IronGlass and Ancient Optics have recently announced that they’ve succeeded in what many considered to be an impossible task: properly rehousing the Tokina 28-70mm lens for use on professional film sets. So let’s take a look at the IronGlass Phénix 28-70mm T2.7 “impossible” full-frame zoom! Launched in the early 90s, the Tokina 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8 is a widely talked-about vintage zoom lens due to its close relationship with its Angenieux 28-70 F/2.6 AF counterpart. But as IronGlass and Ancient Optics have confirmed, the two brands actually shared exactly the same optical scheme, and it’s likely that the Angenieux copies were actually made by Tokina. IronGlass Phénix 28-70mm T2.7 zoom. Image credit: IronGlass / Ancient Optics IronGlass decided to go with Tokina for their latest rehousing project, but they encountered several engineering challenges along the way. Indeed, the optical design features 16 elements in 12 groups and involves 5 intricate, simultaneous focus and zoom movements (normally, there are up to 3) that make it one of the hardest lenses in the world to properly rehouse. Despite the complexity, the Ukrainian team never gave up and managed to improve the performance of the source lens in many aspects. IronGlass Phénix 28-70mm T2.7 zoom. Image credit: IronGlass / Ancient Optics IronGlass Phénix 28-70mm T2.7 – The “impossible” zoom This revamped version of the Tokina 28-70mm features a Cerakoted aluminum cine housing with a shimmable PL mount and MOD0.8 gears. As you can tell from the picture below, the Phénix rehoused zoom is fairly compact...
Published By: CineD - Monday, 6 May, 2024