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Posts Tagged ‘Opera’

CP+ 2019: Hands-on with Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF

03 Mar

CP+ 2019: Hands-on with Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 FF

The second lens in Tokina’s new ‘Opera’ range is the 16-28mm F2.8 FF for full-frame Nikon and Canon DSLRs. We saw a mockup of this lens in late 2019, but we just got our hands on a working sample at the CP+ show in Yokohama, Japan. Click through for a closer look.

High-quality wideangle zoom

Described by Tokina as ‘next generation, premium full-frame lenses’, the Opera range is designed to deliver optimal results on modern high-resolution Canon and Nikon DSLRs. Optical construction comprises 15 elements in 13 groups, three of which are of aspherical, and three are made of Low Dispersion glass.

Automatic / manual focus switch

A long-standing feature of Tokina lenses is a direct manual/automatic focus switch. To select manual focus, simply pull the entire focus ring towards the camera. This shot also shows off the large focus distance scale, marked in feet and inches.

Fast continuous maximum aperture

As one of two premium Opera lenses in Tokina’s lineup, the 16-28mm F2.8 is an appropriately solid lens, and balances nicely on the Canon EOS 5D Mark III that we tried it on in Yokohama. The zoom and focus rings operate smoothly, with no play, and the overall impression we got was of a very well-constructed lens.

The petal-shaped lens hood is integral to the lens, which unfortunately means that screw-in filters cannot be used.

No rear-mounted filter support

While some wideangle zoom lenses of this type offer support for rear-mounted drop-in filters, unfortunately that’s not an option on the Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8, either. While some photographers won’t care, dedicated landscape shooters might find this limiting.

On the plus side, the 16-28mm does feature sealing against dust and moisture incursion. You can just make out the black rubber gasket around the lens mount in this image.

Upgraded AF system

The Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 weighs 940g (~2lb) and measures 89 x 133.5mm. It offers a nine-bladed iris for improved rendering of out-of-focus highlights and an upgraded AF system that is claimed to be both faster and more accurate than the original AT-X 16-28mm F2.8 PRO FX. Although we only had a few minutes with the lens at CP+, automatic focus on a Canon EOS 5D III seemed reasonably fast for a lens of this type, albeit not entirely silent.

The Tokina Opera 16-28mm F2.8 is shipping this month, for a very reasonable $ 699.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Photokina 2018: Hands-on with Tokina’s Opera 50mm F1.4 premium full-frame lens

30 Sep

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

We first saw a prototype of Tokina’s new 50mm F1.4 Opera lens at the CP+ show in Japan earlier this year. After waiting all summer, we finally gotten hands-on time with a working model at this year’s Photokina in Germany. The Opera series is Tokina’s high-end lens lineup – the equivalent to Sigma’s Art line – and the 50mm F1.4 is the first lens in the series to come into production.

Available in both Nikon and Canon full-frame DSLR mount, the lens is specifically meant to be paired with high-resolution cameras like the Nikon D850 and Canon EOS 5DS R. Set to ship around the end of October, it is priced at $ 950.

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

The build quality of this Opera lens is superb. Weighing 33.5oz / 950g it’s about 4.8oz / 135g heavier than the Sigma 50mm F1.4 Art, but handles well on a Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. It doesn’t feel front heavy.

The large rubberized focus ring matches the directional turn of the mount it’s meant for – turning the ring to the right achieves minimum focus on a Canon and infinity on a Nikon. And the ring continues to turn beyond its minimum and infinity point.

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

The Opera 50mm F1.4 is made of 15 elements arranged in 9 groups. 3 of those elements are super low dispersion elements to compact chromatic aberration – there’s also one aspherical element in the rear focus group. To deal with flaring, the lens is coated with Tokina’s Extremely Low Reflection coating. The front element has a 72mm filter size, smaller than the 77mm filter size of the Sigma’s front element.

Minimum focus distance for this lens is 0.4m / 1.3ft, the same as the Sigma.

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

Autofocus is achieved using an ultrasonic ring-shaped AF motor which is very quiet in operation. There’s also a manual focus decouple switch on the side of the lens barrel.

The lens has 9 rounded aperture blades which we hope will result in very nice bokeh. And this is the first Tokina lens ever to include an electronic diaphragm (specifically for the Nikon version).

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

There are a total of 8 weather sealing points in the construction of the Opera, which should keep water and grime out of the internal construction. There is also a rubber gasket around the lens mount to keep nastiness out of your camera body.

Hands-on with the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4

Overall we’re excited to get Tokina’s first Opera series lens in and start shooting with it. It’s priced exactly the same as the Sigma Art version and seems to be built to a similar level of physical and optical excellence. Seeing as Sigma’s version is one of our favorite 50mm F1.4s out there, we have high hopes for the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4. Stay tuned for a sample gallery.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Tokina unveils ‘top premium’ Opera 50mm F1.4 FF lens for Canon and Nikon

01 Mar

Tokina has officially announced the Opera 50mm F1.4 FF lens for Canon EF and Nikon F mounts that was leaked last week. The lens—part of Tokina’s new ‘Opera’ series designed for ‘high-spec full-frame DSLR cameras’—will arrive on store shelves in Summer of 2018, and a prototype is being shown off this week at CP+ in Japan.

This lens, and the Opera series in general, are being billed as Tokina’s ‘premium’ line—sort of like the Sigma Art series. In fact, Tokina goes out of its way to connect the term Opera with ‘Art’ in its press release. But marketing word choice aside, Tokina promises that Opera branded lenses will be “designed to perfectly match recent high-spec full-frame DSLR cameras, which keep requiring high quality optics.”

The Opera 50mm F1.4 FF is the first in this lineup, and already Tokina has put more tech into the lens than you’re probably used to from the third-party manufacturer. The lens boasts a ring-shaped ultrasonic AF motor, weather sealing to protect internals from dust and moisture, an electric diaphragm mechanism for the Nikon version (a first for Tokina), and a focus ring that turns the same direction as your native Nikon and Canon glass.

Unfortunately, Tokina hasn’t revealed one of the most important details yet: price. But with the official release scheduled for summer 2018, it won’t be long before we find out if (or by how much) Tokina has undercut Nikon and Canon’s 50mm F1.4 options.

Press Release

Kenko Tokina Co., LTD. is Proud to Announce the New Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 FF, a Premium Full-Frame Lens for High-End DSLR Cameras

February 28, 2018

About opera series

With the debut of opera 50mm F1.4 FF we are launching a new series of next generation premium full-frame lenses for high-end DSLR cameras called “opera” series.

Opera series is designed to perfectly match recent high-spec full-frame DSLR cameras, which keep requiring high quality optics to be used with. In addition to originally high-valued Tokina AT-X series, this new opera series is positioned as top premium series of full-frame size lenses and will be further expanded with other lenses of related specifications and performance.

In modern society the word “opera” is commonly used to express general genres of stage art. In Italian it means work or work of art. As an omitted art genre definition opera comes from “opera musicale” that means a piece of music work. In Latin opera comes from “opus” and in contemporary language “magnum opus”, “opera magna” still has a meaning of “great literary, artistic or intellectual work”. We chose the name “opera” for a new premium full-frame DSLR lens series thinking of a lens that will help photographer in creating real “work of art”.

About the product

The debuting premium full-frame lens for high-end DSLR cameras in opera series is 50mm F1.4 FF (FF – Full-Frame). Designed for full-frame format DSLR cameras, opera 50mm F1.4 FF adopts a ring-shaped ultrasonic motor for autofocus drive module. Weather sealing prevents from dust and moisture to come inside the lens body. For the first time in Tokina line up Nikon mount model incorporates an electric diaphragm mechanism. The direction of the focus ring rotation fits the genuine Nikon and Canon lens.

Mounts: Nikon F, Canon EF

Sensor size: full frame format

About sales release

Sales release: summer 2018

A prototype of Tokina opera 50mm F1.4 FF will be displayed at CP+2018 Kenko Tokina booth location: Exhibition Hall(1F), booth # G-57

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Leaked: Tokina to announce Opera 50mm F1.4 FF and FíRIN 20mm F2 FE AF lenses

23 Feb

It seems Tokina is preparing to release two new lenses at CP+, and thanks to some last-minute photo and spec leaks courtesy of Nokishita, we get a peek ahead of schedule. The leaked lenses are the Opera 50mm F1.4 FF for Canon EF and Nikon F mount, and the FíRIN 20mm F2 FE AF for Sony E-Mount.

Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 FF

According to the leaked specs, the Tokina Opera 50mm F1.4 FF will be dust and weather resistant and features an ultrasonic motor, a focus ring that rotates the same direction as that of a genuine Canon or Nikon lens, and an electromagnetic iris system for Nikon shooters (a first for Tokina).

No pricing info has been leaked, but the Opera 50mm F1.4 FF is allegedly scheduled for announcement on February 28th, and will ship in September of 2018.

Tokina FíRIN 20mm F2 FE AF

Meanwhile, the new Tokina FíRIN 20mm F2 FE AF will replace the FíRIN 20mm F2 FE MF lens released in September of 2016, and judging by the name alone, you can bet the new lens will add autofocus capability to its 1.5-year-old manual focus predecessor.

Leaked specs indicate this lens will be largely unchanged from the 2016 version otherwise. Identical specs include: 13 lens elements in 11 groups, 62mm filter thread, minimum focus of 0.28m, and a 9-blade aperture. Somehow they’ve managed to trim the weight down from 490g to 464g, but we’ll have to wait for official specs to confirm that (and our assumption about the addition of autofocus).

We don’t have any pricing info on this one either, but the new FíRIN 20mm F2 will allegedly be announced officially within 24 hours, and ships at the end of April.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Phantom of the opera full score pdf

29 Aug

I dutifully downloaded the ISO file and booted the system from it — cinema: The New Pictures Sep. Firmin and André, lloyd Webber and Stilgoe phantom of the opera full score pdf wrote the musical’s book together. I use a feed of the very latest malware, option to install many related Avira products. CULTUREEnter the […]
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Performance Architecture: 10 Dramatic Opera Sets & Stages

10 Apr

[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

Amazing Opera Stages Main

Magnificent, surreal stages rise from the depths of Austria’s Lake Constance, rotating, glowing, rising and falling in time with the plots of famed operas, plays and musicals. Unparalleled in their scale and complexity, these stages are built every two years for the Bregenz Opera Festival, which began in 1946. With each season that passes, the sets get even more impressive. Here are 10 standouts.

Andre Chenier

Amazing Opera Stages Andre Chenier

AMazing Opera Stages Andrew Chenier 2

Amazing Opera Stages Andre Chenier 3

Looking like the remains of some fallen civilization, a statue emerges from the lake, its head draped. Then the fabric begins to fall away, revealing a set of stairs that lead right up to the figure’s eye. This interactive set for Andre Chenier, an opera set during the French Revolution, grows even more amazing as the night goes on: the neck of the statue is severed, the head falling back to reveal an additional set.

A Masked Ball

Amazing Opera Stages A Masked Ball

Amazing Opera Stages A Masked Ball 2

A massive skeleton looms over an open book as the scene for A Masked Ball, an opera by Guiseppe Verde. One of the Bregenz Festival’s most iconic sets, this one from 1999 is fairly simple compared to the amazingly complex ones seen in more recent years.

Tosca

Amazing Opera Stage Tosca

Amazing Opera Stages Tosca 2

Puccini’s Tosca played out against this unforgettable backdrop, which featured a giant eye with an iris that actually rotates to reveal a hidden room. Scenes for the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace were filmed in the front of the building and in the audience while this stage was still active, in 2008.

La Boheme

Amazing Opera Stages La Boheme

The 2001-2002 seasons of the Bregenz Festival featured three giant bistro tables and chairs for Puccini’s La Boheme, one of the world’s most popular operas.

Aida

Amazing Opera Stages Aida

Life-sized replicas of the Statue of Liberty – or at least, bits and pieces of it – made a dramatic setting for a contemporary adaptation of Verdi’s Aida, symbolic of the breakdown of human rights. The pieces were mounted to cranes, and seemingly floated up into the sky at various points in the opera.

Carmen

Amazing Opera Stages Carmen

Though not as surreal as many of the other sets,  the 1991-1992 stage for Georges Bizet’s Carmen was no less epic.

West Side Story

Amazing Opera Stages West Side Story

Abstract representations of a rather futuristic-looking city rose and curved as a surprising stage for Leonard Bertstein’s musical West Side Story in 2003.

The Magic Flute

Amazing Opera Stages Die Zauberflote

Last seen at Bregenz nearly twenty years ago with this magnificent rocky stage, The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote, presented in German with English subtitles) will return for 2013 and 2014 with a new set.

The Troubadour

Amazing Opera Stages Troubadour

Il Trovatore, or The Troubadour, had a very industrial-looking stage – a recreation of an oil refinery in stark red, which spewed fire from those smokestacks during its run in 2005.

Fidelio

Amazing Opera Stages Fidelio

A prison rears up right amidst a life-sized Cardiff street as the set for Fidelio, an Italian opera about insidious evil in the world.

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[ By Steph in Architecture & Public & Institutional. ]

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Sydney Opera House during Luminous

24 Dec

Projectors bathed SOH with Brian Eno’s images each night for the duration of the Vivid/Luminous festival. If you didn’t get to see it or just want to take a look again, please do. Nikon D90 w/ 17-55 2.8

 
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