Tokina is joining the ranks of third-party lens manufacturers with a new line designed for high-end art. On Wednesday, February 28, Tokina announced the Tokina Opera 50mm f/1.4 FF, a full frame lens that starts the company’s new high-end Opera line. The lens debuted during the CP+ show in Japan.
Tokina says that Opera, which means “art” in Italian (and stems from “magnum opus” in Latin), is a new series designed for high-end DSLRs. The company says the series will offer lenses designed to work with high-resolution full-frame DSLRs as the more advanced DSLRs continue to require higher-quality optics. The art-focused Opera series will sit with the company’s AT-X series as flagships for Tokina. The company says the name Opera was chosen for the series because the goal is to help photographers create a “work of art.”
The Opera series debuts with the 50mm f/1.4, which will be available in both Nikon and Canon full frame mounts. While some higher-end lenses ditch the autofocus in order to concentrate entirely on optic quality, the Tokina Opera uses an ultrasonic motor for autofocusing, with a switch for switching to manual focus.
The lens is also Tokina’s first that uses an electric diaphragm mechanism in the Nikon mount. On both the Nikon and Canon mounts, the focus rings turns in the same direction as the lenses that have been created by the camera giants, so making the switch from a Nikon-Canon branded lens to the Tokina doesn’t mean adjusting to new focus controls.
On the exterior of the lens, the 50mm is dust and weather sealed, a feature that’s becoming standard for the higher-end lenses.
Tokina hasn’t shared what other lenses will enter the Opera series, but says additional lenses will be released with similar standards. The Tokina Opera 50mm f/1.4 FF will launch sometime this summer, but the company hasn’t yet shared pricing data or complete specifications.
The Opera series joins the list of lenses from third-party manufacturers designed with high-end performance in mind, joining the ranks of similar series like the Sigma Art series, which recently expanded to a full frame Sony mirrorless mount.
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