In a recent comparison, two Tokina mirror lenses, a 300mm and a 400mm, were put to the test to evaluate their astrophotography performance. Both lenses were mounted on a Micro Four Thirds camera, effectively doubling their focal lengths to 600mm and 800mm, respectively, when compared to a full-frame camera. Mirror lenses, also known as catadioptric lenses, combine mirrors and lenses in their optical design. This setup is similar to Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes, where light enters the lens and is reflected multiple times before reaching the sensor.
The advantage of this design is that it allows for a compact and lightweight lens while reducing chromatic aberration, a common issue with traditional refracting lenses. The lack of chromatic aberration is particularly useful in astrophotography, where capturing clear and sharp images of celestial bodies is essential. However, mirror lenses do come with some trade-offs. One significant drawback is their relatively low contrast, which results in images appearing somewhat washed out. This can be corrected in post-processing, but it does mean that images straight out of the camera may not look as striking. Another issue is the fixed aperture, which limits flexibility in exposure settings. Mirror lenses also exhibit a distinct out-of-focus effect known as "donut bokeh," where bright out-of-focus highlights take on a ring shape, something that may be a problem for general photography but is less of an issue for astrophotography.
The 300mm Tokina mirror lens is lightweight, weighing just 298 grams, and measures only 55mm in length. With a fixed aperture of f/6.3, it offers decent light-gathering capability for its size. The calculated aperture diameter is approximately 47.62mm.
On the other hand, the 400mm Tokina mirror lens is significantly heavier at 439 grams (including the adapter) and measures 125mm in length. It has a fixed aperture of f/8, making it less bright than the 300mm lens. The aperture diameter is slightly larger at 50mm, but this small increase does not result in a dramatic improvement in optical resolution.
The Tokina Reflex 300mm F6.3 MF Macro compact telephoto mirror lens is designed specifically for mirrorless compact cameras using the Micro 4/3 mount.
The 300mm focal length of the lens gives effective 600mm (in 35mm terms) when placed on a mirrorless camera body making it a super-telephoto lens. This allows distant subject to be brought in much closer. But despite this powerful focal length the lens is incredibly compact to match the size of the compact cameras it was intended to be used with.
The lens has a fixed f/6.3 aperture.
The Tokina Reflex 300mm F6.3 MF Macro has all metal lens barrels and very high quality glass optics to yield the best optical performance from a new of this design.
This lens has a wide grip area on the manual focusing ring and smooth movement to assist in focusing. This is not an auto-focus lens.
Tokina SZX SUPER TELE 400mm F8 Reflex MF is a 400mm super tele lens that adopts catadioptric type optical design with a constant F8 aperture. The lens offers compact alternative to standard tele photo lenses as more and more photographers are looking for easy-to-carry gear. 400mm F8 Reflex MF is designed keeping in mind active travel photographers seeking for outdoor landscape, wild nature or birds by providing compact and lightweight lens to be rediscovered in the new era of also compact but high-tech mirrorless cameras.
Tokina SZX SUPER TELE 400mm F8 Reflex MF is suitable for travel photography since the lens is compact and lightweight, and yet will help you to capture far objects that cannot be reached by standard zoom lenses. This lens can serve you best in different photographic genres, like landscape, people, street snap, macro, wild nature and even sports!
Tokina SZX SUPER TELE 400mm F8 Reflex MF adopts catadioptric type of optical design that is basically similar with the design of the most famous astronomical telescope in the world - the Hubble space telescope.
The two lenses were compared using images of the Moon, a perfect subject for testing optical resolution and contrast. Several regions of the Moon were photographed to analyze the level of detail captured by each lens.
Overall, the 300mm lens consistently delivered higher contrast and sharpness, while the 400mm lens only provided marginal improvements in resolution.
In addition to lunar imaging, a deep-sky object, the Orion Nebula (M42), was used for comparison. However, the conditions of the test were not identical, different ISO settings and exposure times were used. The 300mm lens image was captured at ISO 1600 with a 40-second exposure, whereas the 400mm lens image was taken at ISO 6400 with a much shorter 13-second exposure. This put the 400mm lens at a disadvantage due to increased noise and reduced dynamic range.
Despite these limitations, the comparison highlighted an important factor: the f/6.3 aperture of the 300mm lens gathers more light than the f/8 aperture of the 400mm lens. This means that for deep-sky photography, the 300mm lens allows for shorter exposure times while still capturing sufficient detail. If both lenses had been tested under the same conditions, it is likely that the 400mm lens would have shown better detail, but the brightness advantage of the 300mm lens remains significant.
After comparing these two lenses, several key takeaways emerge:
Given these findings, if choosing between these two lenses, the 300mm lens would be the more practical and effective choice for most astrophotographers. Its combination of sharpness, contrast, and ease of use makes it a well-rounded option. Unfortunately, the 300mm Tokina lens is no longer in production, making it harder to find. The 400mm lens, while available, does not provide a significant enough improvement to justify its additional weight, size, and lower brightness.
Ultimately, while the 400mm lens has a slight advantage in resolution, the 300mm lens offers a better overall experience, particularly for astrophotography. If a newer 400mm lens were to be specifically optimized for the Micro Four Thirds system, it could potentially close the gap, but for now, the 300mm remains the superior option for most applications.
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