{"id":61247,"date":"2024-11-07T09:08:54","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T08:08:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/?p=61247"},"modified":"2026-03-23T14:22:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T13:22:44","slug":"review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Introduction<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61673\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61673\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61673\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_FM2n_Title.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_FM2n_Title.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_FM2n_Title-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_FM2n_Title-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61673\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tokina 17mm 3.5 RMC SL on Nikon FM2n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In the SLR era it wasn&#8217;t easy to find ultra wide angle lenses and it was even more difficult to find decent, affordable ones. The Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC was one of these few options. Back in the day I used it on my D700, looking for a wide angle lens for my analogue FM2 now, I thought it was a good idea to revisit this compact vintage lens.<\/p>\n<h2>Sample Images<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61228\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61228\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61228\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_11_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_11_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_11_16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_11_16-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61228\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61224\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61224\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61224\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_7_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_7_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_7_16-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_7_16-768x480.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61224\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61225\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61225\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61225\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_8_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_8_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_8_16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_8_16-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61225\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61219\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61219\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61219\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_1_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_1_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_1_16-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_1_16-768x480.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61219\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61230\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61230\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61230\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_13_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_13_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_13_16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_13_16-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61230\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><em>Most of the sample images in this review can be found in full resolution <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/s\/aHBqjCkkUu\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<h2>Specifications \/ Version History<\/h2>\n<p>There have been three different 17mm 3.5 lenses made by Tokina. Both the AF versions share the same optical design according to <a href=\"https:\/\/tokinalens.com\/about\/legacy\/\">Tokina&#8217;s history page<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL<\/strong><br \/>\n300g, 11\/9 design (all spherical), unit focus, 6 aperture blades, 67mm filter thread, F\/K\/FD\/CY\/OM\/MD, 1979-2008<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tokina 17mm 3.5 AF AT-X<\/strong><br \/>\n400g, 11\/9 design (1 aspherical), floating elements, 7 aperture blades, 72mm filter thread, built-in lens hood, AF\/MF switch, EF\/F\/A, 1993-1998<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tokina 17mm 3.5 AF AT-X Pro<\/strong><br \/>\n429g, 11\/9 design (1 aspherical), floating elements, 7 aperture blades, 77mm filter thread, removable hood, AF\/MF clutch ring, EF\/F\/A, 1999-2003<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is a review of the first version which is manual focus only. Allegedly there are early samples of this lens that only had single coating whereas the later ones (&#8220;RMC&#8221;) were multicoated. This is a multicoated sample and its full specifications are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li>Diameter: 69 mm<\/li>\n<li>Field of view: 103\u00b040&#8242; (diagonally)<\/li>\n<li>Length: 50 mm<\/li>\n<li>Weight: 300g<\/li>\n<li>Filter Diameter: 67 mm<\/li>\n<li>Number of Aperture Blades: 6 (straight)<\/li>\n<li>Elements\/Groups: 11\/9<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61237\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_RMC_17mm_3.5_Diagram.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"263\" height=\"195\"><\/li>\n<li>Close Focusing Distance: 0.25 m<\/li>\n<li>Maximum Magnification: 1:10<\/li>\n<li>Mount: Nikon F, Pentax K, C\/Y, Canon FD, Olympus OM, Minolta SR<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>buy used from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/sch\/i.html?_from=R40&amp;_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1313&amp;_nkw=tokina+17mm+3.5+rmc&amp;_sacat=0&amp;mkcid=1&amp;mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&amp;siteid=0&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=20008&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.de\/sch\/i.html?_from=R40&amp;_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1313&amp;_nkw=tokina+17mm+3.5+rmc&amp;_sacat=0&amp;mkcid=1&amp;mkrid=707-53477-19255-0&amp;siteid=77&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=20008&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.de<\/a> (advertisement\/affiliate links) starting at <strong>$100<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Disclosure<\/h2>\n<p>Back in the day when I was using a Nikon D700 as my main camera, this Tokina was my ultra wide angle prime of choice, until I sold it in favour of the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-samyang-14mm-2-8\/\">Samyang 14mm 2.8 MF<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I bought another copy in 2024 to write a review and compare it to the later Tokina 17mm 3.5 AF AT-X Pro, but it turned out to be a very hazy copy (have a look at the sunstars section). Long story short, that copy turned out to be unusable for a review, which also means there are no new sample pictures.<\/p>\n<p>A reader from <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/socialmedia\/\">our Discord<\/a> who also happens to own this lens helped me out with pictures for the sharpness infinity chart, so I am still able to present you this review for us to see how this vintage lens compares to the later ultra wide angle primes.<\/p>\n<h2>Handling \/ Build Quality<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61675\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61675\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61675\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_rear.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_rear.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_rear-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_rear-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61675\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tokina 17mm 3.5 RMC SL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This is an all manual lens with only a focus ring and an aperture ring so there actually isn&#8217;t that much to talk about here.<\/p>\n<p>The lens looks and feels like it is an all metal construction, all the markings are engravend and filled with paint.<\/p>\n<p>The focus ring of my sample has a nice and even resistance and the aperture ring features full-stop click-stops (none at f\/4.0).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61672\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61672\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61672\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_AF_AT-X_Pro_Comparison.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"328\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_AF_AT-X_Pro_Comparison.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_AF_AT-X_Pro_Comparison-300x123.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_AF_AT-X_Pro_Comparison-768x315.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61672\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tokina 17mm 3.5 RMC SL | Tokina 17mm 3.5 AF AT-X Pro<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With its 67mm filter thread this is also a rather filter friendly ultra wide angle lenses and probably the smallest 17mm fullframe lens for SLRs. As you can see above the successor gained not only auto focus but also some additional weight and size.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61676\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61676\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61676\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Zf_FTZ_II.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Zf_FTZ_II.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Zf_FTZ_II-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Zf_FTZ_II-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61676\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tokina 17mm 3.5 RMC SL via FTZ II on Nikon Zf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You can adapt this lens to all kinds of today&#8217;s mirrorless cameras. It came in various mounts, these days the F-mount version is ususally the most expensive one.<\/p>\n<h2>Vignetting<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61537\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/vignetting_Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl vintage 1979 review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare\" width=\"750\" height=\"610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/vignetting_Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL.jpg 750w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/vignetting_Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL-300x244.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-198\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-198\">\n<tbody class=\"row-striping\">\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">f\/3.5<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">3.4 EV<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">f\/5.6<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">2.6 EV<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">f\/8.0<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">2.2 EV<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">f\/11 - f\/16<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">2.0 EV<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-198 from cache -->\n<p>The tiny rear element doesn&#8217;t bode well for vignetting on digital cameras and indeed we see a very high amount of 3.4 EV at f\/3.5. The AF successor shows about 1 EV less fall off at f\/3.5, stopped down they perform very similar here though.<br \/>\nWhat is also interesting is, that the Zeiss 18mm 3.5 is by no means better, it shows very similar values at shared apertures.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61531\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61531\" style=\"width: 1026px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61531\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_vig_Graph.png\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl vintage 1979 review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare\" width=\"1026\" height=\"766\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_vig_Graph.png 1026w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_vig_Graph-300x224.png 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_vig_Graph-800x597.png 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_vig_Graph-768x573.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1026px) 100vw, 1026px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61531\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tokina 17mm 3.5 RMC SL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>It is recommended to have a look at <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/vignetting-graphs-explained\/\">this article<\/a> first to get an idea how this brightness graph works.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Sharpness infinity (42mp Sony A7rIII)<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63002\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sharpness_Tokina_17mm_3.5_SL_RMC_R22.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"1400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sharpness_Tokina_17mm_3.5_SL_RMC_R22.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sharpness_Tokina_17mm_3.5_SL_RMC_R22-171x300.jpg 171w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sharpness_Tokina_17mm_3.5_SL_RMC_R22-731x1280.jpg 731w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Sharpness_Tokina_17mm_3.5_SL_RMC_R22-768x1344.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>At the maximum aperture this Tokina lens is very soft, everywhere in the frame. At f\/5.6 the center starts to look pretty good though and by f\/11 that is also true for the midframe area.<\/p>\n<p>The corners look best at f\/16, which is a bit unfortunate, as here diffraction will already have a negative effect on center and midframe.<\/p>\n<p>Personally, I found this lens to be perfectly usable on lower resolution fullframe cameras as well as on film, if you are looking for the best possible performance on today&#8217;s high resolution cameras you might end up not being perfectly happy with it though.<\/p>\n<h2>Flare resistance<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61232\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61232\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61232\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_1_11.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_1_11.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_1_11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_1_11-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61232\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Flare resistance has been an issue with many Tokina lenses, not only those made before 2000, but still with those made in the 2010s. And this lens really showcases, why Tokina had such a bad reputation when it comes to the work against bright light.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61234\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61234\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61234\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_3_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_3_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_3_16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_3_16-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61234\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61233\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61233\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61233\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_2_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_2_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_2_16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_2_16-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61233\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>With the sun inside the frame you will almost always encounter a host of artefacts. Ring flares, huge ghosts, rainbow artefacts, you name it.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61236\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61236\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61236\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_5_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_5_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_5_16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_5_16-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61236\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61235\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61235\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61235\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_4_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_4_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_4_16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_Flare_4_16-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61235\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If you think you will be fine as long as the sun isn&#8217;t in the frame you are sadly mistaken. If a strong light source can somehow reach the front element you will again end up with huge ghosts in the frame.<\/p>\n<p>I read reports that the first party lenses of this era (e.g. the Nikon 15mm 5.6 with its bulbous front element) were least as bad in this category. But compared to modern lenses this is hardly acceptable nonetheless.<\/p>\n<h2>Coma<\/h2>\n<p><div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-1-review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc-90283\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane1-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/3.5<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane1-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/5.6<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane1-2\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/8.0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane1-3\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/11<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-1-review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc-90283\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane1-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61522\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_3.5.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_3.5.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_3.5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_3.5-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane1-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61523\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_5.6.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_5.6.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_5.6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_5.6-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane1-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61524\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_8.0.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_8.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_8.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_8.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane1-3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61525\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_11.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_11.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Coma_11-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>100% crops from extreme corner, focused on corner<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>For its age &#8211; and considering the lack of aspherical elements &#8211; this Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL shows a surprisingly good performance. This becomes even more apparent when comparing it to the Tokina 17mm 3.5 AF AT-X Pro, which despite featuring an aspherical element hardly performs any better.<br \/>\nNow on absolute terms this is of course not a great performance, as stopping down to f\/8.0 is needed for somewhat clean corners.<br \/>\nFor astro photography, there are obviously much <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/best-astro-photography-lenses-for-the-sony-a7-series\/\">better options<\/a> available today.<\/p>\n<h2>Distortion<\/h2>\n<p><div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-2-review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc-40974\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane2-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">uncorrected<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane2-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">corrected<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-2-review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc-40974\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane2-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63008\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Distortion_D700_uncorrected.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Distortion_D700_uncorrected.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Distortion_D700_uncorrected-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Distortion_D700_uncorrected-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane2-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63007\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Distortion_D700_corrected.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Distortion_D700_corrected.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Distortion_D700_corrected-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Distortion_D700_corrected-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><em><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Tokina shows a very wavy distortion which must have surely been an issue in the analogue era. Today we can easily correct this in post &#8211; when there is a correction profile available. There wasn&#8217;t one for this lens, but back in the day I created a <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/how-to-creating-distortion-correction-profiles-for-lightroom-photoshop\/\">correction profile for Lightroom\/Photoshop<\/a> which you can download <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina17.0-mm-f3.5.lcp_.zip\">here<\/a>.<br \/>\n<em>(In Lightroom go to &#8220;Edit&#8221; -&gt; &#8220;Preferences&#8221; -&gt; &#8220;Presets&#8221; -&gt; &#8220;Show Lightroom Develop Presets&#8221; then go to &#8220;LensProfiles&#8221; create a subfolder named &#8220;1.0&#8221; and place the unzipped correction profile in that folder, restart Lightroom and it will show up under &#8220;Nikon&#8221; and works for Raw files only)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>With that profile this Tokina lens is also usable for architecture applications.<\/p>\n<h2>Sunstars<\/h2>\n<p><div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-3-review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc-75329\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane3-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/3.5<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane3-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/5.6<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane3-2\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/8.0<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane3-3\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/11<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane3-4\" data-toggle=\"tab\">f\/16<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-3-review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc-75329\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane3-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61526\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_3.5.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_3.5.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_3.5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_3.5-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane3-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61527\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_5.6.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl vintage 1979 review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_5.6.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_5.6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_5.6-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane3-2\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61528\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_8.0.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_8.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_8.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_8.0-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane3-3\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61529\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_11.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl vintage 1979 review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_11.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_11-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane3-4\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-61530\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl vintage 1979 review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting flare\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_Sunstars_33_16-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #808080;\"><em>33% crops from center, A7rII<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>This Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL only makes use of 6 aperture blades that lead to sunstars which are not particularly nice to look at in my opinion. I also took these pictures with the sample affected by haze, leading to additional issues.<br \/>\nIf you want to learn more about sunstars have a look at <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/best-lenses-for-sunstars\/\">this article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Chromatic Aberrations<\/h2>\n<h3><strong>lateral<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><div class=\"osc-res-tab tabbable   osc-tabs-left\"><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"nav osc-res-nav nav-tabs osc-tabs-left-ul\" id=\"oscitas-restabs-4-review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc-39048\"><li class=\"active\"><a href=\"#ert_pane4-0\" data-toggle=\"tab\">uncorrected<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#ert_pane4-1\" data-toggle=\"tab\">corrected<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div style=\"clear:both;width: 100%;\"><ul class=\"tab-content\" id=\"oscitas-restabcontent-4-review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc-39048\"><li class=\"tab-pane active\" id=\"ert_pane4-0\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63005\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_laCA_A7rIII_uncorrected.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_laCA_A7rIII_uncorrected.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_laCA_A7rIII_uncorrected-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_laCA_A7rIII_uncorrected-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><li class=\"tab-pane \" id=\"ert_pane4-1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-63004\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_laCA_A7rIII_corrected.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_laCA_A7rIII_corrected.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_laCA_A7rIII_corrected-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_SL_laCA_A7rIII_corrected-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><em><span style=\"color: #999999;\">100% crops from border, Sony A7rIII<\/span><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Not too uncommon for ultra wide angle lenses the Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL shows a noticeable amount of lateral CA. These are still easily corrected in a raw developer like Lightroom by one click. Also in this category the successor hardly does a better job.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>longitudinal<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As this is a very wide and rather slow lens longitudinal CA (loCA) are nothing to worry about.<\/p>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>good<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">handling\/build quality<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">very small ultra wide angle lens for (D)SLRs<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">minimum focus distance<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #339966;\">standard 67mm filter thread<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td><strong>average<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>sharpness<\/li>\n<li>CA correction<\/li>\n<li>coma correction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td><strong>not good<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">flare resistance<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">vignetting<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">wavy distortion<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>When I was using this lens on a D700 in 2013 &#8211; and I was still regularly using GND filters at that time &#8211; it was one of the few ultra wide angle options that were affordable and took normal filters. Already the 12mp files showed that the corner performance isn&#8217;t amazing, but it was still good enough to take many nice ultra wide angle pictures of which I even had some printed and which are still hanging on the wall to this day.<\/p>\n<p>The main issue, and that was already apparent to me in 2013, is the abyssmal flare resistance. If there is a strong point light source around that will lead to the creation of various artefacts.<\/p>\n<p>Today you can find this lens at flea market prices though (especially those not for F-mount) and if you are still shooting analogue with an old manual SLR, this might be the only affordable ultra wide angle option for you, in which case this can still be a relevant lens today. All the others may want to have a look at the alternatives section first.<\/p>\n<p>There are also some rumors floating around that this old manual focus Tokina lens is a better performer than the later AF models. Having used both extensively I don&#8217;t really see that. Stopped down their performance is similar, but I would take the AF version for being way more usable at f\/3.5, its slightly better flare resistance and producing way nicer sunstars due to 7 instead of these dodgy 6 aperture blades.<\/p>\n<p><em>buy used from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/sch\/i.html?_from=R40&amp;_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1313&amp;_nkw=tokina+17mm+3.5+rmc&amp;_sacat=0&amp;mkcid=1&amp;mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&amp;siteid=0&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=20008&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.de\/sch\/i.html?_from=R40&amp;_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1313&amp;_nkw=tokina+17mm+3.5+rmc&amp;_sacat=0&amp;mkcid=1&amp;mkrid=707-53477-19255-0&amp;siteid=77&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=20008&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.de<\/a> (advertisement\/affiliate links) starting at <strong>$100<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Alternatives<\/h2>\n<h3><span id=\"SLR_Designs\">SLR Designs<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I already talked about the successor, the Tokina 17mm 3.5 AF AT-X Pro, in most of the categories above. In the Nikon world there has also been a rare and therefore too expensive 18mm 2.8 and Tamron also had a 17mm 3.5 AF lens. Zeiss offered an 18mm 3.5 manual focus lens.<\/p>\n<p>After that we saw the rise of zoom lenses and e.g. the Nikon AF-S 14-24mm 2.8G as well as the Sigma 14-24mm 2.8 Art easily outperform this old prime lens and same is true for the affordable and lightweight Nikon AF-S 18-35mm 3.5-4.5G.<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Mirrorless_Designs\">Mirrorless Designs<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This lens is from a time before there were decent ultra wide angle zooms starting at 17mm (or even wider) available. You can find many of those options as well as ultra wide angle prime lenses discussed in our <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/user-guide-ultra-wideangle-lenses-sony-alpha-7-series\/\">Guide to Ultra Wide Angle Lenses for the A7 Series<\/a>. There is one modern 17mm lens though:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-sigma-17mm-4-0-dg-dn-contemporary\/\"><em><strong>Sigma 17mm 4.0 C DG DN:<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/>\nThe Sigma 17mm 4.0 C DG DN is somewhat the spiritual successor to this Tokina lens. It is very lightweight at only 220g and it outperforms this vintage Tokina lens in every category.<br \/>\nbuy from <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/42vcB1e\">amazon.de<\/a>&nbsp;| <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3WUGRl0\">amazon.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.com\/sch\/i.html?_from=R40&amp;_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&amp;_nkw=sigma+%2217mm%22+4+e+dg+dn&amp;_sacat=0&amp;mkcid=1&amp;mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&amp;siteid=0&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=20008&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.com<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebay.de\/sch\/i.html?_from=R40&amp;_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&amp;_nkw=sigma+%2217mm%22+4+e+dg+dn&amp;_sacat=0&amp;LH_TitleDesc=0&amp;_odkw=sigma+%2217mm%22+4+e&amp;_osacat=0&amp;LH_PrefLoc=2&amp;mkcid=1&amp;mkrid=707-53477-19255-0&amp;siteid=77&amp;campid=5337820268&amp;toolid=20008&amp;mkevt=1\">ebay.de<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/bhpho.to\/45RMSmC\">B&amp;H<\/a>&nbsp;<em>(advertisement\/affiliate links) for <strong><i>$599<\/i><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Other lenses you might want to check out if you are looking for a compact ultra wide angle prime are the <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-voigtlander-15mm-4-5-e-super-wide-heliar\/\">Voigtl\u00e4nder 15mm 4.5 SWH<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/laowa-14mm-f4-detailed-review\/\">Laowa 14mm 4.0<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-samyang-af-18mm-2-8-fe-the-affordable-uwa-lens\/\">Samyang 18mm 2.8 AF<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-viltrox-20mm-2-8-af-fe\/\">Viltrox 20mm 2.8 AF<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Sample Images<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61226\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61226\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61226\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_9_11.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_9_11.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_9_11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_9_11-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61226\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61284\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61284\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61284\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_15_11.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf\" width=\"800\" height=\"459\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_15_11.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_15_11-300x172.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_15_11-768x441.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61284\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61227\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61227\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61227\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_10_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_10_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_10_16-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_10_16-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61227\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61229\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61229\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61229\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_12_11.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_12_11.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_12_11-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_12_11-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61229\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61223\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61223\" style=\"width: 532px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61223\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_6_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"532\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_6_16.jpg 532w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_6_16-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 532px) 100vw, 532px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61223\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61222\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61222\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61222\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_5_16.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_5_16.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_5_16-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_5_16-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61222\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/16<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61220\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61220\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61220\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_3_8.0.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_3_8.0.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_3_8.0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_3_8.0-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61220\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/8.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_61221\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61221\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-61221\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_4_5.6.jpg\" alt=\"tokina 17mm 3.5 rmc sl wide angle ultra review architecture 42mp 61mp sony a7riv a7rv sharpness contrast vignetting compact nikon d700 d800 d810 d850 d780 fm fe f3 f f5 z6 z7 z8 zf \" width=\"800\" height=\"532\" srcset=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_4_5.6.jpg 800w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_4_5.6-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Tokina_17mm_3.5_RMC_D700_Sample_4_5.6-768x511.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-61221\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nikon D700 | Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC | f\/5.6<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Most of the sample images in this review can be found in full resolution <a href=\"https:\/\/flic.kr\/s\/aHBqjCkkUu\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Further Reading<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/lenses\/all-lens-reviews\/\">All Lens Reviews<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-laowa-10mm-2-8-af-the-beginning-of-a-new-era\/\">Review: Laowa 10mm 2.8 AF<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-nikon-af-s-24-70mm-2-8g-n-ed-if\/\">Review: Nikon AF-S 24-70mm 2.8G<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-nikon-af-85mm-1-4-d-the-ideal-portrait-lens\/\">Review: Nikon AF 85mm 1.4D<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-nikon-200mm-2-0-if-ed-ai-the-first-of-its-kind\/\">Review: Nikon 200mm 2.0 IF ED Ai<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Support Us<\/h2>\n<p>Did you find this article useful or just liked reading it? Treat us to a coffee!<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/donate\/?hosted_button_id=3K9EJRRQVXT4J\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-40345 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/donate2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"103\" height=\"29\"><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/en_SE\/i\/scr\/pixel.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\"> <span style=\"color: #999999;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.paypal.com\/en_SE\/i\/scr\/pixel.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\"><em>via Paypal<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>This site contains advertisement\/affiliate links. If you make a purchase using any of the links marked as advertisement\/affiliate links, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. This helps support the creation of future content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction In the SLR era it wasn&#8217;t easy to find ultra wide angle lenses and it was even more difficult to find decent, affordable ones. The Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC was one of these few options. Back in the day I used it on my D700, looking for a wide angle lens for my &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Review: Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4708,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,18,203,419],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nikon","category-review","category-tokina","category-vintage"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Review: Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC - phillipreeve.net<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC is one of the few ultra wide angle prime lenses that are affordable on the used market, but does it\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/phillipreeve.net\/blog\/review-tokina-17mm-3-5-sl-rmc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review: Tokina 17mm 3.5 SL RMC - 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