Tokina debuts another Cinema zoom lens, reveals (slightly) less painful US-market pricing

 

 

Last September, we told you about the debut of Japanese lens manufacturer Tokina's new video-specific Cinema-series lens line. At the time, the one comment we heard from readers was that the Tokina 16-28 T3.0 Cinema lens seemed rather too expensive -- but back then it had only been announced in the company's home market. If you've been waiting to see if the eyewatering ¥580,000 (approx. US$5,900) pricetag would carry over to the USA, we have good news. Pricing -- while still rather steep -- may not quite induce instant heart palpitations in your bank manager. And we've also news of another Cinema-series optic that's largely slipped under the Internet's collective radar until now.

But first, pricing of the existing lens. Just as in Japan, the Tokina 16-28 T3.0 Cinema lens will ship in two variants in the US market. You'll be able to buy it with either a Canon EF or an Arri PL lens mount, and pricing for either version is set at US$4,500 or thereabouts. That's a whopping 24% less expensive than at the lens' Japanese launch, which should see a few more filmakers taking to the optic, a variation on the existing Tokina AT-X 16-28 F2.8 PRO FX full-frame, wide-angle zoom with a redesigned lens barrel, a clickless aperture ring, and a cylindrical, filter-threaded hood.

 

 

And then there's the new optic. The Tokina 11-16 T3.0 Cinema lens. It's been shown at a couple of tradeshows, but hasn't yet appeared even on the company's Japanese website, and Googling the official product name gets you nowhere -- but we've got the details. It's based, as you'd expect, on the existing 11-16mm f/2.8 APS-C lens, but again features a redesigned all-metal barrel, clickless aperture ring, and gearing on all three rings for video use. Optically, it's identical to the existing lens. Pricing for this optic is set at US$1,900, and it ships in either Canon EF or Micro Four Thirds mounts.

All but the Arri PL version of the 16-28mm lens ship from April 2014; that last variant arrives the following month. If you want to reserve your place in queue, you can now preorder from Imaging Resource affiliate partner Adorama at the links below. In all cases, you'll get free shipping:

• Tokina 16-28 T3.0 Cinema lens for Canon EF mount
• Tokina 16-28 T3.0 Cinema lens for Arri PL mount
• Tokina 11-16 T3.0 Cinema lens for Canon EF mount
• Tokina 11-16 T3.0 Cinema lens for Micro Four Thirds mount