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Vivitar (Tokina)  MC Wide-Angle 17mm F3.5 Review RSS Feed

Vivitar (Tokina) MC Wide-Angle 17mm F3.5

Sharpness 
 7.3
Aberrations 
 8.3
Bokeh 
 6.0
Handling 
 9.0
Value 
 8.3
Reviews Views Date of last review
4 61,271 Sun September 1, 2019
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Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $92.50 8.25
Vivitar (Tokina)  MC Wide-Angle 17mm F3.5

Vivitar (Tokina)  MC Wide-Angle 17mm F3.5
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Vivitar (Tokina)  MC Wide-Angle 17mm F3.5
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Description:
67mm Thread, Manual Focus, Multi-Coated ultra wide angle for full frame film cameras. Available in various mounts including PK and M42. There are two slighlty different versions.

This lens is basically a rebadged Tokina RMC / SL17 17mm f3.5.

Focal length: 17mm
Aperture Range: f/3.5-16
Iris: 6 blades
Optical construction: 11 elements in 9 groups
Angle of view: 103°40'
Closest Focus Distance from Film Plane: 0.25m
Focusing system: rotary focus
Filter size: 67mm
Maximum outer diameter: 70mm
Overall length: 49.2mm
Weight: 310g (PK mount)
Mount Type: Pentax K
Price History:



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Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-4 of 4
New Member

Registered: November, 2016
Posts: 7
Review Date: September 1, 2019 Recommended | Price: $100.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Ultra wide angle
Cons: Soft at F3.5, not recommended for APS-C or smaller
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 8    Value: 8   

Nice and affordable Ultra wide lens. While soft at F3.5, it is sharp stopped down. I never shoot wide angle lenses wide open anyways. I would not recommend this lens for APS-C or smaller sensors as today's kit lenses are better at 17~18mm. However, for Full frame, this is very good price/performance ratio that is hard to match.
   
Site Supporter

Registered: November, 2012
Location: North Wales
Posts: 2,858

1 user found this helpful
Review Date: July 14, 2017 Recommended | Price: $90.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Classic MF - contruction mechanics, handling. Good IQ. Full frame.
Cons: Softer off centre, inferior to DAL 18-55mm at f3.5, not really better than DAL stopped down.
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 8    Handling: 9    Value: 8    Camera Used: K5   

Much to like about this classic MF lens - the mechanics, handling, construction and all. And performance is pleasing, see my sample pics here. Consistently sharp in the centre from f3.5, noticeably softening a bit towards the edges though even on an APSC sensor camera, and more so on the left side with my example (lens pic 2 above), suggestive of a little decentering or similar optical flaw. Good colours and contrast - comments in other reviews suggesting the opposite are off the mark IMO, probably those reviewers needed to adjust jpg settings or use a hood to avoid a bit of flare (though this lens did not seem particularly susceptible during usage so far). Close focus to ~5"/13cm from the front of the lens allows eg nice flower shots, taking advantage of the depth of field.
More considered scrutiny against a DAL 18-55mm shows that there is little difference in the field of view between this lens and the DAL 18-55mm at 18mm. This lens has a slightly wider FoV but it looks less to me than I would expect 17mm vs 18mm. And the comparison tends to corroborate the notion that modern wide angle lenses typically outdo vintage ones. Certainly f3.5 vs f3.5 I have to hand it to the DAL: most specifically more consistent across the frame. Here is the comparison, click to pull up the full sized 4928x3000px, 3MB image.



These images of the castle illustrate the level of distortion, with again comparison against the DAL. Results are again similar, overall both results please with good resolution and detail. The Viv sharpens up a just bit more at f8 and f11 - the typical f stops to use with a wide angle - mainly off centre. One point on which the viv scores is it has less/less obvious fringing than the DAL.



Stopping down the lenses are pretty equal, but the question is still begging as to what the older lens offers optically over the DAL on apsc. It's good, but why not just content yourself with the DAL?
Images developed from RAW in lightroom 3.6, identical minimal PP for the comparisons, export jpg quality 90.
   
Veteran Member

Registered: July, 2011
Posts: 437
Review Date: February 2, 2012 Recommended | Price: $130.00 | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: Amazing FOV, moderate barrel distortion
Cons: Aperture in full stops, no protection for aperture lever, low contrast at F3.5
Sharpness: 7    Aberrations: 9    Bokeh: 3    Handling: 10    Value: 9   

This lens is a rebranded RMC Tokina 1:3.5 17 mm. The Tokina lens was tested in detail at photozone.de.
I bought this lens because I wanted something a little bit wider than my K 1:2.8 24mm and didn't have the money for the Da 15 mm. For the price there's not much to complain about this lens. Stopped down to f5.6 it produces fairly sharp images. Because of the huge DOF manual focusing is no obstacle. And the FOV is just amazing...
I gave this lens a 3 for bokeh, but just because there simply is no bokeh. If something is out of focus it's a little bit soft, but I wouldn't call that bokeh.
On the downside the contrast is very low wide open. Although this was designed for 35 mm film the image corners are a little bit soft on APS-C.
I posted some pictures taken with this lens in the Lens Sample Photo Archive.
   
Forum Member

Registered: June, 2008
Posts: 84
Review Date: September 19, 2009 Recommended | Price: $50.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Sharp at F3.5, small, 6 inch minimum focus distance
Cons: Aperture in full-stops only, barrel distortion

This lens offers an interesting perspective on the 35mm format (~12mm on crop-sensor). There is pronounced barrel distortion at the edges of the image, but I think this is what gives the lens its character.

Very sharp at F3.5 in a very compact, light-weight package. Focusing is smooth and offers the right amount of tension throughout the whole focus range. The aperture is set in full-stop increments: 3.5, 5.6, 8, 11, 16. Quality of image deteriorates towards F16.

If you can find this lens, I would not pass it up, as it is so much fun to shoot with.
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