Tokina’s lightweight 300mm tele ships soon, includes free donuts

One of the main advantages of mirrorless camera designs such as those pioneered with Olympus and Panasonic's Micro Four Thirds format is that they allow more compact bodies and lenses than would be the case with a standard SLR camera. There's only so much that can be done, though, and longer lenses can be fairly bulky even for mirrorless models.

At the CP+ show last February, Kenko Tokina previewed a new Micro Four Thirds lens that uses another technique to help trim the fat: a catadioptric design. It's something of a mouthful, but in layman's terms, uses mirrors to both increase the effective focal length, and effectively 'fold' the optical path inside the lens. The result: a telephoto lens that's much smaller and a fair bit cheaper than would otherwise be the case.

The Tokina Reflex 300mm F6.3 MF MACRO lens. Image provided by Kenko Tokina Corp.

Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch. By design, catadioptric lenses must have a fixed aperture, and they also have an unusual donut-shaped bokeh effect due to the mirror in the front lens element obstructing incoming light. They're also typically less sharp than a regular prime lens, and don't usually offer autofocus capability.

The Tokina Reflex 300mm F6.3 MF MACRO lens on an Olympus camera body. Image provided by Kenko Tokina Corp.

The above is all true of Kenko Tokina's lens, the Reflex 300mm F6.3 MF MACRO. Priced at ¥40,000 (approx. US$500) before tax, and expected to ship later this month, the Tokina Reflex 300mm is just 66mm (2.6 inches) long with a 55mm filter thread, and weighs 298 grams (10.5 ounces). It has a fixed f/6.3 aperture, and offers an effective 600mm focal length when the crop of a Micro Four Thirds camera body is taken into account. The design include seven elements in three groups, and can focus manually down to 0.8 meters (2.6 feet) for a maximum magnification of 1:2 or 0.5x.

No information was available at press time regarding pricing and availability in other markets.

Side view of the Tokina Reflex 300mm F6.3 MF MACRO lens. Image provided by Kenko Tokina Corp.