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Identifying Vivitar rebranded manual focus lenses
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 10, 2019 5:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
kypfer wrote:
Don't know if it's of any interest to this thread, but I just received a Samyang 800mm f/8 mirror in T2 mount, which apparently was also re-badged as a Vivitar, and with it came a T2 mount 2x teleconverter which is badged "Vivitar Series 1" ... weird thing, never seen a T2 teleconverter before!


These days, "Vivitar" is just a name used for marketing purposes. Whatever the entity is that has the rights to the name in no way bears any resemblance to the Vivitar of the 60s through the 90s, where they actually designed many, if not most, of their optics. Nowadays, anything that sez "Vivitar" is just a rebadge of something else, most often Samyang.

I agree, I've never seen a T-mount teleconverter either. An easy way to make the TC a universal fit.


PostPosted: Mon Jun 10, 2019 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
kypfer wrote:
Don't know if it's of any interest to this thread, but I just received a Samyang 800mm f/8 mirror in T2 mount, which apparently was also re-badged as a Vivitar, and with it came a T2 mount 2x teleconverter which is badged "Vivitar Series 1" ... weird thing, never seen a T2 teleconverter before!


These days, "Vivitar" is just a name used for marketing purposes. Whatever the entity is that has the rights to the name in no way bears any resemblance to the Vivitar of the 60s through the 90s, where they actually designed many, if not most, of their optics. Nowadays, anything that sez "Vivitar" is just a rebadge of something else, most often Samyang.

I agree, I've never seen a T-mount teleconverter either. An easy way to make the TC a universal fit.


I've got a T2 teleconverter, IIRC when I brought it, it was described as M42, but perhaps I confusing it with many of the other T2 bits that have be mis-named. I'm not sure why I wanted it in either case, my M42 & T2 lenses are generally not sharp enough to work well with a TC.


PostPosted: Tue Jul 16, 2019 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Looking through some of the odd lenses I've picked up in "box of old camera stuff" deals, I found this one, the Tele Vivitar 135 3.5:



It's got some interesting features - preset aperture, obviously, some sort of T-mount adapter to M42, a 46mm filter thread, and 15 aperture blades...



It's pretty good...decently sharp with nice "cotton candy" bokeh. The only 135 I've seen that's smaller is the Voigtlander Super-Dynarex, but that one doesn't have it's own aperture mechanism. This Vivitar is a bit on the heavy side though. Looks like 4-elements, and I think the second one is quite a hefty piece of glass.


PostPosted: Tue Jul 16, 2019 10:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Reminds me of Komura in its appearance.
Glad you like it
Tom


PostPosted: Wed Jul 17, 2019 4:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
KEO wrote:
Looking through some of the odd lenses I've picked up in "box of old camera stuff" deals, I found this one, the Tele Vivitar 135 3.5:



It's got some interesting features - preset aperture, obviously, some sort of T-mount adapter to M42, a 46mm filter thread, and 15 aperture blades...



It's pretty good...decently sharp with nice "cotton candy" bokeh. The only 135 I've seen that's smaller is the Voigtlander Super-Dynarex, but that one doesn't have it's own aperture mechanism. This Vivitar is a bit on the heavy side though. Looks like 4-elements, and I think the second one is quite a hefty piece of glass.


I have a Vivitar 85mm f/1.8 looking like this one, with Tele Vivitar engraved in lens front and with serial number similar to your 135mm f/3.5.


PostPosted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 6:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oldhand wrote:
Reminds me of Komura in its appearance.
Glad you like it
Tom


Thanks, I'll research Komura a bit.

The build quality is quite good. It's a very solid lens - even the anodized metal feels high quality.

It's certainly seen some rough treatment though. Luckily the dings on the rim of the filter thread are not enough to negatively affect lens hoods or filters.

The worst thing is that the elements have - or had, in most cases - some sort of grimy film on them. I suspect a previous owner may have been a heavy smoker or something. The grime reminds me of the greasy film that coats the inside of windshields on cars that have been out in the sun a lot. That stuff comes from vapors that rise from plastic dashboards when they heat up. It's invisible most of the time, but in direct light it becomes visible as a bright white milkiness, and it takes a lot of hard scrubbing to get it off. It smears instead of washing away.

It took me about 45 minutes to clear the tiny rear element, and even then I didn't quite get all of it, though I will with subsequent cleanings.

EDIT: Yes, it looks a lot like the Komura. I wonder whether it's the same lens, since this Vivitar version sells for peanuts on ebay.


vivaldibow wrote:
I have a Vivitar 85mm f/1.8 looking like this one, with Tele Vivitar engraved in lens front and with serial number similar to your 135mm f/3.5.


Do you like it? I'd be willing to give something like that a try if I found one.


PostPosted: Sun Jul 21, 2019 5:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
KEO wrote:


vivaldibow wrote:
I have a Vivitar 85mm f/1.8 looking like this one, with Tele Vivitar engraved in lens front and with serial number similar to your 135mm f/3.5.


Do you like it? I'd be willing to give something like that a try if I found one.


I like it. If you search it, I have a thread here showing some of the sample photos.
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