Vivitar
Lenses
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Vivitar |
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Other Third Party lens manufacturers owe a lot to Vivitar. They took head on the big camera companies. They were the first independent company to produce quality lenses that matched or exceeded those produced by the major camera companies with their Series 1 lens line. New Series 1 lenses today are a joke, but there was a time when Vivitar was at the top of the Third Party manufacturer list, even though they did not manufacture their lenses. Vivitar designed the lenses but contracted the manufacture of them out to others, including: Olympus, Cosina, Schneider, Kino (Kiron), Ozone, Komine, Makinon, Asanuma, Tokina, Bauer, Perkin Elmer, Chinon, Tokyo Trading, Kyoe, Hoya and Polar. Vivitar even designed the first macro zoom, the 70-210 f/3.5 Macro, which was highly sought after then and now.
The Vivitar era was short-lived. All of their best Series 1 lenses were made or introduced during the last half of the 1970's and early 1980's. Other good Series I lenses came along later, but not of the quality of those lenses.
I've always been partial to Vivitar lenses, having some very good ones and others that aren't so much so. I own sixteen as of this writing in Konica and Nikon mounts, and, for the most part, have been very happy with them.
Many of Vivitar's lenses today are made by Samyang or Cosina. One or two of their manual lenses aren't too bad. The 24mm f/2.8 I have for my Nikon works very nicely. The 100-400mm f/4.5-6.7 autofocus lens made by Samyang gives surprisinly good pictures and reaches 400mm at a reasonable cost. However, you can get it cheaper by buying the lens under the Phoenix name.
The Vivitar website is located at http://www.vivitar.com, and the best thing about Vivitar today are the flashes they produce, although their 24mm and 100mm macro lenses aren't bad.
17mm f/3.5 M: I don't know the lens construction or weight of this lens. It takes a 67mm filter and was manufactured by Tokina. I have this lens in Nikon mount.
24mm f/2 Compact M: Lens weight is 9.3 ounces and has a construction of 8 elements in 8 groups. Filter size is 55mm. Aperture Range: f/2-16.
24mm f/2.8 Compact M: This is a lens with a construction of 8 elements in 8 groups. It takes 52mm filters and has a weight of 6.6 ounces. Aperture Range: f/2.8-16.
24mm f/2.8 M: I have this late model 24mm f/2.8 in Nikon AIS mount. It does a very good job for the few times I find that I need a lens this wide. Construction is 7 elements in 7 groups, with a weight of 6.7 oz. Filter size is 52mm.
28mm f/1.9 Series 1 M: A very fast wideangle lens, especially for its day (1970's), of excellent quality. Highly sought after, it is a hard lens to find. Construction is 9 elements in 8 groups. Filter size is 58mm. Weight, 12 ounces.
28mm f/2 M: Performs about as well as the f/1.9 and is also very rare. Lens construction is 8 elements in 8 groups. It has a weight of 8.8 ounces and takes 55mm filters. Aperture range: f/2-16.
28mm f/2.5 M: I have this lens in Konica mount and it is the best 28mm I have.
55mm f/2.8 Macro M: An excellent lens for normal or macro work. Lens construction is 5 elements in 4 groups. It uses 62mm filters. Macro reproduction is 1:1 without extension. It has a weight of 11 ounces.
90mm f/2.5 Macro Series 1 M: Macro reproduction is 1:2, but it was suppled with a closeup lens which brought it to 1:1. Lens construction uis 8 elements in 7 groups, with the adapter closeup lens having a construction of 3 elements in 3 groups. Filter size is 58mm and weight with adapter is 936 grams, about 32 ounces.
90mm f/2.8 Macro M: Aperture range: f2.8 - 22 Optical construction: 6 elements, 4 groups. Angle of acceptance: 27 degrees Weight: 480 g (17 oz.) Length: 89 mm (3.5 in.) Diameter: 70 mm (2.8 in.) Accessory size: 62 mm Lens coating: MC (multicoated) Minimum focusing distance from film plane: 35 cm (13.8 in.) Minimum focusing distance from front element: 14.5 cm (5.7 in.) Maximum reproduction ratio: 1:1 Macro focus operation: Double helicoid permits life-size magnification without adapters or other extenders.
100mm f/2.8 M: A very fine lens. It's comparable to my great Konica Hexanon 135mm f/2.8 lens and I use them interchangeably.
100mm f/3.5 AF: An acceptable and inexpensive macro lens, especially for the beginner to macro. Lens construction is 5 elements in 4 groups. Minimum focus distance is 16 inches. It gives 1:2 reproduction, but an included adaptor brings this to 1:1. Aperture range is f/3.5 to f/22. Weight is 9.98 ounces. It takes 49mm filters.
135mm f/2.3 Close Focus Series 1 M: For the early 1970's, it was amazing that this lens could focus down to only 3 feet. It can give a macro ratio reproduction of 1:2, even though it is not called a macro lens. Filter size is 72mm. It has a weight of 24 ounces and lens construction is 6 elements in 6 groups.
135mm f/2.8 Close Focus M: A smaller close foucusing lens, with a weight of 15 ounces and a filter size of 62mm. Lens construction is 4 elements in 4 groups. Aperture Range: f/2.8-22.
135mm f/2.8 M: I have this in Konica mount, and I use it more often than my slower Konica Hexanon lens. It's a great portrait lens that I use for my grandchildren.
200mm f/3 Series 1 M: This Series 1 lens has a close focus of four feet. It weighs 29 ounces and gives a macro magnification of 1:4. Filter size is 72mm. Construction is 6 elements in 6 groups.
200mm f/3.5 M: Construction if 5 elements in 4 groups. It has a weight of 21 ounces and uses 62mm filters. Aperture Range is f/3.5-22. I have this lens in Nikon mount.
300mm f/5.6 M: Not a Series 1 or anything special optically. However, I own this lens in Konica mount and it really isn't too bad. It's a low cost way of reaching 300mm and gives decent pictures. Lens construction is 6 elements in 3 groups. It takes 58mm filters and has a weight of 23 ounces.
400mm f/5.6 M: Lens construction is 5 elements in 5 groups. The lens weighs 43 ounces, uses 77mm filters, and has a length of 11.4 inches. Aperture range is f/5.6 to f/32. I was able to find this lens for my Konica system to give it a little added reach.
450mm f/4.5 Mirror Series 1 M: This was the best of Vivitar's mirror lenses. An amazing mirror. It was introduced in 1983. It has a length of six inches and a diameter of 4 5/8 inches. Close focus is 12 feet. The only down side is that it takes a 97mm filter. It has a weight of 58 ounces. Very rare, as are most of Vivitar's early Series 1 lenses, but this is one of the rarest.
28-90mm f/2.8-4 Series 1 M: This is another lens I own. It uses 62mm filters. I use it quite often, but I get better results using prime lenses or my 70-210mm. However, it's very nice and convenient for taking hand-held snapshots.
35-85mm f/2.8 Series 1 M: A very fast zoom for its day. It weighs 26 ounces and takes a 72mm filter. It has a construction of 12 elements in 9 groups.
70-210mm f/2.8-4 Macro Series 1 M: I own this lens in Nikon mount. Although not of the quality of earlier Series 1 lenses, I've found this to be an excellent version. Perhaps I'm just one of the lucky ones, but it has served me well. It has 14 elements in 10 groups. It has a macro magnification ratio of 1:2.5. Filter size is 62mm.
70-210mm f/3.5 Macro Series 1 M: This was the first macro zoom lens. Macro focus ratio is 1:2.2. It takes a 67mm filter. Lens construction is 15 elements in 10 groups. Weight is 33 ounces. I have this lens in Nikon Non-AI mount. Aperture Range: f/3.5-22, except Konica mount where it is f/3.5 to 16.
75-300mm f/4.5-5.6 M: I have this lens in Nikon mount. Construction is 14 elements in 10 groups. Minimum focus is 4.92 feet. Maximum reproduction ratio is 1:3. It takes a 58mm filter. It has a weight of 26.1 ounces.
85-205mm f/3.8 M: I would classify this as the worst Vivitar lens I own. Picture quality isn't bad, but I seldom use it and get better results from other Vivitar lenses.
90-180mm f/4.5 Macro Series 1 M: Weight is 38.5 ounces and it can give a 1:4 reproduction at 90mm and 1:2 at 180mm. Filter size is 72mm. It has a lens construction of 18 elements in 12 groups.
100-400 f/4.5-6.7 Series 1 AF: This is the only second autofocus lens listed here. Not because it's a great lens, but it's not bad for the price. It carries the Series 1 logo, but is a far cry from earlier Series 1 lenses. It's made by Samyang and can be purchased cheaper under the Phoenix brand name. Overall, I'd recommend staying away from the present Vivitar Series 1 autofocus lenses.