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Tokina RMC ( vivitar, hoya, soligor etc) 2-ring 35-105mm F3.5 Review RSS Feed

Tokina RMC ( vivitar, hoya, soligor etc) 2-ring 35-105mm F3.5

Sharpness 
 9.0
Aberrations 
 7.0
Bokeh 
 7.0
Handling 
 7.5
Value 
 9.0
Focusing 
 9.0
Reviews Views Date of last review
2 14,276 Mon August 30, 2021
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $32.50 8.50
Tokina RMC ( vivitar, hoya, soligor etc) 2-ring 35-105mm F3.5

Tokina RMC ( vivitar, hoya, soligor etc) 2-ring 35-105mm F3.5
supersize
Tokina RMC ( vivitar, hoya, soligor etc) 2-ring 35-105mm F3.5
supersize

Description:
The first series "tokina rmc's", dating from the late 1970's, were 2 ring designs. The range included a 70-210mm, 75-260mm, 100-300mm and there are two versions of the 35-105mm: a first version with a "stovepipe" profile and a later version with a straight barrel and redesigned macro mode, see here (vivitar versions). The optical design does not appear to have changed. Pics 1, 2 are of a first version, Soligor branded.
This u-tube video review illustrates the mechanics including the macro mode, and video performance.
Being a 1970's lens this is most commonly found as M42 mount. The vivitar and soligor versions may also be found with swappable TX mounts.

Optics: 13 elements/11 groups
MFD: 1.4m normal; 29cm macro, working distance in macro ~14cm from front element at 1:5
Aperture: f3.5-16 constant, single stop clicks
Filter: 72mm
Weight: 700g.

Thread on soligor version with pics on mflenses.com here. The later version is also found as a Hoya (see this thread, and the earlier version as a Super-Travenar, and probably other marques as well.
Mount Type: M42 Screwmount
Price History:



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New Member

Registered: August, 2021
Location: SEVA
Posts: 3
Review Date: August 30, 2021 Recommended | Price: $35.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Sharpness and contrast are good. Color is excellent.
Cons: CA and Flares are common. It is very heavy
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 6    Bokeh: 5    Handling: 7    Value: 9    Camera Used: Pentax KP    Focusing: 9   

I have the later 3-ring version of this lens with a Soligor make in native K-mount, which is somewhat rare for the lens and adds to the price. Mine had a lazy iris, so I adapted it to full manual, which was an easy surgery.

This lens is not the best lens in my kit. Universally, there is a better lens for whatever job I'm doing. It is slow. It is monstrously heavy and very large. It has a huge, conspicuous front element, so you can't take furtive street photos. The "macro" mode is lackluster at best, only really providing some additional room at the end of an otherwise poor minimum focus distance.

Purple fringing is an issue, especially with macro photos and in any situation with strong backlighting.

Sharpness falls off strongly at the extreme limits of the lens's capability. A close focus macro photo or wide angle photo, wide open (at a blinding fast f3.5), will have you scratching your head at my rating of 9.

The front element of this lens is huge and not recessed in the slightest, so any side-light will make a flare or reduce contrast in the image. Usually, flaring is purple, but some orange and yellow will sneak in. A hood is an absolute must, but the 72mm filter diameter will add volume to an already massive lens.

Bokeh is subjective, but I find the bokeh of this lens to be very harsh, with sharp edges and jarring transitions. The middle transitional areas often look more like ghosting than anything. You have to really work to find any lovely creamy stuff. Six blades is utilitarian and doesn't help the situation at all.

But, I love this lens. It is probably my worst lens in many ways, but it never leaves my kit.

This lens excels at rendering vivid, brilliant color all across the range, but especially greens and blues. It eats golden hour for breakfast and will make your sunbleached lawn look positively verdant.

If you are nice to it, contrast is excellent. The lens sufferers from it's large front element with no recess, but the coatings seem solid. In the right conditions, this is my best rendering lens for high dynamic range situations.

The has a huge range of capability, but it is most comfortable in the middle. Stopped down even a little bit, this lens gets very sharp. In the middle of it's focal range, it is very forgiving. It likes to find focus easily.

Handling is a mixed bag. It is heavy. 27.8oz (788g) for the lens alone. And there's nowhere to hold it because the whole thing is a control surface of some sort. But, the focus throw is fairly short and very responsive. My copy turns smooth as butter on all of the rings.

It is built like a tank. It's weight belies an attention to detail in the construction and I have no complaints (besides the lazy iris) in the functionality.

Also, the lens itself is pretty.




This is a minimum focus distance photo with macro mode engaged, wide open. It is decidedly soft. This is an average amount of purple fringing for the situation.

This portrait shows how sharp the lens can get, but also demonstrates the purple flare and poor contrast from side-light with no hood.

This hastily composed shot is primarily here to demonstrate color. (I was still zooming as I was taking the photo)
   
New Member

Registered: November, 2013
Posts: 14
Review Date: November 11, 2018 Recommended | Price: $30.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: really sharp lens
Cons: some few CA's wide open at 35mm
Sharpness: 9    Aberrations: 8    Bokeh: 9    Handling: 8    Value: 9    Camera Used: ist ds, k100d, k-x, k200, k-s1   

for its low price only some few CA's wide open at 35 mm to criticize, but much more better than the later Tokina lenses with smaller apertures

+/++ good sharpness - stopped down a few

+/++ neutral colors

+/++ good contrast

+/++ few flare

+/++ close ups at f8-11 okay

heavy glass/metal-construction with a big front lens
8,5 points - my recommendation
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