Tokina recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for three new telephoto mirror lenses: the SZ 300mm PRO Reflex F/7.1 MF CF, the SZ 600mm PRO Reflex F/8 MF CF, and the SZ 900mm PRO Reflex F/11 MF CF. These lenses are manual focus only and are compatible with APS-C mirrorless cameras. So let’s take a closer look at these lenses for Sony E, Canon EF-M, and FUJIFILM X-Mount cameras!
The Tokina SZ line consists of four lenses, the SZ 33mm F/1.2, SZ 500mm F/8 Reflex MF, SZX 400mm F/8 Reflex MF, and SZ 8mm F/2.8 fisheye, which all have one thing in common: all lenses are manual focus.
Now, Tokina is going one step further – or three steps, depending on how you look at it – with the introduction of three new SZ PRO telephoto mirror lenses, which are now on Indiegogo.
Tokina SZ PRO telephoto mirror lenses features
The Tokina SZ PRO lenses are available in three lens mounts: Sony E, Canon EF-M, and FUJIFILM X-Mount. All lenses cover APS-C sensors and are fully manual, with a large 270° focus throw.
However, all these Tokina SZ PRO are telephoto mirror lenses, also known as a catadioptric system. I’ll make it short and simple here, but these lenses have fewer optical elements inside, which are replaced by mirrors. It means that the lenses are smaller than their fully-optical counterparts but have a slower and fixed aperture.
The Tokina SZ PRO series is built with a shielding ring (baffle) that prevents light from leaking directly onto the sensor. This suppresses flares and ghosting and maintains contrast even without a lens hood under general shooting conditions. Furthermore, mirror lenses usually do a great job of reducing chromatic aberrations thanks to a simpler lens design.
Tokina SZ 300mm PRO Reflex F/7.1 MF CF
Let’s start with the smallest and most compact lens: the SZ 300mm PRO Reflex F/7.1 MF CF. This lens has a diameter of 61mm, a length of 7.45cm, and a weight of 235g. It is a very compact and lightweight lens, given its 300mm telephoto focal length!
The lens design consists of 8 elements in 8 groups. It has an impressive minimum focusing distance of only 92cm and a front filter diameter of 46mm.
SZ 600mm PRO Reflex F/8 MF CF
Next is the SZ 600mm PRO Reflex F/8 MF CF. This lens is significantly bigger, with a diameter of 88mm and a length of 12.5cm. Also, it is heavier at 545g.
The lens design consists of 8 elements in 8 groups. It has a minimum focusing distance of 1.77m and a front filter diameter of 77mm.
SZ 900mm PRO Reflex F/11 MF CF
Last but not least, the diameter of the SZ 900mm PRO Reflex F/11 MF CF is 96mm with a length of 16.8cm and a weight of 725g.
The lens design of this SZ 900mm PRO consists of 7 elements in 7 groups. The minimum focusing distance is 2.61m, and the front filter diameter is 86mm.
Price and availability
All lenses are available for preorder now on Indiegogo and should start shipping in December. The 300mm F/7.1 is €323, the 600mm F/8 is €486, and the 900mm F/11 is €567.
The Tokina Indiegogo campaign is live until November 29th.
At the end of every crowdfunding-related article, we remind you to please be aware of the risks when backing a project on a crowdfunding platform. Please read the platform’s terms of use and remember that there can be significant delays when delivering the product. Some projects even don’t get delivered at all.
What do you think about these telephoto mirror lenses? Did you ever shoot with mirror lenses? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments down below!
