Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 
Log in or register to remove ads.

Third-Party Pentax Lenses - Reviews and Database » Tokina Lenses » Prime Lenses
Tokina ( Hoya )RMC / SL 400mm F5.6 Review RSS Feed

Tokina ( Hoya )RMC / SL 400mm F5.6

Sharpness 
 8.0
Aberrations 
 7.7
Bokeh 
 8.3
Handling 
 9.0
Value 
 10.0
Focusing 
 5.0
Reviews Views Date of last review
6 64,461 Thu March 25, 2021
spacer
Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $81.50 8.17
Tokina ( Hoya )RMC / SL 400mm F5.6

Tokina ( Hoya )RMC / SL 400mm F5.6
supersize
Tokina ( Hoya )RMC / SL 400mm F5.6
supersize

Description:
Presumed to be predecessor to the SD version and the later AF versions.
The Tokina 400mm f5.6 was sold as an RMC, and then superceded by the SL400 when the line-up was revamped.
Scan of original Tokina brochure on the Tokina SL28 28mm page.
Can be found in all mounts of the era.
The review by Driline has a picture of the version with a detachable tripod mount. Judging from the brochure (link above) this is the SL400 - the pic clearly shows the tripod mount. Also bear in mind the tokina made vivitar TX 400mm with this type of tripod mount is slightly different again. The most common version of the tokina 400mm is the RMC without the tripod mount as per pics above.
Also marketed by Hoya - pic 2, Mitsuki, and the later Tokina made (37xxxxx) Vivitar TX mount 400mm f5.6 is basically this lens with a swappable TX mount.

Focal length: 400mm
Max aperture: f5.6
Min aperture f22
Aperture ring moves in whole stops only
Focus: 90deg, anti-pentax.
Filter size: 72mm
Length 240mm with hood retracted, 290mm with hood extended.
Weight: ~ 0.9kg
Full Manual (no 'A' setting)

U-tube video review by Finn Moore.
Mount Type: Pentax K
Price History:



Add Review of Tokina ( Hoya )RMC / SL 400mm F5.6
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-6 of 6
Pentaxian

Registered: December, 2012
Location: IOWA Where the Tall Corn Grows
Posts: 3,669
Review Date: March 25, 2021 Recommended | Price: $40.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Compact, Well built, Sharp at F11,Built in Hood
Cons: Focus travel tight, not as contrasty
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Fuji X-H1    Focusing: 5   

I purchased this lens for my Fuji X-H1 as I required a long lens in the 400mm range at a reasonable price but unfortunately Fuji could not deliver. I am using a K&F Concept $29 teleconverter with GREAT results. When shooting this lens I find it best to shoot in RAW as it takes quite a bit of processing to really make this lens shine. Using the FREE version of Capture 1 20 allows me to easily do this. The images from this lens as shown in the photo's below can be very sharp. BUT and this is a big but....you must focus the lens exactly to get that sharpness and unfortunately the Focus adjustment on the lens has very little travel and is very tight so just a slight bump and you lose focus. Other than that this is a fine lens for 400mm and especially at the $40 dollars that I paid. If you can get this lens for under $100 I would not hesitate to pick one up. I recently was able to acquire the Pentax A 400mm/5.6 and I must say that lens is a step above the Tokina. It is sharper and has much more contrast. The focus mechanism also has a long travel so it's MUCH easier to focus your subject. But at $250 or more it is more than twice the price but is worth it. If you can find either one of these lenses at a decent price I highly recommend both. I will be keeping both. They are that good.

Tokina 400mm birds 4 by frankweiser, on Flickr

Tokina 400MM 1 by frankweiser, on Flickr

Tokina 400mm Cardinal by frankweiser, on Flickr

DSCF3654 by frankweiser, on Flickr
   
Loyal Site Supporter

Registered: June, 2013
Location: Utrecht
Posts: 250
Review Date: December 22, 2019 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Cheap, solid, sharp stopped down, minimum focus distance, full frame coverage
Cons: Soft wide open, abberations, low contrast
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 10    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K2 up to K1ii   

This was my longest lens for a long time, I think I bought it 20 years ago or so for € 90. This is old school Tokina build quality with internally & close focussing. My copy still is in prestine condition. I often take it with me out with fishing for long distance shots. It is more compact than the A400 I also own and it is less pricy. Wide open the Tokina is rather soft and shows green / magenta fringing. Stopped down it really has decent IQ, best at F11 or so. As with most old era long tele's the out of camera pictures can be very dull, you must correct levels & contrast in post, than you can see the real quality of this lens. Shooting RAW gives you lot of dynamic space to pump up the contrast. This lens also shows decent corner performance on full frame too.

I think this is a bit an underrated lens so for the money I score this a true 9.

All shots taken hand held from my boat on K-01 at a sunny day. Aperture will have been F8 - F11. Focussing is done with my Hoodman at 6x expansion, that combo really works flawless for me in all circumstances. For that see also https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/138-pentax-k-01/317258-hoodman-makes-k-0...focussing.html







Edit Feb 2021: I compared K300 / A400 / Tokina RMC400 in ideal situation on 24 MP Pentax KP. Resolving power of both 400 mm lenses is real good at F8 - F11, The A400
performs a bit better for aberrations and has an A-setting of coarse, but this RMC400 is as sharp as the A400 is. On an object 60 meters away I can read the labels on the cables...







   
New Member

Registered: February, 2012
Posts: 17
Review Date: July 10, 2013 Recommended | Price: $25.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Lightweight, sharp
Cons: Colours dull and unsaturated, contrast low
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 10   

Mine is branded as a Mitsuki, but it is obviously this lens.

My copy has an M42 rather than a K mount and a Manual/Auto slide. I keep a no-name infinity focus M42 adapter permanently attached. The $3 M42 adapter had to be filed down to mount on my camera bodies, but the lens and the adapter mount securely, and with the adapter's spring latch removed the lens/adapter combo demounts easily as well.

Using the lens's Manual/Auto slide, it is possible to manually use the camera in aperture priority at any aperture.

Metering on my Samsung GX20 is accurate.

Metering on my Pentax K-X is hopeless. It under exposes by more than 3 stops, more than I can dial in with exposure compensation. I have to set shutter speed and aperture manually.

My copy has some fungus on the internal focus elements. It isn't that easy to spot the fungus, but it cannot be cleaned off without taking the whole lens to pieces, so it is going to stay. Bear this in mind; the fungus may be affecting the quality of the images that I obtain.

My images from this lens are sharp. It's not a scientific assessment, but if the focus is right the images from this lens wide open are sharper than anything I can manage with wider lenses plus teleconverters, or my other Tokina-made f5.6 400mm lens (a Vivitar TX). However, the contrast and colour from this lens are weak. I invariably have to increase both contrast and saturation in PP to produce a pleasing result.

I'm not troubled by Chromatic Aberrations or Fringing at any aperture, though I mostly use this lens at maximum aperture to maximise the shutter speed, and because my Minetar 400mm f6.3 gives me more pleasing results when this lens and the Minetar are shot at the same aperture setting.

This lens has no integral tripod mount, but the lens is light enough (950 gm) for it to be possible for the cameras to be mounted to the tripod rather than the lens being mounted to the tripod, with satisfactory results. On a sunny day, you don't need a tripod with this lens outdoors; it is likely to prove fast enough.

I've never noticed the bokeh at all; it is entirely unexceptional.

The focus throw is only 90 degrees. In spite of the relatively bright aperture, accurate manual focusing is easier with the slower Minetar, and with another Tokina-made 400mm f5.6 lens I own (a Vivitar 400 f5.6 TX) whose focus throw is 120 degrees.

Recommended.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: March, 2007
Posts: 3,381
Review Date: January 22, 2013 Recommended | Price: $24.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Build quality and price
Cons: Color fringeing
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10   

I bought the tokina about 3 years ago from ebay for $15 plus $9 shipping. It was listed as K-mount and when it arrived I knew it was canon fd mount. To send it back for a $15 recovery would have been ridiculous. So, I took it apart, permanently taped the aperture lever in place at around f5.6-7, guessed the registry distance and screwed on a pentax K lens mount from an old pentax lens. Fortunately it worked! Based on using it in this manner it rates about 8.5 in sharpness, has CA in some instances, has a smooth and very short focus throw and build quality is very good. At the price I paid it's an excellent value. I would only recommend it if you can find one for no more than $150, have the ability to correct CA and shoot routinely around f8. It does work well with the Q.
   
New Member

Registered: August, 2012
Posts: 12

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: August 8, 2012 Recommended | Price: $150.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Price, Construction
Cons: Colour Fringing, Soft Wide open
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10   

I purchased this lens to try out some birding photography. I have the K-Mount version and have used it on both my Pentax K5 and Canon 550d with surprisingly decent results. This was the most affordable lens I could find in this focal rage.

Based on my usage so far I have found:
The lens to be soft wide open at f/5.6 (I guess it could work if you are looking for that effect).
At f/8 and f/11 for me produces very acceptable images.
It does sometimes show Colour fringing at the high contrast areas but I have always been able to fix in Lightroom.
On my copy the sliding lens hood is a bit too loose and slides back when I have the lens pointed up. This is very minor issue - I use a rubber band on the barrel to hold in place when shooting.

This is a great telephoto prime for someone on a tight budget.

some of my samples below (most have been cropped & tweaked in Lightroom)

   
New Member

Registered: December, 2009
Location: Devon, England
Posts: 9

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: December 1, 2011 Recommended | Price: $150.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Price, build quality
Cons: A bit soft, no 'A'setting
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10   

This is the non-SD version of the lens. I was looking for an inexpensive long lens to use with my K-7 when out kayaking, for bird shots. It does not have an 'A' setting but it does have camera-controlled aperture. Can be used wide open (f5.6) in Av mode where the camera will set the shutter speed. In M mode the camera will set the aperture selected on the lens but you have to choose a shutter speed. One way is to meter the shot in Av mode, switch to M, stop down and then halve the speed for f8 etc.

Update: I have just discovered the "green button" method - set mode to "M", set desired aperture on the lens, set up the shot, focus, press green button to meter it, and shoot. The quality at f8 looks like a marked improvement over f5.6 - sharper, less CA.

The lens is very well made. Focus ring is smooth and well-damped. Results so far show it's a little soft and has purple fringing. I also have a Canon 400 f5.6L which is much better - but they cost over £1K new, so it should be! I paid under £100 for this one, so I'd say it was good value for money.
Add Review of Tokina ( Hoya )RMC / SL 400mm F5.6



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 04:43 PM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top