Third-party lens makers have been really stepping up their game in recent years, each of them coming out with new high-end lineups which are intended to compete with those name-brand lineups that have red (or gold) rings. Indeed, they’ve been truly impressive in our reviews!

Tokina’s FiRIN line of lenses appears to be their modern, next-generation lineup for full-frame mirrorless, currently only available for Sony FE mount, along with the Opera line of lenses which is available for Canon and Nikon DSLRs.

Tokina’s latest FiRIN lens, this 100mm f/2.8 Macro, is the second optic available exclusively for the Sony FE (full-frame E) mount. Their first FiRIN lens, the 20mm f/2, was widely praised as a great bit of glass. Hopefully, there are more of these lenses to come!

(Also, hopefully, we’ll see FiRIN lenses become available for Nikon and Canon full-frame mirrorless systems soon, too!)

Tokina’s 20mm f/2 FiRIN comes in both AF and MF formats, and both fit nicely into a Sony FE camera bag. Which one would you rather have? I’d go for manual focus.

Press Release (Excerpt)

A versatile lens for Sony Full-Frame E-Mount Mirrorless Cameras

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., April 19, 2019

Kenko Tokina, Japan’s leading manufacturer of premium camera accessories, is releasing the Tokina FiRIN 100mm F2.8 FE Macro lens for Sony Full-Frame E-mount cameras. Distributed in the US exclusively by Kenko Tokina USA, based in Huntington Beach, California, this new lens provides unparalleled versatility with the world-class optics.

The Tokina FiRIN 100mm F2.8 FE MACRO is a versatile mid-range auto-focus telephoto lens with excellent close focusing capabilities reaching life-sized (1:1) reproduction at 11.8 inches (30cm) from the sensor plane. Engineered for Sony full-frame E-mount mirrorless cameras the lens transmits all necessary data to take full advantage of Sony’s in-camera features including 5-axis image stabilization, manual focus assist functions such as auto image enlargement, focus peaking, and the electronic distance bar.

At (1:1) reproduction, the lens provides a very comfortable 4.5 inches of working distance between the front of the lens and your subject. The fast f/2.8 aperture makes it easy to focus in low light and renders soft beautiful bokeh. Making it an excellent choice for portraits, landscapes, video, and small world photography.

The Tokina FiRIN 100mm F2.8 FE MACRO is a “flat-field” optical design that suppresses the field-of-view curvature to zero. This means the lens yields excellent edge-to-edge sharpness at all focus distances and apertures. The lens’ multi-coatings render natural color with extremely low light falloff, perfectly controlled chromatic aberration, flare, and ghosting.

“This is the second lens in the FiRIN series built specifically for Sony mirrorless cameras. Along with the 20mm F2.0, the new 100mm macro offers photographers a new way to view their world”, said Mack Matsumoto, President at Kenko Tokina USA. “It’s sharp, compact, fast, and takes advantage of all the features Sony’s cameras offer.”

“With a street price of $599, the lens is affordable without sacrificing optical performance or function,” said Greg Napoli, National Sales Manager for Kenko Tokina USA.

“We’re proud that our engineers are able to deliver a high performance, macro lens with zero distortion, razor sharp and high-resolution optics, in a gorgeous housing at half the price to the nearest competitor lens.”

Shipping will begin on April 26, pre-orders are currently available.

More information is available at https://tokinausa.com.

Tokina FiRIN 100mm f/2.8 Macro Full Specs

Mount: Sony E (FE full-frame)
Magnification: 1:1 (1x)
Autofocus: Yes (No word on the motor type)
Stabilization: No (But yes, if your camera body has IBIS!)
Filters: 55mm
Aperture: f/2.8-f/32, 9-blade
Weight: 20.8 oz (570g)
Pre-order it here for $599.

Stay tuned for more gear reviews coming soon!