Introduction

Kenko Tokina has released a wide-angle zoom lens “atx-m 11-18mm F2.8 E” for Sony E mount (APS-C). It is a lens of the company’s atx-m brand, and it is compact and equipped with fast and quiet AF that can be used without problems even in movies.

I own three atx-m series single-focal lenses, and they are sharp and have natural background blur, and I often use them at movie sites. The addition of a wide-angle zoom to the series is extremely welcome.

I would like to report on this lens from the perspective of a filmmaker.

It’s light and compact, but it features cinema lens-like rendering.

It features a luxurious exterior and a very easy-to-use zoom ring.

The entire body is made of plastic, but the surface is painted with a very luxurious satin finish. This slightly rough surface is beautiful to look at, and in actual use it is very easy to use as it is non-slippery.

The operation ring is a zoom ring on the camera body side, and a slightly thicker focus ring from there. There is no aperture ring (controlled by the camera). Both of these rings were comfortable to rotate. Of course, it’s not as good as the oily feeling of a manual lens, but the zoom ring in particular is neither too heavy nor too light, and it can be evaluated as a level that can be used for zooming during video.

Extremely straight, distortion-free ultra-wide-angle zoom

Well, the actual image quality is very high, as it is the company’s atx-m brand. Almost no distortion is felt even at the 11mm side. Even if you take a selfie, your face will not be rounded and deformed, so it is also recommended as a Vlog lens.

AF is fast and never gets lost. The sound is almost inaudible, so it can be used as a movie lens. In addition, it is an inner system that does not change the overall length for both focus and zoom. It is also lightweight and can be said to be a lens suitable for use on a gimbal.

In addition, Sony’s direct manual focus (hereinafter: DMF) is supported, and when DMF is set, it is possible to focus with MF by turning the focus ring while pressing the shutter halfway.

　 　　

　 　　

　 　　

Why APS-C?

We live in a full-frame format, so why is APS-C (Super 35) still used in professional settings? By the way, at our company, which often produces movies and commercials, APS-C and full frame are about 8: 2, and APS-C is often used.

Well, speaking of the difference between full frame and APS-C, technically there is only a difference in the amount of bokeh equivalent to one stop, but in reality, Super 35 is the mainstream in film movies, and we have more than half a century of know-how. , Super 35 cinema lenses are often very good in terms of actual image quality. A full-frame lens with the same image quality but with a larger amount of bokeh would be about twice the size and weight.

On the other hand, APS-C (Super 35) cinema lenses come in a wide variety of variations and price ranges, and are characterized by a wide range of choices. The atx-m 11-18mm F2.8 E introduced this time is not a manual focus lens, but it can be evaluated as a cinema lens in terms of image quality. Of course, the manufacturer doesn’t say it’s a cinema spec, but I think it’s a lens that can be used with other cinema lenses.