evident when the subject is quite close to the camera, with the background a little further back. The classic mirror lens background is sun playing on water, and these sparkling pinpoint
highlights can look amazing. But great care must be taken with the sun, so live view is best. Getting the most out of any telephoto lens demands good technique – and this definitely applies to this 400mm lens. It is easy to be lulled into complacency, but a steady pair of hands, careful focusing, calm breathing and sticking with fast shutter speeds will pay dividends. The Tokina is a reasonable performer given its price, but images would benefit from unsharp masking in editing, or sharpening in-camera. For high sharpness, you’d need to spend much more, but its portability and price are what sell it. WC
Verdict The Tokina SZX Super Tele 400mm f/8 Reflex MF is a fun lens to use. It has amazing telephoto pulling power in a tiny package – and when the situation is right, the doughnut ring effect looks great. Also, while its optical skills are modest – lacking that biting sharpness – at £249 it’s nicely priced. If you want to give your shots a distinctive character, or need a pocket-sized super-telephoto lens, this Tokina is worth a look. PROS Light and small for a 400mm lens, flexibility of T2 mount, doughnut ring effect, price CONS Optical quality
TWISTS ANDTURNS A smooth-action focusing barrel promotes good handling, and minimum focusing is 1.15m from the focal plane
TEST PICTURES Test shot taken on the Tokina 400mm mirror lens on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. The camera was fixed to a Gitzo GH4383LR ball head, and that in turn was on a Gitzo GT4553S Series 4 tripod. The camera’s live view was used for focusing, and the self-timer to release the shutter.
› Aperture range F/8 › Magnification 1:2.5x › Focusing Manual › Multi-coating Yes
F/8
F/8
› Minimum focus 1.15m › Weather-sealed No › Image stabiliser No › Dimensions (dxl) 74x77mm › Weight 355g › Contact tokinalens.co.uk
NICE RINGTO IT The strength of the doughnut ring bokeh depends on the camera-to-subject distance, the background distance and the lighting. This abstract of some lakeside reeds was exposed at 1/1000sec
Issue 92 | Photography News 51
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