Tokina has just announced the SZX SUPER TELE 400mm F8 Reflex MF lens that will be available in Canon EF, Sony E, Nikon F, Micro 4/3, and T-mount.
This is a very lightweight and compact lens that tips the scales at just 355g (12.5oz).
The Tokina SZX SUPER TELE 400mm F8 Reflex MF is a 400mm super telephoto lens that adopts a catadioptric type optical design with a constant F8 aperture. The lens offers a compact alternative to standard telephoto lenses when you don’t want to carry around a much larger and heavier lens.
Long History
SZX actually stands for:
S – Satisfaction
Z – Zest
X – Something unknown or exciting
Back in 1980s Tokina surprised the camera market by releasing two epoch-making lenses – SZ-X 210 (70-210mm f/4-5.6) and SZ-X 270 (28-70mm f/3.5-4.5). Both lenses were extremely compact and lightweight compared to other zoom lenses of equal focal length. Tokina was the first lens manufacturer that succeeded in developing telephoto and standard zoom lenses that offered a lot of advantages to photographers.
Out of respect to those engineers of that time, Tokina decided to give a new lease of life to this legendary series by developing a new range.
Reflex lenses are considered to be out of fashion, inconvenient due to fixed aperture, manual focusing, and the absence of image stabilization. Tokina thinks that these types of lenses will make a comeback with modern-day mirrorless cameras.
Optical Construction
Mirror lenses are telephoto lenses that incorporate a combination of 3 lenses silvered on the outside of the glass to reflect light back and forth between the ends of the lens. This structure folds the light cutting the tube length in half. In this way, the construction makes the physical size of the lens around a third of the size of a conventional lens and allows a lightweight body, because the mirrors are much lighter than the optical glass.
Macro shooting
The field of view is 6° 8′ (by frame diagonal) and the min. focusing distance is 1.15m. This gives a magnification of 1:2.5 to enable you to capture an object with size of 6x9cm on a full-frame sensor.
Unique Bokeh
The optical construction of the lens creates specific donut-shaped and super smooth bokeh that some people may find aesthetically pleasing.
Easy Focusing
The Tokina SZX SUPER TELE 400mm F8 Reflex MF is equipped with wide focus grip ring that provides a rotation range of 270°.
Versatile mount system
The lens adopts a T-mount standard (pitch 0.75mm, thread 42mm), that allows this lens to be attached to any camera by using mount adapters.
Price & availability
The lens is scheduled to start shipping on August 7, 2020. there is no current indication of pricing.
