| Author: | | New Member Registered: June, 2017 Posts: 15 | | Review Date: March 14, 2024 | Recommended | Price: $15.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Inexpensive, good IQ | | Cons: | Variable quality | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 7
Value: 9
Camera Used: P30 and APS digital
Focusing: 8
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Like all my many 28mm lenses this one seemed a poor performer - but once I had unscrewed the rear lens section and cleaned off the almost ubiquitous oily haze the IQ jumped up.
It seems that oil from the helicoid and mechanics gets to gas out and settle on the rear interior lens - and as these are now 30+ years old the oil gathers dust (and often fungus). That is closest to the film and sensor which is why it hassuch a disproportionate impact. It is an easy fix to do compared with other steps!
Once that was fixed I had a mechanically nice lens, focus direction reversed, with good IQ.
The issues - on APS it becomes a 28x1.5=42mm FF equivalent lens and so needs a better lens hood as this is prone to veiling flare that kills contrast.
Centre IQ is good throughout and the corners are good by F5.6. Colours are a bit blue/green in character - but I like it.
As it has no ED/aspheric glass it shows CA at the edges in bight contrast areas (usually tree branches). This is aphotoshop fix today.
For what I paid this is great - Once it was cleaned!
| | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: May, 2015 Location: Hampshire Posts: 892 | | Review Date: August 4, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | "A" setting, cheap, quite sharp stopped down. | | Cons: | Wide open not good, exposure problems. | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-5, *1st DL2
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Bought this 49mm filter thread version based on the previous reviews and on first use on my K-5, I was not impressed. On a sunny day the colours were pale and the sharpness not as good as I had hoped. After some changes to my set up, centre weighted instead of matrix metering, applying a slight underexposure I found the lens to have much better colours and appear sharper. I do not know the reason for the matrix metering giving me over exposed images on the K-5 so I tried it on my *1st DL2. Slightly better colours but still needed a tweak of underexposure for them to look good. It may have been my subjects, the harsh bright lighting or something else in the communication from lens to camera, the iris blades are snappy and no sign of them having any problem.
Maybe schj's review gives an indication that I am not the only user with a problem.
Sharp stopped down, worth a 9 but not so good at wider apertures, F2.8 could be forgotten as I did not like the lack of sharpness there.
I found some CA when high contrast overexposed images were taken at wider apertures but not enough to be a problem for me.
Check your exposures and compensate where needed and this is a good 28mm but not a great one.
Note, before fitting one to your digital body, read the description header, there are 2 items that should be read regarding fitting the lens.
Update, I took out my Kominie made Vivitar 28mm F2.8 close focus to take similar images. I found this to meter perfectly and it was sharper at wider apertures though much the same at distance. With the benefit of closer focussing this means the Tokina is never going to be my favourite 28mm lens.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: Amsterdam Posts: 43 | | Review Date: December 30, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | A setting, sharp | | Cons: | Needed to remove flange to fit my K5 | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 8
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I bought this lens (the 49mm version) in the late 80's to complement the M50/1.4 on my ME super. It used it a lot in rather demanding conditions in (3 months in the rainforest). I only recently started to use it on digital becuase it would not fit without some surgery. I'm glad I did it because I like it better than my M28/2.8. Mainly because the exposure is much better (due to the A setting). I also needed to tape one of the A contact to get correct aperture readout on my K5
The picture below was taken recently. One thing to look out for is that it can focus beyond infinity so for landscape you need to check the focus carefully.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2012 Posts: 17 | | Review Date: July 15, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp wide open, high contrast, pleasing natural colours | | Cons: | Focus goes opposite way to Pentax standard; only 90° from close focus to infinity | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 7
Value: 10
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https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/album.php?albumid=5392&pictureid=46052
Mine is the 49mm filter version.
It has a 5-bladed aperture mechanism.
It has the A connectors, so I can set the aperture from the camera, and as a consequence the lens is flash-friendly. The mount is engraved K/R, but I don't have any 'Ricoh-pin' problems mounting and dismounting it.
I had to remove a metal shroud that protects the aperture lever were the lens to be placed on a hard surface without a rear lens cap. This shroud extends further round than its equivalent on a genuine Pentax lens, and snags the PowerZoom connectors on my Samsung GX20. But removing it was simply a matter of undoing some tiny screws in the base.
The lens as a whole is about the same size as a Pentax-M 50mm f1.4. It seems nicely built.
At f2.8 this lens is probably sharper than any other lens I own, zoom or prime, when that other lens is wide open at 28mm, the best of the rest being the Tamron AF 17-50mm F2.8 XR LD Aspherical IF SP.
The other primes are 3 Vivitars (according to http://photografica.robinparmar.com/vivitar28detail.html, a T91, a K02 and a K03), and a CPC Phase 2, that I understand is identical to a Pentax A 28mm f2.8, except for its lens coating.
The other zooms are Pentax F 28-80, Pentax FA 28-90, Pentax FAJ 28-80, Pentax FA-PZ 28-105 and the Samsung 28-55 Mark 2.
The only drawbacks I have found are that focus goes the opposite way to the Pentax lenses, and it only takes 90° to go from close focus to infinity. I can focus very quickly, but the focus is very sensitive, and I have to remember which way I am supposed to turn it!
| | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: April, 2011 Location: LODINGEN, Northern Norway Posts: 275 | | Review Date: February 18, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $34.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | A" lock, decent build quality, Very sharp and chrisp | | Cons: | Needed mod to fit DSLR | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 10
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 I just wanted to note here that Tokina made several versions of 28/2.8--Mine is just a plain "Tokina" with 49mm filter threads. It has the "A" style contacts and aperture lock.
In addition to the Ricoh pin, this version has a flange protruding from the back of the mount, which prevents the lens from seating on any body with SDM/powerzoom contacts (i.e. DSLRs). Had to buy me some JIS schrewdrivers to remove the flange.
After those mods, the lens mounts and meters correctly on my K5 , and my wifes K20D.
The build quality compares favorably with Pentax-A lenses--aperture ring is metal. The focus direction is opposite that of Pentax's manual-focus lenses.
These version is hard to get. If you take a seatch at E-bay, you will find plenty of 52mm, but very seldom the 49mm filter thread.
 | | | | | New Member Registered: March, 2010 Location: Michigan Posts: 3 | | Review Date: October 8, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | "A" lock, decent build quality, useful f.l. | | Cons: | Needed mod to fit DSLR, soft wide open | |
I just wanted to note here that Tokina made several versions of 28/2.8--Mine is just a plain "Tokina" with 49mm filter threads. It has the "A" style contacts and aperture lock.
In addition to the Ricoh pin, this version has a flange protruding from the back of the mount, which prevents the lens from seating on any body with SDM/powerzoom contacts (i.e. DSLRs). The metal is soft, and it was not too difficult to file most of the the flange away while I had the mount removed to disable the Ricoh pin.
After those mods, the lens mounts and meters correctly on my K-x.
The build quality compares favorably with Pentax-A lenses--aperture ring is metal. The focus direction is opposite that of Pentax's manual-focus lenses.
My real-world photographs have been satisfactory; but shooting test targets, you can see that this lens must be stopped down by a couple of stops before it's really sharp. There also appears to be some field curvature--the corners of the frame are in focus closer than the center.
Considering the ludicrously low price, it's still a lens worth owning.
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