In the ever-evolving world of cinematography, where innovation meets tradition, Tokina Cinema has made a bold leap with its latest creation – the Vista-P lenses. Departing from the conventional pursuit of perfection, these lenses offer cinematographers a unique blend of vintage aesthetics and cutting-edge resolution. The Vista-P Prime series introduces a perspective shift, not just in the final imagery but also in the process of lens tuning.
Traditionally, the Tokina Cinema Vista Primes have been a canvas for tuning modifications from third-party lens shops, some less honest than others, often seeking to introduce imperfections to create a more organic look. These modifications usually focused on tweaking easily accessible elements or modifying coatings, but the demand for a more profound impact has led Tokina Cinema to take matters into their own hands. The Vista-P lenses are not just a modified version; they represent a re-engineering of the entire optical system, defying the norms of lens design. Having spoken with their engineers first-hand throughout the concept and design process, I can confidently say that they’ve approached the Vista-P project from a studious perspective and made decisions based on feedback from across the industry.
Some may recall the extremely limited Vista One project that Tokina offered back in 2019. The Vista One lenses were a similar approach from Tokina which offered a unique AR coating variation to produce a more desirable flare characteristic. I believer the Vista-P takes this concept a step further by digging deeper into the original lens design and making more specific changes to achieve the look that cinematographers have been asking for. This truly speaks to the versatility of the Tokina Vista Primes.
The distinctive quality of the Vista-P primes lies in their intentional introduction of strong spherical aberration, a characteristic commonly found in vintage lenses as a design flaw. This deliberate modification extends beyond basic element spacing, resulting in a buttery, swirly, vintage-like character towards the edge of the frame. Cinematographers who have admired the nostalgic appeal of lenses like the Petzval will find a familiar yet contemporary charm in the Vista-P series. This explains the “P” in Vista-P. A nod to the famous Petzval look or a lens designed specifically for “portrait” work.
The rest of the usual specs remain unchanged from the “normal” Vista Primes such as the super fast T1.5 aperture, near-zero focus breathing, and 300 degree focus rotation. Vista-P Primes are available from dealers such as Duclos Lenses as a standalone product but Tokina has also made it clear that they are willing to offer an upgrade for original Vista Primes for owners who have previously invested in the primes. This will almost certainly also help keep the resale value of the original Vista Primes high knowing that they can be upgraded to the new Vista-P “recipe”. However, the cost to have this upgrade performed is rumored to be about $2,000 not including the cost to ship them to and from the factory.
At launch, the Vista-P lineup will include the standard 18mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm focal lengths, all at a constant T1.5. The 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm lenses are priced at $7499 USD each, while the 18mm comes at $8999 USD. Delivery is expected to begin immediately, but the first batch will be limited so if you’re interested, don’t wait! As always, for my fellow lens geeks, tech specs are below. You can find the Tokina Vista-P Primes, the original Tokina Vista Primes, as well as the Tokina Vista One lenses over at ducloslenses.com.
| Mounts | PL, EF, MFT, E, LPL | ||||
| Focal Length | 18mm | 25mm | 35mm | 50mm | 85mm |
| Optical Structure | 14 Groups 17 Elements | 15 Groups 16 Elements | 13 Groups 14 Elements | 10 Groups 13 Elements | 13 Groups 14 Elements |
| Image Circle | 46.7mm | ||||
| Minium Focus | 0.45m (17.7″) | 0.35m (13.8″) | 0.41m (16″) | 0.48m (19″) | 0.95m (37.5″) |
| Max Mag. | 1 : 14.37 | 1 : 7.80 | 1 : 7.81 | 1 : 7.01 | 1 : 9.92 |
| Iris Blades | 9 Blades | ||||
| Max Aperture | T1.5 | ||||
| Filter Size | 112mm | ||||
| Front Diameter | 114mm | ||||
| Max Dia. | 114mm (excluding support foot) | ||||
| Weight (KG) | 2.81 | 2.32 | 2.08 | 2.24 | 2.29 |
| Weight (LBS) | 6.19 | 5.11 | 4.59 | 4.94 | 5.05 |
I’m a commercial still photographer that occasionally shoots video for my client — how I wish I shoot more video so I’d have a need to buy lenses from Duclos. To me, Matthew and the Duclos team seem to do their very best to educate. Thank you Duclos team!
Matthew’s observations and lens evaluations are always spot on, and I love the opening line to his latest article: “In the ever-evolving world of cinematography, where innovation meets tradition…” I don’t envy lens designers trying to find the right balance between character, resolution, and reliable precision, but it looks like Tokina has found a good blend with their Vista-P primes.