These new lenses have undergone meticulous adjustments in their factory to enhance their vintage appeal, specifically through introducing spherical distortions. Owners of the Vista Primes have the unique option to send their lenses back to the factory in Japan for an irreversible transformation to the Vista-P model. Let’s delve deeper into this exciting development!

Exploring the Original Tokina Cinema Vista Primes
Originally launched in 2017, the Tokina Cinema Vista Primes are designed to accommodate full-frame image sensors, boasting a 46.7mm image circle and a 114mm front diameter. They feature a nine-blade iris and offer a wide variety of interchangeable lens mounts, such as PL, LPL, Sony E, EF, and MFT. With the addition of the new 21mm and 29mm lenses, the Vista Primes collection now includes a total of 13 lenses, each offering a maximum aperture of T1.5.

The Challenge with Tokina Cinema Vista Lenses: Size and Weight
The primary challenge faced by users of the Tokina Cinema Vista series is their considerable size and weight. However, for those who have experienced these lenses firsthand, it’s clear that they are robust and high-quality, producing exceptional images.

The Trend Towards Vintage Aesthetics in Cinema Lenses
In recent years, the cinema lens market has seen an influx of lenses claiming to offer a “vintage look.” Through personal testing of various models, it has become apparent that this label is sometimes used to mask shortcomings like poor sharpness and pronounced chromatic aberrations. Tokina Cinema is now entering this space with its Vista-P Primes, a new take on the renowned Vista Primes. They promise to deliver a unique visual character while upholding their exceptional standards of sharpness, precision, and overall image quality.

Inside the Tokina Cinema Vista-P Primes: A Blend of Old and New
Externally, the new Tokina Cinema Vista-P Primes resemble their predecessors, the Vista Primes. The primary difference is the “Vista-P” marking, with ‘P’ signifying ‘Portrait.’

Internally, however, these lenses have undergone significant changes. The design, including the number and grouping of lens elements, is largely maintained, but with a crucial alteration: the adjustment of lens elements to introduce a pronounced spherical distortion, a hallmark of vintage lenses, according to Tokina Cinema.

The Distinct Vintage Appeal of Vista-P Lenses
The promotional material for the Vista-P lenses showcases a unique feature: swirl-type distortion at the edges of the frame, while maintaining sharpness and detail in the center and throughout the image. Tokina Cinema likens this edge effect to the style of Helios-44 or Petzval lenses.

This vintage effect is achieved by increasing the air-to-glass distance inside the lenses, compared to the regular Vista Primes, which also slightly reduces contrast. The resulting images from these lenses are notably unique and carry a character that is difficult to replicate in post-production.

News source: https://tokinalens.com/