Originally posted by Rondec Thank you for sharing. It is helpful to have someone who has handled both lenses rather than just people who have looked at photos on the internet.
I think Norm is right. Pentax gave the complete lens blueprint to Tokina and they are then manufacturing it on their own specifications. The biggest differences are going to be coatings (Pentax's will certainly be better), in body shake reduction with Pentax (and I suppose Sony Cameras), and then details about build (Tokina may cut a few corners on their version to keep down cost as much as possible). As you say, there are little details that let you know that there are differences in the two lenses even if the actual bones of them are the same.
Licensing coatings has been a big money maker for Pentax in the past, there's actually nothing to say the Tokina lenses won't have Pentax coatings. It's quite possible the finished lenses for Tokina are pulled off the line before the final finishes are applied and the lens mounts are attached. That would be efficient. Tokina taking parts, setting up their own manufacturing facility to do exactly what Pentax is doing would be extremely inefficient.
At times it seems people are just picking the weirdest thing possible and claiming "it's a possibility." Without answering the basic question, "What would be the advantage in doing it that way." The cheapest way for Tokina to sell these lenses is to keep their own production facilities as small as possible. Doing the same thing in two different places is inefficient.
This discussion has turned into speculation based on nothing but thatt someone has pictures of two similar looking lenses. My long history of dealing with conspiracy theories is telling me, "these people have absolutely nothing to go on." Discussing what might be true? You can do that till the cows come home and never come up with a things that proves your theory, and there are conspiracy theorists who've spent their whole lives looking and come up with nothing. Talk it up if you want. But let's not pretend anyone knows anything, or that most of these theories are any more than old men sitting down at the barber shop venting a lot of hot air.
The fact that people speculate, doesn't mean they're any good at figuring things out. Some go for the most unlikely theory and put it out there.
Last edited by normhead; 08-11-2018 at 08:51 AM.