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Tokina RMC Doubler | | Latest Review Posted | Vivitar Series 1 (Komine) 28-90mm F2.8-3.5
From a sharpness perspective, if it works, its great. Its got tantalum in it! I've tested it using MTF Mapper and had some great results, of prime level sharpness, better than all my other zooms. Given the physical design problems with this lens, I would recommend a Pentax zoom. By the 80's, Pentax had nailed the mechanical aspects of lens construction. None of my Pentax zooms display this level of unreliability.
In my experience, it will have to be serviced and most camera repair folks will turn this particular lens down. I think my camera guy only repaired it as I sent him several lenses in the past, and he was being generous with his time.
I was drawn into this lens, thanks to over-exuberant reviews on the web. Overall, this lens was clearly engineered to be awesome, and the optics are indeed great, but through a small error in the design of the aperture control mechanism and diaphragm, it falls significantly short, and results in a lens which is unusable without maintenance. To be fair to the lens, I tested a lot of lenses using MTF Mapper, and this was clearly the sharpest, even sharper at 28mm than my Pentax M 28mm 3.5, which is a great lens. Hence my journey to get a working copy.
I took a copy of this lens apart myself in order to have a look inside and understand how it works. There is in my opinion a fundamental problem with the design of the aperture which is held in place by grub screws. Even in a mint example, with a dry looking diaphragm, the aperture c... | |
