Tokina Announces Cinema Vista-P Lenses
Tokina Cinema has just unveiled the Vista-P lens family. These lenses are based on the existing Vista Primes. Nonetheless, the Vista-P is precisely tuned at the factory, changing the location of lens elements to achieve a more vintage look by introducing spherical distortion.
Third-party groups commonly adapt Tokina’s Cinema Vista Prime lenses to adjust the image quality on the edge of the frame for a more cinematic, less flawless effect. The soft-edged effect is achieved by adjusting the air space between the elements at the back of the lens. Shims are used by some to add space between the elements, resulting in a little alteration.
For dramatic results, users would need to adjust the space between other parts within the lens, which is a considerably more difficult operation. That’s where Tokina Cinema comes in. The manufacturer has redesigned its Vista Prime lenses, and this change is now available directly from the factory.
Tokina Cinema Vista Primes were first released in 2017. These lenses cover full-frame image sensors (46.7mm image circles), feature a 114mm outside front diameter, a nine-blade iris, and come in a variety of user-interchangeable lens mounts such as PL, LPL, Sony E, EF, and MFT mount. The Vista Primes collection now includes 13 lenses, all with a maximum T1.5 aperture, thanks to the recent release of the 21mm and 29mm.
The new Tokina Cinema Vista-P Primes are physically identical to the existing Vista Primes. Except for the “Vista-P” branding – the P stands for Portrait – you can’t determine the difference between the two.
The majority of the modifications are on the inside, even though the lens design, i.e. the number of elements and lens groups, stays the same. According to the company, they have “modified the original Vista Primes by moving the placement of the lens elements to deliberately introduce strong spherical distortion – a characteristic more commonly associated with vintage lenses. This is not a simple feature.”
The Vista-P lenses are immediately accessible in a variety of focal lengths. Users can select between 18mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm. All focal lengths, like the original Vista Prime lenses, include a constant T1.5, nine-blade aperture for excellent bokeh, and a 46.7mm area of definition to cover big format cinema cameras. Furthermore, Tokina Cinema offers almost no focus breathing. They are available in PL, LPL, Sony E, EF, or MFT mount versions and retain the usual Vista Prime outer design.
The Vista-P 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm lenses will each cost $7,499, while the 18mm will cost $8,999. The Vista-P lenses are currently advertised on the Tokina Cinema website, although they are not yet for sale.
Users who already own Vista Prime lenses and want the more dramatic look of the factory-modified Vista-P lenses are in luck. They can submit Vista Prime lenses to the Tokina Cinema plant in Japan for alteration, but each lens will cost $2,000 plus freight.
