Photoessay: Tokina 28-70mm f/2.8 ATX Pro SV Review at Aspen Vision City Penang

The Pathway

Every photoessay I work on becomes a chance to slow down and experiment with a new lens that I got. To a certain extend, it became an excuse for me to keep buying a new lens just to see how a lens transforms the way I see a place. This round's shoot opportunity came when I visited Central Park at Aspen Vision City, Batu Kawan, Penang for a client shoot, in which I manage to squeeze out 30 minutes after wrapping up to test the Tokina 28-70mm f/2.8 ATX Pro SV on my Canon R5 and understand how this legacy lens performs in both photography and video work.

Since selling off my Canon EF 24-105mm f3.5-5.6 STM, I have been searching for a wide-aperture mid-zoom lens for my video setup, preferably something with character rather than clinical perfection. That search led me to this particular Tokina.

My journey toward the Tokina 28-70mm f/2.8 ATX Pro SV began with a simple requirement: I needed a fast zoom that behaves well on a gimbal and offers a cinematic rendering without the modern razor-sharp look. While researching alternatives, I came across the little-known Tokina ATX Pro series, especially the original 28-70mm f/2.6–2.8 version known for sharing an optical formula with the legendary Angénieux cinema lens.

That lens, however, has become a cult item—difficult to find and very expensive for what it offers.

Instead, I found the fourth-generation Tokina 28-70mm ATX Pro SV — often regarded as the “worst” version, at quite a mint condition except for some coating degradation. That reputation actually didn’t bother me at all. What caught my attention were the physical qualities that mattered more for video work than optical perfection.

The Tokina 28-70mm series has gone through several revisions. The earliest versions were prized for their Angénieux-inspired optics and cinematic character. This is because in the early years it was rumoured that Angénieux wanted a part in creating an autofocus lens and had comissioned Tokina into making their version of the widest mid-zoom lens, the Angénieux 28-70mm f/2.6. But somewhere in the middle the production stopped and Tokina continue iterated and producing their version of the lens which was believed to have use the same optical formula with the Angénieux version through the years. Improving them a little with each generation brought minor adjustments to build and optical design.

By the time the SV version arrived, the optical formula had shifted. The cult believe that it was no longer considered the best performer of the family—which I suspect is because that it no longer carries that flare characteristics that well. That being said, it still carries Tokina’s signature build quality and design choices which appeals to videographers today and checked almost every box I needed for video work:

• Internal zoom and internal focus — The lens never changes length, perfect for gimbals.

• Solid metal construction — A reassuring, cinema-style build.

• EF mount compatibility — Full autofocus support on the Canon R5 when needed.

• Minimal focus breathing — Helps maintain visual consistency.

• Semi-parfocal behavior — Focus holds relatively well while zooming.

• Hard infinity stop — Useful for focus pulling with external gears.

• Non-rotating front element — Important for using filters and variable ND.

Knowing that I didn’t need clinical sharpness for video as in video, we do not access a lens by its edge sharpness but by how it translates motion. The choice became obvious. The Tokina 28-70mm offered everything I needed physically, and I was happy to overlook its imperfections to try out the lens.

Optical Performance of the Tokina 28-70mm

Pros

• Soft, cinematic rendering wide open: The output does somewhat resembles the effect of a black mist filter.

• Gentle highlight roll-off: The softness is actually useful in video helping it to roll-off extreme end highlights where it reaches the dynamic range limits on the Canon R5.

• A unique visual character: Motion feels organic and smooth, with a pleasing glow around high-contrast edges.

Cons

• Weak stills performance at f/2.8: On the high-resolution Canon R5, photos at 28mm are soft throughout the frame, especially worse in the corners. Suggesting the presence of a rather distinct field curvature. At 70mm, it performs slightly better, but still not ideal. Overall performance did get better once you pass the f/5.6 mark. Keep it below f/5 if you still want some character in your images which means you might learn that the sweet spot is really somewhere at f/4.

• Minimum focus distance of 0.7m: Can be quite limiting, especially for tighter framing.

• Short focus throw: Makes manual focusing and follow focus work more challenging.

• Poor close-up performance: The lens behaves better at mid to tele distances and is rather poor in close ups.

Tree roots?

Green park

Shadow walkway

Shades and layers of light

Using the Lens for Video — What I Found

For video, the Tokina 28-70mm performs exactly as I hoped. The softness at wide apertures works beautifully to soften digital sharpness and create a film-like texture. The glow adds atmosphere, especially around highlights, giving the footage a gentler, more cinematic mood.

The scenes shot at Aspen Vision City felt more organic than what I usually get from modern lenses. Instead of harsh digital clarity, the Tokina introduced a calm, pleasing roll-off and a subtle softness that made motion feel more natural.

A Surprising Discovery About Canon C-Log3

During the process of testing this lens, I also made a significant discovery about Canon C-Log3 on the R5—something unrelated to the lens but important to my workflow.

I shot two test scenes at: 1/50s · f/2.8 · ISO 800 with a VND.

• The left image was exposed at +0.3

• The right image was exposed at +1.3

Despite only a 1-stop difference, the noise levels were dramatically different.The shot at +0.3 showed much more noise, while the +1.3 exposure was noticeably cleaner. Canon R5’s C-Log3 is not friendly to even slight underexposure. If exposure drops just a little, noise becomes way too obvious and distracting. Do use your histogram and expose to the right, preferably +1-1.5 stops above the normal exposure.

Noise characteristics of Canon R5 C-Log3

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