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Tokina SZ-X... 80-200mm F4.5-5.6 Review RSS Feed

Tokina SZ-X... 80-200mm F4.5-5.6

Sharpness 
 9.0
Aberrations 
 7.9
Bokeh 
 8.2
Handling 
 8.8
Value 
 9.6
Reviews Views Date of last review
14 54,974 Sat March 30, 2019
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $26.73 9.31
Tokina SZ-X... 80-200mm F4.5-5.6

Tokina SZ-X... 80-200mm F4.5-5.6
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Tokina SZ-X... 80-200mm F4.5-5.6
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Tokina SZ-X... 80-200mm F4.5-5.6
supersize
Tokina SZ-X... 80-200mm F4.5-5.6
supersize
Tokina SZ-X... 80-200mm F4.5-5.6
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Description:
It is clear that there are two versions of the Tokina non-AF 80-200mm. The one in pics 1-3 has a long focus sleeve and 49mm filter and is apparently the SZ-X 845 ; and the one in pics 4-5 and in Petrus_One's review has a 52mm filter and looks very like the compact SD 70-210mm - this is the SZ-X 200.

PKA mount
"A" position
manual focusing
1:4 macro
Mount Type: Pentax KA
Price History:



Add Review of Tokina SZ-X... 80-200mm F4.5-5.6
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New Member

Registered: July, 2017
Posts: 1

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: March 30, 2019 Recommended | Price: $45.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: light, small, sharp, good contrast
Cons: minor CA
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: OMD M4/3   

I have the 845 version, I bought it new in the box, 6 years ago and use it a lot. I shoot flowers and on a M4/3, this is my walk around lens.

I love the length since I tend to shoot flowers from the street in the front gardens in my suburban neighbourhood.

The constant focus on zooming is very good and there is no lens zoom creep... it stays where you zoom it.

Blossoms above my head, no problem...I can fill the FOV with an apple blossom a few metres above my head. The 4:1 close-up is very nice... better than similar lens I have with this focal length. (Nikon and Kiron)

I usually shoot full open, and the bokeh is subtle and quite wonderful. It will bubble bokeh in the right light...but again it is subtle and doesn't distract. Images have a nice contrast. Colours are bright.

Since the OMD M4/3 is always using the center of all lens, drop off to the corners and vignetting is virtually non-existent.

Form, function and cost.. this lens is great...





OoC .ORF RAW
   
New Member

Registered: July, 2018
Posts: 14
Review Date: September 26, 2018 Recommended | Price: $18.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: small, light, sharp
Cons: less contrasty
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 3    Bokeh: 4    Handling: 8    Value: 8    Camera Used: a6000   

Having the similar Tokina AT-X 60-120mm f2,8 and the AT-X 50-250mm f4-5,6, I was curious how these would compare to this newer SZ-X series.
I rate the 52mm SZ model.

I did some test shooting series and to my surprise it did hold well up to those. When I did just the first shots yesterday I noticed that the glasses inside have gotten a yellowish tint, so I wasn't expecting much as it already isn't the fastest one.

First thing, I saw that the shots do definitley have a lack of contrast, but further testing and comparing showed that surprisingly inside this uncontrasty appearence they are sharper nontheless..its a bit hard to describe, but this unaltered crop photo shows this:






Further test shooting confirmed this, it is sharper and has MUCH less CA than BOTH the other Tokinas I have, even than the faster f2.8 60-120( well no surprise, faster ones tend to have more CA)
The SZ-X is smoother and sharper, shows more details, it seems to go well together with my a6000 as far as microcontrast etc goes.

Important nonetheless ( shooting this vintage glass anyway) is of course precise manual focusing..focus peaking isnt always correct.

I further noticed that at longer distance the AT-X 50-250 was sharper..so when I will do some zoo shots, I will take this one I guess.

So, if you use this lens you will have to trim the photos more but the basic IQ is good.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: May, 2015
Location: Hampshire
Posts: 892

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: October 26, 2016 Recommended | Price: $25.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Small, light, 52mm filter thread, "A" lens
Cons: Slow
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 8    Value: 9    Camera Used: K-5   

The first thing that strikes one is the diminutive size of this lens, presumably due in some degree to it's slow maximum aperture. Compare it to a Tamron SP 70-210mm f3.5 and it seems to be half the size! Other reviewers have noted the size. Mine is the 52mm filter thread version. I bought this as part of a bundle that included a M 40mm lens.

Lots of pros for this lens, quite sharp through to the long end compared to some, long "throw" of the focussing ring, takes 52mm filters or screw in lens hood if you get it without a hood and of course it allows for on board flash to be used without trying to marry ISO, aperture etc with the flash guide number thanks to the "A" contacts. The tiniest bit of purple fringing can be found in some situations.
Plus it is small and quite light for an old mf zoom! A bonus if you walk around with the lens using a neck strap.

My biggest con is trying to focus through my viewfinder, I find it a little more awkward than wider aperture zooms. Thanks to the focus confirmation on the camera, I really shouldn't worry about it but I do like to think I might focus by eye.
Other cons.....well it is not super sharp and is slow, hardly surprising on a budget zoom.

Do I regret buying it.....no. (The bundle included a M42-PK adapter and a Tamron 28mm F2.8 fitted with a PK-A adapter).
Do I use it much........no.
Would I recommend it.....of course, a lot of good things at a low cost.
   
New Member

Registered: July, 2015
Posts: 1

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 24, 2016 Recommended | Price: $20.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: small, light, sharp, few aberrations, warm, good build and feel
Cons: vignetting
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: sony nex-5t   

Thanks to the other reviews here, I purchased a copy of the 52mm version, a.k.a. the Tokina SZ-X 200. (The 49mm version with the longer focus/zoom ring is the Tokina SZ-X 845). It is indeed a great lens, especially for an NEX mirrorless, where smaller sized lenses have better ergonomics.

This lens performs beautifully at every aperture and every focal length. The sharpness, saturation, warmth, and contrast are all very good. I'm not a zoom guy because the old primes tend to be excellent, whereas the old zooms have been surpassed technologically, but I thought I'd take a chance on a long zoom, b/c it's a bit too limiting to walk around with a fixed focal length of 200mm or 300mm. Well, this lens paid off. I can strike the long fixed-length lenses off my buy list since they're not much faster, lighter, smaller or and can't be much sharper than this zoom. Additionally it has 1:4.3 close-up focus. One wonders what they had to sacrifice to design this lens. It seems to do it all well in such a small package.

The only fault is vignetting and light fall-off wide open throughout the range. It improves greatly one stop down and disappears at f8. This isn't a big issue for me for me as a lot of photos look better with a bit of vignetting anyway, and I often apply some in pp.

Compared to another recent acquisition, a Yashica ML 70-210mm f4.5, the Yashica is a slightly better performer, but it may be especially tough competition (According to Fotomagazin almost as good as the legendary Zeiss 70-210/3.5). The Yashica has slightly more contrast, micro-contrast, color and sharpness wide open. But it's slightly cooler, has the same vignetting/light fall-off issue, and is almost an inch and a half longer. Since I got the Yashica for $25 bucks I'm glad I have both, but if I could only have one, I would choose the Tokina because the size difference is more significant than the difference in performance.
   
New Member

Registered: April, 2016
Posts: 4

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: April 19, 2016 Recommended | Price: $30.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: sharpness wide open, compact size, lightweight, proxy shot
Cons: light CA, slow
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: Pentax K-r   

52mm filter version
I can not agree more with the glowing comments on this old little piece of gear. It IS sharp wide open, and razor sharp stopped down a bit.
Min focus distance is very handy, not true 1:1 macro, but you can get close enough to your target to do some really nice proxy shots.
I'm also having fun with a 2X teleconverter (Sun Auto MC7), yes VERY slow, but for nature/flower/birds shots during daylight, job is done.
My english is not good enough to explain more/give more details on the lens, but i'm truly impressed by this lens.
   
New Member

Registered: November, 2013
Posts: 14

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: August 21, 2015 Recommended | Price: $20.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: small lens with high sharpness
Cons: few CA's wide open
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 9    Value: 9    Camera Used: samsung nx 1000, Nx 10, Nx 11   

for portraits wide open opimally usuable

very nice color rendition, excellent sharpness wide open and stopped down a few

for macro shootings f11 excellent.love it very much.
an achromatic focal reductor integrated into your macro ring eleminates some very few CA's and you'll get optimal / extreme sharpness for macro pictures with rhis lens .

very high value of this cheap lens
   
Senior Member

Registered: June, 2013
Location: Storrs-Mansfield, Connecticut
Posts: 223

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: July 20, 2015 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: N/A 

 
Pros: Everything but speed.
Cons: A bit slow.

The hunt is over. Based on these helpful and delighted reviews, I've been stalking this lens everywhere for a while. Too many have fog and dust and fungus, scorpions, who knows what.

This hunt is part of my deep affection for the early screw-K mount lenses. I grew up with a Spotmatic sporting an Asahi-branded 50mm, but not even sure which version now, can you believe. But the pix were like a drug. I lived in the NE woods and walked everywhere with that camera, stepping away from developing my own film in B/W shot on a decent little German 35mm, moving on to the wonders of Pentax SLR and color slides. Wore that Spotmatic out. Still use that lens, though, and I'm weeding through a small collection of old lenses that I've been accumulating out of sheer respect--Pentax, Takumar, Tokina, Sigma, yadayada, loving the supermulticoatedmacromanual lenses I CAN afford. Hell, I even have a sparkling MC Helios M-44 (Zenit 58mm--sold as a "7" but the serial number is way too early) Super-Tak F1:4.with the 8-blades, SMC Pentax-A 50/f2, SMC Tak 55/f2, and SMC Pentax 50/1:1.7.

So I'm waiting for the Tokina. Waiting is hard. c:

Update: Added some fast fifties to the list. Also, discovered that the mount is wrong with the Tokina and managed to mess it up royally trying to adjust this feature (may the camera gods forgive me!). Now I'm scouting one with a proper Pentax mount.
   
Forum Member

Registered: December, 2008
Location: Fishtown, Philly PA
Posts: 55

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: July 8, 2015 Recommended | Price: $30.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: cost,size,sharpness,handling
Cons: speed
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: k-01,k20d   

Cannot agree more with other reviewers.

This is by far the best lens I have purchased for my kit when cost, value, quality, etc. are considered.

I have the 52mm version along with the Tokina SH-521 hood.

$30 for this thing, it's so small, so easy to pack, you don't worry about it because it was such a good price, etc.

Paid almost as much for the correct hood from Tokina as I did for the lens!

no zoom creep, easy handling and manual focus despite lack of focusing screen in my k20d.

you pack this in the bag with the 18-55 kit lens and you are covered with little weight or size.

This is the third Tokina lens I have purchased--along with 20-35 f3.5-4.5 version I and 500mm f8 mirror lens.

I think they are a great value, good construction, work really well, and for the price, I don't think you can beat them.

only cons I can think of are the lack of AF, and the colors aren't quite as saturated and contrasty as the pentax modern glass.

really good value here. and you cannot go wrong for the price.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: March, 2011
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 35

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: November 9, 2014 Recommended | Price: $20.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: Shapp, compact, typical Tokina build quality
Cons: Slow
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10    Camera Used: Nex5n   

I could not not imagine this lens being near as good as other reviewers said it was. It's a real bargain and makes an excellent addition to a light travel kit. I like my Minolta copy so well that I am now looking for another in PK/A mount. Here are few quick test shots from RAW files with minimum post processing.
   
Inactive Account

Registered: April, 2013
Posts: 6

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: July 7, 2014 Recommended | Price: $20.00 | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: sharp, price, contrast, no zoom creep
Cons: slow, ca wide open
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K5   

I will concur with the other reviewers. This lens is an amazing value. It is a joy to use with my copy having a wonderfully tight zoom with absolutely no creep. Stopped down this lens has amazing sharpness for the price even at the longest end. If you don't have one, pick one up. Even if it's for use in adverse conditions when you don't want to bring a "better" lens. Micro could certainly be better, but for the price I didn't expect perfection. Bokeh was decent to excellent, there was some CA in high contrast situations, but easily correctable in post.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: March, 2014
Location: Dallas, TX
Posts: 890

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: June 20, 2014 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Small for a 80-200 zoom. Good Construction. Keeps focus when zooming. Inexepnsive
Cons: Push/Pull zoom. Could be faster.
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 10    Camera Used: K500   

My 1st Tokina lens. I've heard great things about Tokina and although I initially wanted an AT-X lens (and I may get one yet), I ran across this lens BNIB, for what I believe was a heck of a deal. But before clicking BUY, I thought I'd check the lens reviews here, as I always do before making a purchase. At that time there were only 2 reviews and I was skeptical of these glowing reviews -- I mean comparing this "cheap" lens to a DA 18-135 or DA 55-300, etc -- well that's gotta be poppycock, right!!?? Well, my cheap LBA had me deep in its clenches and WTH -- I bought it.

Gotta say -- I am pleasantly surprised. This unit is well built and although a push/pull zoom, I've had no issues with lens creep. Images are sharp through-out most of the stops and focal lengths -- very decent prime lens sharp, not Limited prime lens sharp. Needs light and is a bit prone to low contrast and flare in certain conditions, so I recommend a hood if shooting in bright sunlight. Colors are very good, although they do not quite "pop" to the level of SMC Pentax lenses. A tiny bit of light PP and it'll perk those images right up. Macro function is actually pretty usable although it is not what I would call a close focus lens. Wish it was a bit faster and a bit more contrast and brightness through the view finder, but then again -- look at the going prices for this lens.

All-in-all, I'm glad I bought it. It's a nice tote-able zoom w/ Macro and it is sharp. Given the price for this little gem, how could I not recommend it...

... Now I might be willing to part with this little guy for an AT-X or Series 1 (Tokina). Heck maybe even a Pentax DA 18-135 or DA 55-300!! Straight-up trade, of course!!

IMGP0861 by Ripper2860, on Flickr

IMGP0849 by Ripper2860, on Flickr

IMGP0871 by Ripper2860, on Flickr

IMGP0869 by Ripper2860, on Flickr

IMGP0889 by Ripper2860, on Flickr
   
Site Supporter

Registered: September, 2010
Location: MD
Posts: 1,029

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: March 26, 2014 Recommended | Price: $25.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Outstanding, even more so given its compact size
Cons: Push-pull design (?); extra work setting shake reduction w/ zoom
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 10    Camera Used: K-30   

I came across this lens rather cheaply, and based on Petrus One's (=P1) review, I took a chance. My model (serial #8719315) is like the one in P1's pics with a 52mm front filter, not the model at the top of the page which is 49mm. (Also, unlike the lens feketekave has, mine is in a Pentax K mount and mounts without any modifications.)

First impression: How can something this small and lightweight house a 80-200mm zoom? Fully retracted it's about 85mm long and fully extends to about 125mm. As P1's pics show, it's barely longer than the DAL 18-55 and has less girth. It's about the same size as the DA 18-135 (which has a 62mm front) but again a much narrower girth. Its size makes it easy to handle on the camera and easy to carry in the bag!

It's a push-pull zoom, which is not my favorite, but it appears to be parfocal, so it's not so big a deal if you slightly change zoom as you are focusing. The front element is multicoated, but it does turn as you focus. It can focus to under a meter / 3 feet, which gives a 1:4.3 pseudo-macro. The focus/zoom ring is quite large, and has about 210 degrees of focus turning. It's quite smooth, but mine has just a bit of zoom creep if it's jostled while facing down. I do find it easy to focus w/ the lens, even in low light, and Catch in Focus works very well. The only hassle--as is the case w/ all manual focus zooms--is that you have to fiddle around to set the shake reduction focal length. It meters very well on my K-30, better than my DA 18-135 or DAL 55-300 which tend to underexpose just a bit.

As for the pictures, I'm impressed! I had hoped that P1's claim that it was tack sharp wide open from end to end was true, but it's not quite so w/ my lens. At the wide end, mine is indeed acceptably sharp at f4.5 but improves by closing down and is very sharp from f6.3-11. (There is more CA at f4.5 which diminishes as you close down and is pretty much gone by f7.1.) From about 135-200mm, I find that it is very sharp at f5.6-6.3, i.e., wide open or nearly so.

To compare it to some other lenses:
  • At 135mm it is significantly better than my Takumar Bayonet 135mm f2.5. At f5.6 the Tokina is already better than the Tak when it hits its peak at f8.
  • At 200mm, it does as good or better than the TeleTakumar 200mm f5.6 I have.
  • In the 80-135mm range, it is as good (and better, especially at long end) than the DA 18-135 but w/ less contrast. It is noticeably sharper along the edges.
  • In the 80-200mm range, it is as good (sometimes better, sometimes not quite) as the DAL 55-300, but w/ less contrast.
Overall, I find the pics it takes to be quite pleasing, rather similar to the SMC Pentax look but w/ somewhat less contrast. It won't replace my DAL 55-300, but I may indeed end up using it more since it is so compact. Using this and the 18-135 gives me a very small kit when I want to travel light. I only marked down the handling because of the push-pull design, but otherwise this is a really outstanding, compact tele-zoom lens.

UPDATE after a month of use:
The lens continues to impress. Quality / IQ has been very good. Using it with "A" setting and catch in focus has been very easy. At the wide end, closer to f8 is best. Moving to the long end, f5.6 (or 6.3 for more contrast, less CA) actually is best. If I need to work quickly, I just set FL to 135mm. Otherwise, I've set my K-30 to remember last menu location. In the first tab, #3, the last item is "Input Focal Length." I can get there quickly to choose the approximate FL.
Amazing performance for its small size.

ANOTHER UPDATE: This lens still is a gem. HERE is a more thorough comparison I did with 4 other lenses that cover this range.
   
Forum Member

Registered: December, 2012
Location: Warsaw
Posts: 83

3 users found this helpful
Review Date: January 25, 2014 Recommended | Price: $41.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp,compact, cheap, A-series contacts, well build. Barely any CA, or flare, amazing SMC-like colors and contrast. Cool navy-blue MC coatings :-)
Cons: For the price none.
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 10    Value: 10   

Unchanged JPEG's from my K5








And the lens itself:







   
New Member

Registered: August, 2011
Posts: 20

2 users found this helpful
Review Date: September 19, 2011 Recommended | Price: None indicated | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: very sharp, excellent colors, massive construction, smooth focus ring
Cons: cumbersome focusing
Sharpness: 10    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 6    Value: 9   

Very sharp, and no CA. The measuring is just in A setting accurate, in manual overall overexposed. otherwise very good colors. At K-x, you must remove (with 2 screws) the spacer ring, and then fits in lens mount.

photos with this lens
Add Review of Tokina SZ-X... 80-200mm F4.5-5.6



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