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Tokina RMC 28mm f2.8
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 9:17 pm    Post subject: Tokina RMC 28mm f2.8 Reply with quote
Can someone tell me if both these versions of Tokina's 28mm f2.8 are the same optically? Is one better than the other quality wise?








PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 10:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've had two copies of the first version, both excellent. Never seen the other version but I expect it's the same. I have two RMC 3.5/17mm Tokinas in the style of the second one.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have the second version with the green lettering. It's an awesome lens, perhaps my favourite of all my MF lenses. I recommend it every time someone is looking for a 'widish' lens or specifically asks about the 28mm focal length. I can't say enough good things about it.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 11:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
I've had two copies of the first version, both excellent. Never seen the other version but I expect it's the same. I have two RMC 3.5/17mm Tokinas in the style of the second one.


Hi iangreenhalgh1.

How do you compare the tokina with the rokkor and hexanon 28 mm lenses?

Thanks in advance.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 11:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hiya Rino

This is how I rate the 28s I have owned:

1/2: Hexanon 3.5/28 EE/Rokkor-SG 3.5/28 - both superb, can't say one is better than other
3: Pentacon 2.8/28 - stopped down it is wonderful
4: Hoya HMC 2.8/28/Tokina RMC 2.8/28 - excellent
5: Hexar 2.8/28 - very good
6: Vivitar CF 2.8/28 - very good
7: Canon FD 2.8/28 - good, slightly above average.

The other 28s I had I don't remember well

The only reason I place the Pentacon above the Tokina is the dimensionality the Pentacon has stopped down, the Tokina is a great lens, has very nice bokeh for a wide angle, colours are very saturated, coating is excellent, very little flare even against the sun and strong contrast, it is sharp at all apertures too, for the price it is a big bargain.

That said, the 7 element Hexanon and Rokkor are better, but they are among the very finest lenses I own imho.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 2:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Many thanks.

I didn't use a lot of 28 mm lenses. The most used was the hexanon. Another very good 28 is the super takumar 3,5 first version. Speacking in the middle range priced lenses.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 2:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you have the 7 element Hexanon then I think you can feel safe in the knowledge you have a really superb lens and could only get a better 28mm by spending a lot of money on a Hollywood Distagon or something from Leica.

I have a Mamiya 2.8/28 that has 8 elements, that one could be special but it's not adaptable to anything. Sad


PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 2:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have used leica m for near to 15the years or so, and konica srl Circa of 10 or more years. Know both systems well. And the 28 mm lens wasn't the leica m goal.

Mamiya had very good lenses. Underrated some of them. For example the 2,8/135 , tbe older and the sx (the rolleinar too)
So your mamiya should be a very good lens!!!
Rino.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 3:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
My Mamiya 2.8/28 is the CS version, I also have 1.7/50, 3.5/28, 3.5/80-200 and another zoom I forget now in the later Z version, sadly the ZE I have doesn't work so I can't use them. I read a test in an old magazine that rated the Z 1.7/50 as highly as the 1.7/50 T* Planar! I keep looking for a ZE, ZE-2 or ZM at a good price but they are not common, many are not working and those that work fetch good prices. Sad


PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 8:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
If you have the 7 element Hexanon then I think you can feel safe in the knowledge you have a really superb lens and could only get a better 28mm by spending a lot of money on a Hollywood Distagon or something from Leica.

I have a Mamiya 2.8/28 that has 8 elements, that one could be special but it's not adaptable to anything. Sad


I know buhla.de mentions that the 5-element version isn't as good as the 7-element version - but have you done a side-by-side comparison? I have an absolutely mint copy of the 5-element (up to F22 AE version) - which has wonderful colour rendition (surprisingly good skin tones), is extremely contrasty (superb for B&W), and sharp with zero flare (great coatings!). It rocks over my NEX kit lens for resolution. I even have a rather dashing paired Konica rectangular hood for it that I bought separately. The contrast is actually almost too strong at times on this baby!

I also have a later Minolta MD 28mm/2.8 (optically superior to old Rokkor's in sharpness/coatings but NOT build) - which I think you guys have talked about. I prefer the colours of the Konica but find the Minolta F2.8 very useful for indoor images on a cropped sensor (similar to standard lens) - especially for scenic-portraits.

Ian which mount is your Mamiya? I've seen some conversion kits people in the Mamiya forums have been experimenting with. Not ALL are impossible to convert - but it can be fiddly (bits falling off when turning the focusing ring too much. LOL..)


PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 11:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I did the comparison that you have asked. In film.. the 3,5 hexanon has good colors and contrast. But in my copies the 7 elements were sharpest, with better bokeh and better 3D.
The rokkor that we were talking about was the 7 elements 28/3,5.
Rino


PostPosted: Wed Aug 22, 2012 3:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
heartcat wrote:
I have the second version with the green lettering. It's an awesome lens, perhaps my favourite of all my MF lenses. I recommend it every time someone is looking for a 'widish' lens or specifically asks about the 28mm focal length. I can't say enough good things about it.


That's good enough recommendation for me! I've just won the first version on ebay in Pentax PK mount for £10. Very Happy


PostPosted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
estudleon wrote:
I did the comparison that you have asked. In film.. the 3,5 hexanon has good colors and contrast. But in my copies the 7 elements were sharpest, with better bokeh and better 3D.


You could be right. I did consider one of the 7-element old ones in a shop here in Hong Kong - but the focus ring was as tight as a Robertson's jam jar! So I bought my spanking shiny 5-element one for about $30 (USD) less on ebay.

However, personally when I do landscape I generally stop down to F8/F11 - and Bokeh/DOF differences becomes less obvious, and therefore less of an issue. Not sure how much 3D you can squeeze out of F3.5?!

estudleon wrote:

The rokkor that we were talking about was the 7 elements 28/3,5.
Rino


I hate quoting Rokkorfiles / Buhla.de as bible truth, especially as I questioned the Hexanon quote/assumptions earlier. But I believe Anthony Hands (Rokkorfiles) mentions the F3.5 isn't as good as the 2.8 version.

Quote:
But Minolta made a slower f/3.5 version of this lens which has a poor reputation, as well as a highly sought after f/2 version which included a floating element design for increased performance....

With the MD f/2.8 version (in its various incarnations) readily available on Ebay for around US$60 there is no excuse not to have one, and similarly, no excuse to get the poorer performing f/3.5 version.


Despite this, the reviews shouldn't be mistaken for the Aspherical L-mount 28mm F3.5 version built for the TC-1 body which fetches above and beyond $500. That one as the price tag suggests - is a stunner!


PostPosted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don't care what reviews say, from hands-on experience I can tell you, the 3.5/28 Rokkor-SG is a wonderful lens, stunning in fact.

I've compared the earlier 7 element Hexanon and later 5 element Hexar and the Hexanon is a far better lens, although the Hexar is a good lens in it's own right.


PostPosted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
I don't care what reviews say, from hands-on experience I can tell you, the 3.5/28 Rokkor-SG is a wonderful lens, stunning in fact.

I've compared the earlier 7 element Hexanon and later 5 element Hexar and the Hexanon is a far better lens, although the Hexar is a good lens in it's own right.


Hey I'm with you on that mate. Which is why I don't regret buying my 28mm Hexanon. What's more with legacy lenses you're not only dealing with original sample variation, but also condition deterioration over several generations of hand-me-downs.

Although it's quite fun comparing technicalities of gear - it's easy to forget that artistic technique can make or break a shot, plus what's good/bad is pretty damn subjective - hence the endless CaNikon debates you hear from pro-togs.

Unfortunately, to get the best deals we can't always try out gear locally - we need to depend on reviews - be it from blogs or other users on these forums to at least short-list or commit to what we want to get. That's why it's always a delight when I mount a new purchase and take that first shot - a lens is indeed like a box of chocolates!


PostPosted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Where would the OM Zuiko 28mm 2.8 rate alongside the above mentioned lenses?


PostPosted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 4:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
I've compared the earlier 7 element Hexanon and later 5 element Hexar and the Hexanon is a far better lens, although the Hexar is a good lens in it's own right.


As Ian points out, the Hexars are inferior to the Hexanons. But the newer 5-element 28mm Hexanon which estudleon and I were comparing is fantastic, and maybe slightly behind the 7-element version.

Hexars were a budget/consumer range compared with the more pro-tier Hexanons.


PostPosted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 4:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hexars were made by Tokina, so not sure if they were a Konica design or a Tokina design. I suspect Konica.
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