Tokina Cinema Vista-P Series Expands with 21mm and 29mm T1.5 Lenses

Lens News

by Heath McKnightToday

Tokina Cinema has unveiled two new lenses to join the Vista-P Series: a 21mm T1.5 and a 29mm T1.5. The line of ultra-fast, high-resolution cine primes now sits at 11 total lenses. Let’s take a closer look at the new focal lengths.

Tokina Cinema first introduced the Vista-P at the end of 2023, and it is based on the Vista Primes, which have been used on shows like Ted Lasso and Loki. These new lenses are precisely tuned at the factory to have a vintage look via spherical distortion while remaining very sharp in the center. They are re-engineered by moving the placement of the lens to achieve the spherical distortion and vintage look.

The initial set of Tokina Cinema Vista-P lenses included 18, 25, 35, 50, and 85mm focal lengths, all at a maximum aperture of T1.5. The company later added 40, 65, 105, and 135mm lenses, also at T1.5.

The main feature of the Vista-P series is the vintage look with a sharp center and swirl-type distortion at the edge of the frame. It appears like “Helios-44 or Petzval seen in actual vintage lenses,” per Tokina Cinema. The lenses cover VistaVision-sized full-frame image sensors (46.7mm image circles) and have a 114mm outside diameter. There is a wide range of supported mounts, including Sony E, EF, PL, LPL, and MFT.

If you already own Vista Prime lenses, it is possible to send them to Tokina’s factory in Japan to have them converted to Vista-P glass. Keep in mind that the conversion cannot be reversed.

Tokina Cinema adds 21mm and 29mm cine primes to the Vista-P series

With the addition of the two new wide-angle cine primes, the Tokina Cinema Vista-P series is a fairly complete set of glass, from 18mm to 135mm. As with the other lenses, the 21mm and 29mm feature a very fast maximum aperture of T1.5 and the type of handling expected with modern glass.

While the lenses feature a vintage look, Tokina Cinema explains that stopping down will give a more modern and clean look. The company also explained that the distortion is more pronounced at the VistaVision and full-frame intended area of definition. Using S35 or smaller format cameras will lessen the effect.

Could Tokina Cinema introduce other Vista-P focal lengths? It is possible since there are a couple of other Vista lenses available. These include 100mm T2.9 Macro and 180mm T2.9, but the slower maximum aperture may eliminate the possibility of those lenses from joining the Vista-P series, which is at T1.5.

Price and availability 

The new 21mm T1.5 and 29mm T1.5 each cost $8,999 and are available for preorder here and here, respectively. Since the lenses are precisely tuned at the factory, they are considered special orders. Learn more at Tokina Cinema’s Vista page.

Are you using the Tokina Cinema Vista-P series of lenses on your film and other projects? What are your thoughts on the new focal lengths of 21mm T1.5 and 29mm T1.5? Let us know in the comments below!