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Site Supporter Registered: April, 2010 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Posts: 813
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 8, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Solid metal build, IQ, contrast and colour, very fun to use | | Cons: | Flare, corner sharpness below F5.6, some Red-Cyan CA | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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One of the cheapest ways to get a sub-20mm wide angle prime lens, and for the price the images it delivers are pretty good.
Very fun to use, especially when you get up close and personal for portraits.
Also fun to use to take self portraits, you don't need arms 3 metres long.
Mine tends to overexpose at F8-F16, but this is easily adjusted for when taking shots.
Single EV F stops make blind aperture adjustments really easy.
But you have to be prepared to do some PP with most shots..
Rymill Park, Adelaide, in Autumn
(See my Single In April album for more example shots)
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Veteran Member Registered: February, 2016 Posts: 655
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 16, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Compact, reasonably sharp, cheap UWA, well built. | | Cons: | Lens flaring, dull colors, not for astro use. | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K-1
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I wasn't sure when I first purchased this lens but with experience and careful use I have been able to take some nice shots. I use it regularly for interior photography where the 17 mm focal length comes in handy. This lens kicked off my UWA photography including architecture. I also have a K series SMC 24mm lens for comparison. I would have to say the Pentax lens has superior coatings and is sharper but the Tokina shines when a UWA lens is needed and the light contrast is not too high. Overall it is a fun lens to have if you can pick one up for a good price but don't expect it to compare favorably to a modern prime lens. Will probably upgrade to the DFA 15-30 mm soon with the cash earned from this little friend! [url="https://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/index.php?n=55206"]   | |
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Veteran Member Registered: July, 2009 Location: West Midlands Posts: 2,066
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 2, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Very sharp, very well built | | Cons: | Slight glare issues | |
This lens is very sharp and built like a tank! Superb IQ on film or digital, virtually no CA. Compared to most of my Pentax lenses, it does show slight glare when there is a light source within the field of view (eg windows when shooting inside a room) but in most conditions this wouldn't be a problem at all. Subjectively, I've noticed a cooler more clinical look compared to those shot with Pentax lenses - but that suits me fine!
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Junior Member Registered: March, 2017 Location: Vienna Posts: 28
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 16, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | sharp, well build, small | | Cons: | slow | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K3
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i v been waiting for a 17 mm lens this lens is very cheap and solid built of metal .I also have the Sigma 17 - 50 2.8 and my first experience was that the tokina is sharper but a little bit slow so bright sunlight will be necessarily to get out the best performance . The handling in M Modus is perfect on the K3.Recommanding this lens - grab this lens if you can find someone in good condition.
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New Member Registered: February, 2017 Posts: 3
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 23, 2017 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | build, lightness, sharp...oh so sharp | | Cons: | flare without lens hood | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Nion D3
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An absolute joy of a lens to use, great build quality, nice and lightweight
Results are super sharp    | |
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New Member Registered: September, 2016 Posts: 4
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 29, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $65.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | really sharp,light,built,handling,price | | Cons: | rar,flare, | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K3,LX,K2DMD, and Canon 1DS II
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What a nice gem ... my copy is like new and really sharp !!!
Such a bargain and so surprised how it behaves -
You can shoot lovely Landscapes and indoor with hardly distorsion !
The colors are not as the SMC Pentax ones, but in Photoshop it is no problem ...
I shoot a lot with my Canon 1Ds II in FF - better than 17-40 L !
Good Kontrast ( RMC -Version ) for S/W Film ...
Only the Flare-Resistance could be better - I have no hood either ;-(
If You can find one in good condition - donīt hesitate !
Axel
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New Member Registered: October, 2011 Posts: 9
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $140.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | everything | | Cons: | it says Tokina instead of Pentax | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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Can't fault this little beauty. Picked it up off the back end of an animation shoot in London. Head lens dude had bought it for wide shots and was blown away (using adapters for Canon 5Ds) and offered it me for 90 UKP. I have used it on several jobs since and it's ace. Well built, clean, works well on my K5.. Would love to try it out on a full frame sensor.. Pentax????
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New Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: Western Isles Posts: 21
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 12, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $120.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Fantastic I.Q especially at f 8-11 | | Cons: | None | |
I bought this lens about a year ago after having had so many disappointments with the DA 18-55 and DA 16-45 lenses on my K-r. Sure a bit more thought has to go into the taking of the image, though i mainly shoot landscapes so there's no hurry.
Sun in the image can be a worry and i don't use filters after trying them once. Barrel distortion is there, but obvious in horizons etc and can be corrected.
A truly fantastic lens.
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Site Supporter Registered: January, 2009 Location: Springe Posts: 3,693
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 28, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | IQ, solid build quality | | Cons: | none | |
It's a lot of fun to use this lens! Stopped down to f=5.6 or 8 the sharpnes is outstanding. Although 17 mm seems very close to the 18 mm of the kit lens the pictures look very different to me. As I am shooting mostly using a tripod the slow (fully manual - non "A") operation is not an issue for me. Here is an example shot:
http://www.23hq.com/4394492/6286230_9c8035d7d8dbb293be7f8de094b0d040_large.jpg | |
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Senior Member Registered: March, 2007 Location: Slovenia Posts: 140
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 14, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Wide angle, excellent sharpnes and overall IQ | | Cons: | none | |
This is another excellent example of Tokina MF lens. It is very wide, when used on FF body. Image quality is excellent, there is no CA or PF visible even on the toughest conditions.
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Site Supporter Registered: December, 2014 Location: Colorado Posts: 497
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 5, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $130.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Compact, sharpness | | Cons: | Flare, exposure accuracy | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-1, K-2000
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My version is RMC. This lens has become rather difficult to find. On APS-C, it is a wide-angle slightly wider than 28mm equivalent. Very sharp after closing down a bit. On FF, this lens becomes what it really should be. Still, very good sharpness. I have compared this lens to Sigma 17-35/2.8-4 at 17mm. Image quality from this Tokina is much better.
I do not have a hood for this lens and flare sometimes is an issue. Another "con" is the manual operation. My lens tends to over expose by about 1 stop when aperture is set to F8 or F11. I do not know why. I just dial in a -1 exposure conpensation.
Highly recommend!
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Forum Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: Ontario Posts: 89
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 21, 2014 | Not Recommended | Price: $45.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Cheap, good build. | | Cons: | Not really sharp at any aperture | | Sharpness: 5
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 9
Value: 10
Camera Used: Many
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I'm not sure why others have rated this lens so high in sharpness. I have tried two different samples of it and both were exactly the same. It's really just not all that sharp  | |
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New Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Southern California Posts: 14
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 27, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $100.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Excellent build quality; optical performance; compact size; excellent value | | Cons: | Focuses opposite direction to Pentax lenses; usual amount of barrel distortion for a lens of this type | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 10
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I have the RMC version, which as far as I know, is the same as the SL.
Built like a manual focus Pentax lens. Focus and aperture rings are very solid and smooth feeling.
Noticeable barrel distortion of straight lines near the edge, which is acceptable, as any SLR lens of this focal length has some. Color rendition is colder than Pentax. Flare resistance is good. I don't think the coating is as good as Pentax SMC, but not many are. Its compact size for its focal length makes it perfect for my MX, ME Super, and LX.
I managed to find the specified Tokina lens hood, RH-672, which is a rubber petal-type clamp-on. A great lens, and an excellent value.
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Senior Member Registered: April, 2010 Location: Seattle Posts: 153
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 11, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $80.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Well built, small, inexpensive | | Cons: | none for the price | |
This lens is fun to work with and a very easy way to get into sub 20mm focal length. I own the M42 version and will not be parting with this lens.
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Pentaxian Registered: September, 2017 Location: South Wales Posts: 2,961 | | Review Date: June 2, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $125.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Solidly made, smooth controls, compact, full frame | | Cons: | Focus turns opposite way to Pentax convention | | Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: K-1, LX
Focusing: 7
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To be clear, this is a film era, manual focus, full-frame lens. My copy is an RMC, not an SL, but others have said there seems to be no difference.
It looks and feels well made and is surprisingly small. At first glance you could mistake it for a Pentax M series, and on a modern Pentax DSLR it is functionally equivalent to one. Even the knurling on the focussing ring looks identical. iqnite in his review here said his had an extra stop beyond f16; mine does not, perhaps that is a differnce between an RMC and an SL?
I have not done any formal testing, but the sharpness looks good and for the pictures I have taken there is no noticable vignetting. Minor gripes are that the focusing ring turns the opposite way from the Pentax standard (although with such a wide angle lens the focusing hardly needs to be touched for landscapes), and it lacks the Pentax tactile "bump" to enable fitting the lens to a body without looking.
The filter size is 67mm - it has to be large for an UWA lens to avoid vignetting. 67mm was a standard for smaller Pentax 6x7 lenses so I had some already, but it was uncommon among Pentax 35mm film lenses.
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