RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5 Review

RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5 — wide-angle manual prime lens for 35mm format. Produced by different systems: Nikon, Canon FD, Pentax P/K, Minolta.

Abbreviation 'RMC' means that lens has brand Tokina multicoating calls 'Rainbow Multi Coating,' it was using in 80-ths. Another same lens was produced under the name Vivitar 17mm F3.5 MC.

Optical design — 11 elements in 9 groups.

Generally, Tokina made four versions of the 17mm f/ 3.5 lens, all from the film era.
First Tokina MF 17 mm f/ 3.5 SL has a single coating (1979-1984).
Second (1984-1993) — RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5, presented in this review.
Third (1993-1999) — Tokina AF 17 mm f/ 3.5 AT-X Aspherical, autofocus, and aspherical element.
Fourth (1999-2005) — Tokina AF 17 mm f/ 3.5 AT-X PRO, AT-X PRO series.

RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5 specs

Focal length: 17mm
Aperture: f/ 3.5—16
Weight (g): 305
Length (mm): 50
Filter Ø (mm.): 67
Aperture blades: 6
Min. Focus distance (m.): 0.25

RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5 handling and mechanics

A lens assembled in the metal barrel and pleasant for use.

RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5 on Nikon D3100, well set on the camera.

The front lens has a diameter of only 40 mm and is slightly planted in the barrel.

Closer to the front lens, there is a rubberized focusing ring 12 mm wide. The ring rotates 180 degrees, providing a smooth focus. In this case, the front part of the lens extends approximately 2 mm; it is almost imperceptible. The front lens does not rotate.

Closer to the bayonet is the metal diaphragm control ring. The diaphragm closes discretely in the steps: 3.5 - 5.6 - 8 - 11 - 16. There are no middle values, but it would be desirable. The number of petals of the diaphragm is 6.

Initially, my copy was for Pentax with a P/K mount, but I adapt it for Nikon F.

RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5 Photo Examples

All photos are taken with Nikon D3100, export from RAW with slight correction of exposure.

RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5 Sharpness

The lens has a good sharpness from the wide-open, and when it closes to f / 5.6, it increases even more.

f/ 3.5

f/ 3.5

When it closed to f/ 8, I did not notice a big increase in sharpness, but the DOF grows, and vignetting disappears.

f/ 5.6

f/ 5.6

f/ 8

It seemed to me that at infinity, the sharpness is better than at short distances.

f/ 8

f/ 8

RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5 character

The lens has good plasticity. Images are nice. Thanks to an ultra-wide-angle on a full-frame, you can get unusual perspectives.

f/ 8

f/ 5.6

f/ 3.5

On the APS/C sensor camera, the angle will be equal to 25.5 mm, which is also quite well.

f/ 8

The lens is good for shooting landscapes and panoramas. In landscapes, thanks to a wide-angle, you can focus on the front subjects.

f/ 5.6

f/ 8

f/ 8

You can also shoot with such an angle of growth and belt portraits of people with an informative background when it is part of the scene.

f/ 5.6

f/ 3.5

f/ 8

f/ 3.5

f/ 3.5

On wide-angle lenses, a good blur is not easy to achieve, almost impossible. But at MFD, you can still observe a pleasant blur.

f/ 3.5 MFD

f/ 3.5 MFD

The lens is also well suited for outdoor photography. The hyperfocal distance at the diaphragm f / 3.5 starts from about 9 meters and at f/ 8 - 4 meters. So on a bright, sunny day, you can put f/ 8 focus on hyperfocal and catch interesting street stories without worrying about focusing.

Also, it is convenient to shoot night panoramas. Thanks to a short focus, I shot handheld at a shutter speed of 1/6 sec and get a clear unblurred photo.

f/ 3.5 1/8 ISO 400 handheld

f/ 3.5 1/6 ISO 400 handheld

RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5 contrast and color rendition

The lens performs a good contrast. Well copes with a strong back and sidelight.

f/ 8

f/ 8

You can catch a flare at a certain angle, and they are very pronounced, especially on the wide-open.

f/ 3.5

You can use the flare as an artistic technique, but it is recommended to use a hood if you do not want to catch them.

f/ 8

f/ 5.6

RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5 distortion and vignetting

The lens has a well-adjusted distortion. The APS/C sensor is almost invisible; I did not check it on the full-frame camera. For such a wide-angle, these are excellent indicators.

Below is an example of distortion, and you can also see vignetting on the wide-open.

f/ 3.5 distance of 2 meters

Vignetting is well present and begins to disappear after f/ 8.

f/ 3.5

Summary
RMC Tokina 17mm 1:3.5 is a nice wide-angle manual focus lens. It has good optical characteristics and builds quality.