Kenko Tokina’s Three New Compact Telephoto Primes for APS-C Cameras

Kenko Tokina has announced three prime reflex telephoto lenses for APS-C cameras; a 300mm, a 600mm, and a 900mm.

The trio of new manual focus lenses will fit on various APS-C mounts and are described as “ultra-lightweight and ultra-compact.” The new glass lineup is being called the SZ Pro series.

“A super-telephoto lens that far exceeds the human field of vision is one of the lenses that many people who have an interchangeable lens camera want next. However, general super-telephoto lenses are surprisingly expensive, heavy and bulky, making them difficult to carry around,” Kenko Tokina writes.

“The Tokina SZ PRO series brings together the technologies cultivated by the Tokina brand and applies the technology of a reflecting telescope, making it extremely lightweight and compact, and at a price that even beginners can easily afford.”

According to the SonyAlpha Rumors, the SZ Pro series is compatible with Sony E-mount, FUJIFULM X-mount, and Canon EF-M-mount.

“One of the features of a super-telephoto lens is the ‘compression effect’ that makes the background look closer than when using a wide-angle or standard lens. This is the appearance of near objects and distant objects overlapping with no sense of perspective. By using the compression effect, there is the pleasure of being able to take unrealistic pictures even in ordinary city scenery,” the Japanese company adds.

The 300mm is surprisingly small thanks to being a reflex lens that has minimal glass inside. Despite the long focal length, it is smaller than a can of soda.

“The mirror lens has a lightweight and compact design that makes it highly portable, making it easy to take along for a short walk in the neighborhood park or riverbed, or for hiking in the mountain,” it adds.

The SZ Pro Series has a ring-shaped bokeh effect unique in reflex lenses (also known as mirror lenses).

“If you shoot sunlight filtering through trees or reflections on the surface of water, you can capture the ring-shaped bokeh that is unique to a mirror lens. There are lenses where the ring bokeh ring is cut off, but this time the three mirror lenses are designed to achieve a neatly connected ring. You can enjoy the beautiful ring of light.”

Kenko Tokina says that the lenses are suitable for macro photography too, the maximum shooting magnification is 0.4x. The manual focus ring rotates 270 degrees enabling the shooter to closely follow a focus point.

The lenses will launch via a crowdfunding campaign from November 7 and are slated to be available generally early 2023.