[fwcetus]

PentaxForums.com Marketplace Listing

Item for Sale
Tokina AT-X 80-400/4.5-5.6 AF-II w/Hood w/Caps w/Filter w/Case

Asking Price
399.00 USD

Item Location
Massachusetts (United States)

Item Description


Looking for a good home is this (preferred) second version of the Tokina AT-X 80-400/4.5-5.6 AF lens, the AF-II version, model 840-AF-II, for Pentax AF mount, complete with ~two~ original hoods, the built-in tripod mount (of course), and the original lens case. Also included are a Pentax front cap, the original Tokina rear cap, and a Hoya HMC 72mm UV filter (which has always been used on the front of the lens).

The lens will work nicely on all current Pentax AF DSLRs, but it will also work well on full-frame Pentax bodies (both the older 35mm film SLRs and the upcoming Pentax full-frame DSLRs).

This lens (SN 6700903) is in a conservative EXCELLENT+ condition (please see the photos posted below to verify the condition). I think the only significant cosmetic flaws are some superficial scuffs on the back of the lens case, and a few minor scratches and some white paint marks on one of the hoods (please see the photos posted below). The glass is clear, with no haze or balsam separation. The zoom and focus rings function smoothly, and AF and MF both work well. The aperture ring works properly and the aperture blades are "snappy".

I should point out that there are a couple of irregularities from what was "original equipment":

One irregularity is that there are ~two~ hoods included here: The original hood (which is shown in several of the pix posted below) is a well used (and well worn) original equipment hood. The other is an unused (also original equipment) hood that I obtained some time ago, to replace the original one if I ever broke it or lost it -- However, neither of those events ever occurred, and so the second hood included is still in new, unused condition. [And I suspect that the next owner of this lens might choose to switch the hoods.] In any event, if the new hood were to be mounted on the lens, it really would look like it were almost brand new.

The other irregularity is that the original 72mm Tokina front lens cap is not included. Long ago I replaced it with a 72mm Pentax front cap, since the Pentax cap (with its second, "inner thumb and finger grips") allows mounting and removing the front cap while the hood was still attached in a forward position. Of course (and you can probably guess what then happened), I have lost track of where I put the original Tokina front cap.

Oh, I guess the Hoya MC UV filter is also an irregularity, since it was not original equipment. However, I do prefer to use quality MC UV filters (more for protection than for UV filtering) on all my most used lenses.

The original (first version) Tokina AT-X 80-400/4.5-5.6 lens was not a particularly uncommon lens -- When it was first released, it quickly became a fairly popular lens, due to its compact and rugged construction, its unusually long (and fast) zoom range, and its availability in mounts for all the major camera brands of its time. However, three complaints that a few reviewers and some users made regarding the first version of the lens were that (1) it lacked a tripod mount, (2) it lacked a zoom lock, and (3) it was rather soft at the long (400mm) end (although it is not unusual for a telephoto zoom to be less sharp at the long end than at the short end). Nonetheless, many users happily enjoyed and employed the lens, especially for traveling, since the long 80-400mm range and fast f/4.5-5.6 speed in such a compact (although heavy) package made it really very useful in the field.

Here are the description and specifications for the original 840-AF version of the lens from a Tokina catalog:



Tokina, likely pleased with how well the original lens was received, but wanting to improve it further, eventually released a second version of the lens, the 840-AF-II -- However, the number of AF-II lenses sold, especially in Pentax trim, was apparently not that large, plus, in the used market, not as many users of the less common Pentax AF-II version ever seemed to want to sell their lens, so this particular AF-II model in K-mount trim is now not overly common.

Here are the description and specifications for the AF-II version of the lens from a later Tokina catalog:





[By the way, I do also have one of the dedicated close-up lenses for macro use, as pictured above, to offer soon.]

Some of the changes for the 840-AF-II version included:

1. A built-in tripod mount was added. While the lens can be hand-held (although zooming beyond, say, 250mm, out to 300-400mm does require great care to prevent motion blur, even with SR), it is rather heavy (since there's a lot of glass and a lot of metal in its construction), so users wanting to use the first version on a tripod ended up with a too-front-heavy lens attached to a camera body that was then stressed to have its own tripod mount used -- The 840-AF-II version features a robust (and rotatable) tripod mount, making for a very stable and well balanced fit to a tripod. [The tripod mount on this lens, though, was hardly ever used, since I used the lens most of the time handheld for my work on a boat as a whale watch naturalist.]

2. According to Tokina, the internal gearing was revised somewhat, for an improvement in smoothness while autofocusing. [I did own a copy of the first version of the lens at one time, but I didn't own it long enough to be able to say whether there was any noticeable difference in AF functionality between the two versions.]

3. The newer version included a zoom lock on the barrel, which helps to keep the lens from telescoping out from the shortest (80mm) position when the lens is being carried around. [I found the zoom lock to be very helpful, since most of the time I was using the lens it ended up hanging from my neck for an hour or two at a time.]

4. The optics apparently were slightly tweaked (and some users did note an improvement in the long end). [Notice in the first version's specs, above, that the angle of view ranged from 30deg 20min to 6deg 10min, while, in the specs for this second version, the range is from 29deg 50min to 6deg 13min, which could be evidence of the slightly different optical configuration.] However, it is still true that, while the lens is quite good overall for a long zoom, especially from 80mm to 300mm, it still is admittedly less sharp between 350mm and 400mm -- It is not, after all, a very large, very heavy, very expensive, top-of-the-line, full-size, long zoom lens. [However, because reviews of the two lens models are often lumped together, and because (I suspect) some users may perhaps have taken too much for granted when hand-holding such a long lens at 400mm, the actual optical difference between the two versions at the long end might not always be properly recognized.]

5. The hood design apparently was modified in some way. [Even though I did once own a first version copy, I honestly do not remember what the slight difference might be, but, whatever the difference is, the first version did use a model BH721 hood, while the second version uses a model BH724 hood (two copies of which are included here).] The sturdy bayonet hood, by the way, mounts quite solidly, either aimed forward, for when the lens is being used, or reversed, for compact carrying (such as when stowed in the padded lens case).

If you've read this far, you probably would also want to check out the reviews (some of the first version, some of the second, and it's not always clear which review is of which) at Tokina AT-X 80-400mm F4.5-5.6 Lens Reviews - Tokina Lenses - Pentax Lens Review Database .

Additional photos will follow in the next two posts -- the first will be of the lens and its included accessories themselves, while the second will be of some sample photos taken with the lens.

Are you the original owner of the item being sold?
No

Are you selling or trading this item?
Selling

Item Condition (Key)
Used
Excellent

Shipping Destinations
United States

Shipping Charge
Actual USPS Priority Mail shipping fees (probably $10 to $15)

Shipping Services
USPS Priority Mail

Accepted Payment Types
PayPal

Return Policy & Additional Details
If not as described, return within 10 days for a refund.

Please send me a private message if interested in the item!

---------- Post added 09-24-15 at 09:16 PM ----------

I am posting here some images taken of the lens and its accessories. [Please note that the hood with the white marks on it is the old hood, and that the new owner will get to replace it with the new, unused, second hood.]



















































Please take a look at the next post to see some sample shots taken with this lens...

---------- Post added 09-24-15 at 09:18 PM ----------

Here are some shots taken with this lens (the older ones on a K20D, and the newer ones on a K-3).

































The next few pix of the above lighthouse will give an idea of the zom range available with this lens:









The final four pix are of two images - the first of each pair is a reduced version of the original, while the second of each pair is of a 100% crop from part of each image:









Thank you for your interest in this Tokina AT-X 80-400/4.5-5.6 AF-II.

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Last edited by fwcetus; 09-25-2015 at 05:19 AM.