Photography News 85 Web

First test

PRICE: £449

TOKINALENS.CO.UK

Tokina atx-m 23mm f/1.4X

SPECS ›  Price £449 ›  In the box Lens, front and back caps, hood ›  Format APS-C ›  Compatibility Fujifilm X-Mount ›  Filter size 52mm ›  Construction 11 elements in 10 groups ›  Special lens elements Two Low-Dispersion lenses ›  Aperture range F/1.4 to f/16 in 0.3EV steps, aperture de-click ›  Diaphragm Nine blades ›  Autofocus ST-M focus motor, internal focusing ›  Manual focusing ring Yes ›  Magnification 1:10 ›  Coating Super-low reflection multi-coating ›  Minimum focus 30cm ›  Weather-sealed No ›  Dimensions (dxl) 65x72mm ›  Weight 276g Contact tokinalens.co.uk

Leading Japanese lens brand Tokina joins the select band of independent lens makers offering products for the Fujifilm X-Mount. Here, we test a prime covering a focal length much-loved by people and street photographers

TOKINA, like other lens brands, has its camera lens business based on DSLR cameras. And just like other lens

brands, it has to look towards the future, which means it can’t

ignore the mirrorless camera market. As well as offering products for Sony E-mount cameras, Tokina has recently introduced two Fujifilm X-Mount lenses: the atx-m 33mm f/1.4 X and the atx-m 23mm f/1.4 X, which is tested here. The Fujifilm X Series is APS-C format making Tokina’s new lenses a good fit for an important part of the market giving the 35mm format equivalent of the 50mm and 35mm focal lengths. Making the comparison with Fujifilm’s equivalent lens, the key physical differences are that the atx-m 23mm f/1.4 X is lighter, has a thinner barrel (thus allowing 52mm filters) and there’s no push/pull manual focus ring – AF is turned off via the camera body. With its communication skills, the lens is compatible with the camera’s five-axis in-body image stabiliser (on the X-T4 etc), meshes with the AF system (including face detect) and the lens aperture can be adjusted from the body when the lens is set to A. The aperture ring is click-stopped in 0.3EV steps, with a de-clicking option provided. I tested the 23mm f/1.4 X on several Fujifilm bodies: the larger X-T2 and X-T4 and the more compact X-E3. The lens combines well with all three

bodies, so there are no issues with handling, and the lens – using an internal system – focuses swiftly and silently. It’s a great lens to use and I like that Tokina has gone for a knurled focus barrel that’s similar to Fujifilm’s design. The lens is not weather-resistant. I’ve said it before; there is no point having a fast aperture lens if you can’t use it at wide apertures to get the results you want. In this respect, there are no problems. On our test chart, the 23mm f/1.4 turned in respectably crisp images at its maximum aperture and across the image frame – you can use this lens wide open for fine results. However, if I were to get picky about performance at the widest apertures, I’d say that the differentiation between thinner lines of the test chart lacked crispness. However, stopping down to f/2.8 and f/4 resolved this and generally lifted the quality across the frame to a very high level, even in the extreme corners. Continuing down the aperture range kept this lens’ optical skills impressively high with f/8 and f/11 proving the best for optimal quality. Vignetting was seen at the wide apertures, appearing from f/4 onwards, and I didn’t experience any flare issues while testing this lens with the low winter sun. WC

ONTEST Pictures of our test chart were taken with the 23mm f/1.4 lens on a Fujifilm X-T2 mounted on a Benro Rhino 34C carbon-fibre tripod. Raws were processed through Lightroom with default sharpening applied.

ABOVE, LEFT The 23mm focal length (equivalent to 35mm in the 35mm format) is ideal as an on-the-go lens when you want to travel really light ABOVE, RIGHT The aperture ring is marked out in 0.3EV steps and has a de-clicking feature. Setting A delegates aperture control to the camera; although there’s no lock to keep the ring on A, it’s not needed

F/1.4

F/1.4

F/2

F/2

THE 23MMF/1.4 TURNED IN CRISP IMAGES AT ITSMAXIMUM APERTURE

F/2.8

F/2.8

F/4

F/4

F/5.6

F/5.6

F/8

F/8

PROS Compact, lightweight, handy filter size, impressive optical performance, looks great, fast and silent AF, good value price CONS No weather sealing The Tokina atx-m 23mm f/1.4 X is a lovely little lens. For street, documentary and everyday photography, this high-performing fast aperture lens is strongly recommended, with a price that is very appealing, too. Verdict

F/11

F/11

F/16

F/16

Issue 85 | Photography News 35

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