IronGlass Phénix 28-70mm T2.7 Unveiled – Rehoused Tokina Zoom

Lens News

by Francesco AndreolaMay 6^th, 2024

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IronGlass and Ancient Optics have recently announced that they’ve succeeded in what many considered to be an impossible task: properly rehousing the Tokina 28-70mm lens for use on professional film sets. So let’s take a look at the IronGlass Phénix 28-70mm T2.7 “impossible” full-frame zoom!

Launched in the early 90s, the Tokina 28-70mm f/2.6-2.8 is a widely talked-about vintage zoom lens due to its close relationship with its Angenieux 28-70 F/2.6 AF counterpart. But as IronGlass and Ancient Optics have confirmed, the two brands actually shared exactly the same optical scheme, and it’s likely that the Angenieux copies were actually made by Tokina.

IronGlass decided to go with Tokina for their latest rehousing project, but they encountered several engineering challenges along the way. Indeed, the optical design features 16 elements in 12 groups and involves 5 intricate, simultaneous focus and zoom movements (normally, there are up to 3) that make it one of the hardest lenses in the world to properly rehouse. Despite the complexity, the Ukrainian team never gave up and managed to improve the performance of the source lens in many aspects.

IronGlass Phénix 28-70mm T2.7 – The “impossible” zoom

This revamped version of the Tokina 28-70mm features a Cerakoted aluminum cine housing with a shimmable PL mount and MOD0.8 gears. As you can tell from the picture below, the Phénix rehoused zoom is fairly compact (110mm front diameter) and lightweight (approximately 1.58kg/3.5lbs).

The lens now features a truly parfocal design, a 15-blade iris (8 on the original design), and improved close focus capabilities (53.3cm/1’9”). The range of the focus gear has also been increased to 300° for precise focus pulls.

According to IronGlass and Ancient Optics, these changes were made without altering the character of the source lens. This means that the Phénix zoom should still provide sharp images with low levels of chromatic aberration, gentle fall-off at the edges of the frame, and a nicely textured bokeh.

Price and availability

Pre-orders for the Iron Glass Phénix 28-70mm T2.7 are now open through Ancient Optics. The pre-order price is set at $13,500, a 50% deposit is required, and the lens should start shipping in 3 to 6 months. There’s no need for customers to send in the donor glass as this comes included.

The lens is also available to rent at Old Fast Glass rental in Sun Valley, CA.

Have you ever shot using the Tokina or Angenieux 28-70mm zoom? What do you think of this rehousing project by IronGlass and Ancient Optics? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!