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Ponder & Best T-mount system lens spec sheets
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PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 1:11 am    Post subject: Ponder & Best T-mount system lens spec sheets Reply with quote
Found these spec sheets of interest and thought others might as well:

http://boggys.myzen.co.uk/pdfmaster/Vivitar_T-Mount_Preset_Lenses_DS_400dpi.pdf

Publication date is 1974, but I believe at least some of these lenses go back into the last half of the 1960's.

All are preset lenses, all are highly desirable IMO. Can you imagine owning that 800mm lens? WOW!

These lenses pre-date the Vivitar coding system which came later. Believe some were manufactured by Tokina.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 1:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the resource !

The 28/2.5 is the same as the auto version, and that was a Kiron.

The 600mm and 800mm look like the Tokina products.

All in all it seems likely that Ponder&Best/Vivitar had multiple sources for their preset line.

The 200/3.5 looks rather different from others we have seen, which are more distinctive (Big Dawg and I had this). So there were probably several switchouts over the years.

I had the 600 and 800mm Kawanon versions. Let me just say that, though awesome in appearance, this sort of lens is not a lot of fun to work with.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 1:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
luisalegria wrote:
Thanks for the resource !

The 28/2.5 is the same as the auto version, and that was a Kiron.

The 600mm and 800mm look like the Tokina products.

All in all it seems likely that Ponder&Best/Vivitar had multiple sources for their preset line.

The 200/3.5 looks rather different from others we have seen, which are more distinctive (Big Dawg and I had this). So there were probably several switchouts over the years.

I had the 600 and 800mm Kawanon versions. Let me just say that, though awesome in appearance, this sort of lens is not a lot of fun to work with.


Sure, no problem.

In checking my lists I find I might already own one of these lenses, the most pedestrian of all but still a very nice lens:

the 135mm f3.5

I would have to extricate my lens, currently in cold storage, to determine if it has the front-mounted aperture as shown. But I believe it does.

Of interest (to me) is that Ponder & Best, in that entire catalog array of presets, offered no 50mm or even 55mm lenses. I guess those focal lengths became popular later.

As for that 800, let me tell you, if I ever owned one I would never let it go. It's amazing! Of course I readily concede the difficulty of actually using that lens to take photographs. But such a lens is, nevertheless, a treasure. Wink


PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 2:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Oh, 50mm's were completely standard in those days. That was why Ponder&Best/Vivitar didn't sell them, till a bit later. They were the "kit" lenses of the time, and came standard with every SLR. There wouldn't have been much of a market there for a third-party lens merchant, especially not for a preset version, as every 50mm was auto. Presets were considered second best stuff, cheaper options.
Vivitar started selling its own line of Cosina made M42 cameras not long after, and these did come with Vivitar branded 50mm's.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 5:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Holy Moly, what an excellent group of pdfs. Thank you so much for the link...Ray


PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 5:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Why don't we just bookmark the page to all these files.
http://boggys.myzen.co.uk/page4.html


PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 12:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
calvin83 wrote:
Why don't we just bookmark the page to all these files.
http://boggys.myzen.co.uk/page4.html


Good idea, calvin83. Works for me!!

Aside from that:

Disappointment for me this morning. I had ferreted out that resource while researching an eBay lens I spotted last evening which I thought might sell at an affordable price. It is the 85mm lens in this Ponder & Best preset, front aperture, series. This lens is NOT in great shape. It has scratches and wear, so my hopes were up that it might escape notice and high bids. No such luck:

Click here to see on Ebay

I have encountered this sort of thing before with this series of lenses. They are REALLY popular!! And I run across them very seldom, least of all in 85mm focal length.

Oh, well. Sad


PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 3:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I had one of these 85mm last year and sold it.
Yes it is actually quite a nice, sharp lens.
It does attract a lot of attention and there arent a lot of them around.
So it takes some effort and luck.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 3:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
luisalegria wrote:
I had one of these 85mm last year and sold it.
Yes it is actually quite a nice, sharp lens.
It does attract a lot of attention and there arent a lot of them around.
So it takes some effort and luck.


Acknowledged and agreed. It surely does take effort and much luck. And research on the 85mm indicates it is a special lens.

But these old preset lenses are like catnip for me. I do so prefer them to the newer, far more mundane, automatic lenses. It is disheartening, though, the extent to which other MF lens fans appear to agree with me. I wish they would all just go away! Very Happy


PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 3:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The 135mm/3.5 lens seems to show 4 elements in 3 groups in the diagram, but 4 elements in 4 groups in the text. Unless the two middle elements are really separated by an air gap, the 4/3 is correct. This would make its design like a Zeiss Sonnar 135mm/3.5 telephoto. I have a Tele-Astranar preset T mount 135mm/3.5 lens that may be of the same lens design and from the same lens maker as this Vivitar.


PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Gosh that 85mm lens sold for nearly US$90 without shipping! And it is not in pristine condition. Wow!

These preset lenses make my head spin. Shocked


PostPosted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 5:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Almost all these 135/3.5 third party lenses are 4/3 designs.
This one is typical.

Some few are 5-element designs.


PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 6:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'm very partial to preset lenses, a special case in point being this series of Ponder & Best (early Vivitar) lenses (see OP). These are not any longer easy to locate, though, at affordable price; they are not in fact especially easy to find at any price. So I was quite pleased today with the arrival of my 300mm lens from this series. The lens, though not pristine, is in very good condition. Contrary to the information from P&B, my lens weighs circa 32 ounces, or just over 900 grams. It is all metal and glass, as you would expect. While I've no idea which company manufactured this lens, it was made in 1966 if the serial number is a guide. Here is a link to the auction for the 300mm lens which I won:

Click here to see on Ebay

I like it a lot.


PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 7:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
This is the 400 5.6 as shown in the brochure.



It's the big brother to Guardian's Wink


PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 7:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lloydy wrote:
This is the 400 5.6 as shown in the brochure.

It's the big brother to Guardian's Wink


Wow, Lloydy! That's all I got. Just WOW!!

ETA

On second thought, would you mind sharing the serial number of your lens. I'm wondering if the first two numbers might possibly betray year of manufacture.


PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 7:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
75587 It appears to be a Tokina of the same family as the 200 3.5 Dollonds that I have, which is an exceptionally good lens. The 400 is good, but I need to try it with my big Slik tripod ( aka the scaffold ) on a sunny day.

CORRECTION - It's not Tokina, it's most likely Kino / Kiron

Last edited by Lloydy on Wed Mar 04, 2015 12:08 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Tue Mar 03, 2015 8:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lloydy wrote:
75587 It appears to be a Tokina of the same family as the 200 3.5 Dollonds that I have, which is an exceptionally good lens. The 400 is good, but I need to try it with my big Slik tripod ( aka the scaffold ) on a sunny day.


Thanks, Lloydy. You have an amazing collection of lenses!

On the serial number thing: Looks as if I was wrong. Oh, well. Sad


PostPosted: Wed Mar 04, 2015 12:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
CORRECTION - It's not Tokina, it's most likely Kino / Kiron


PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Very pleased to report my Vivitar "Wide Angle" 35mm f3.5 preset arrived today. It is an exact match for the lens shown in the brochure in the OP. The lens is not pristine but it in OK shape, was affordable, and I like it. I'm pretty certain the lens cap it came with is the original lens cap:

Click here to see on Ebay then click see original listing

This lens almost completes my collection of the (relatively) "easy to obtain" lenses as found in the brochure in the OP. I have both 35's, both 135's, the 200, the 300, and the 400. My 400 needs major cleanup.

The 85, as mentioned up thread, together with the really long lenses, cannot be called "easy". Those lenses are higher in cost and are less readily available. Regarding the 28 I am uncertain. Am attempting right now to find one. I don't know how scarce or expensive the 28's are.

All of these lenses have the multi-leaf, almost round, apertures so common back when they built "the good stuff". Wink

It's a really cool line of old lenses and lots of fun to collect.


PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
luisalegria wrote:

The 600mm and 800mm look like the Tokina products.

. . .

I had the 600 and 800mm Kawanon versions. Let me just say that, though awesome in appearance, this sort of lens is not a lot of fun to work with.


Back in an earlier life when I was a camera dealer, I owned copies of these lenses. I agree that they are Tokina-made. Sharpness-wise, they were just ok, but you had to have a really stout tripod to use them. Even that 400mm weighed a lot.

P&B mentions that the 600mm is a two part lens, but doesn't mention this for the 800mm. As far as I recall, they both take the same "bottom end" with different "heads."


PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2016 9:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
luisalegria wrote:

The 600mm and 800mm look like the Tokina products.

. . .

I had the 600 and 800mm Kawanon versions. Let me just say that, though awesome in appearance, this sort of lens is not a lot of fun to work with.


Back in an earlier life when I was a camera dealer, I owned copies of these lenses. I agree that they are Tokina-made. Sharpness-wise, they were just ok, but you had to have a really stout tripod to use them. Even that 400mm weighed a lot.

P&B mentions that the 600mm is a two part lens, but doesn't mention this for the 800mm. As far as I recall, they both take the same "bottom end" with different "heads."


The 400 is a magnificent lens. Lloydy posted a photo up thread of his copy. I did not own a 400 when Lloydy posted, but now I do have a copy in beautiful shape externally but needing to be stripped down and the elements all cleaned.

Still, just look at that fifty year old lens! There is nothing cheap about it!


PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 8:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have hardly used the 400 5.6 Vivitar, if it clears up today I'll take it out and try it.

The 200 3.5 is surely the same as this Dollonds branded lens, and is one of my favourite 200's, it's a very good lens.



This is a fabulous iris, I can just sit playing with it it's that nice to watch Wink


PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 2:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lloydy wrote:
I have hardly used the 400 5.6 Vivitar, if it clears up today I'll take it out and try it.

The 200 3.5 is surely the same as this Dollonds branded lens, and is one of my favourite 200's, it's a very good lens.



This is a fabulous iris, I can just sit playing with it it's that nice to watch Wink



Lloydy you're such a skunk. You really are! Laugh 1


Your post inveigled me to extract my own 200 from storage, just to compare it with your Dollonds. Like all of us, I own far too many lenses, and my memory is not improving with advancing age. I was amazed to re-discover just how beautiful my own 200 is. My goodness, it could be sold as new! So, thanks. Anyway, the comparison:

After a meticulous, item-by-item comparison with your Dollonds I was unable to discover even the tiniest difference in the two lenses, save of course for the name ring. There was one teensy thing, though:

Looking at your photo, and concentrating on the focus grip at the top, there appears to be something protruding at the top, in your photo. Is that a button? My own focus ring grip area, all the way around, has no protrusions of any sort and no buttons. The two lenses are otherwise absolutely identical insofar as I can tell.

I'm unfamiliar with Dollonds, and I own no Dollonds lenses, but I assume Dollonds is (or was) a British version of, for example, Vivitar or Lentar, selling lenses manufactured by others beneath the Dollands brand name.

Dollonds would make my collecting more difficult were the lenses here in America. I'm attempting to assemble a collection of all the lenses shown in the brochure in the OP, exactly as depicted in the brochure. Accomplishing this is difficult enough just with the minor variations offered by Vivitar alone, not all of which are immediately evident.

Regardless, I love this series of preset lenses and my search for a 28 goes forward. Wink

As for your comment on the irises . . yes . . they really are amazing and special . . all of them.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 5:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I wondered if anyone would notice the 'button' Very Happy it's actually a pan head screw that I used to replace a grub screw that fell out and I haven't got around to cutting the head off and slotting it Rolling Eyes

Dollonds were a London optical company started by John Dollonds ( 1706 1761 ) who achieved some fame as an inventor and manufacturer of optics. The company became Dollond & Aitchison the high street opticians, now part of the Boots empire. My lens is the only Dollonds lens I've ever seen in the flesh, there are others. I think that sometime in the 1960's D&A started to concentrate on being an eyesight opticians, but prior to that they seem to have been a well respected optical manufacturer and had a store in the smart end of London selling high quality optics such as binoculars and telescopes, so I think it's highly probable that any camera lenses they bought in and sold would be of equally high quality. A bit of digging around turned up this nugget of information - Henry Sainsbury Newcombe - author and photographer to Royalty and owner of a photography shop in Bond Street (Dolland & Newcombe) - who ceased trading in 1967

Here's some pictures from the Dollonds on my Ipernity stream. These will have processed.
http://www.ipernity.com/tag/294337/keyword/3379939



.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2016 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lloydy wrote:
I wondered if anyone would notice the 'button' Very Happy it's actually a pan head screw that I used to replace a grub screw that fell out and I haven't got around to cutting the head off and slotting it Rolling Eyes

Dollonds were a London optical company started by John Dollonds ( 1706 1761 ) who achieved some fame as an inventor and manufacturer of optics. The company became Dollond & Aitchison the high street opticians, now part of the Boots empire. My lens is the only Dollonds lens I've ever seen in the flesh, there are others. I think that sometime in the 1960's D&A started to concentrate on being an eyesight opticians, but prior to that they seem to have been a well respected optical manufacturer and had a store in the smart end of London selling high quality optics such as binoculars and telescopes, so I think it's highly probable that any camera lenses they bought in and sold would be of equally high quality. A bit of digging around turned up this nugget of information - Henry Sainsbury Newcombe - author and photographer to Royalty and owner of a photography shop in Bond Street (Dolland & Newcombe) - who ceased trading in 1967

Here's some pictures from the Dollonds on my Ipernity stream. These will have processed.
http://www.ipernity.com/tag/294337/keyword/3379939



.


Yes, OK, I thought your "button" might be something of that sort . . . impossible to tell for certain from the photo, though . . . not important.

Based on your post, and assuming the Dollonds and Vivitar lenses were made at the same time by the same company, it appears safe to assume both lenses were manufactured prior to 1967. This make them fifty years old at least, give or take, and I believe likely somewhat older than that.

That is a very nice series of photos you have presented, taken with your 200. I wonder what the 200 sold for back in the early 1960's. Even without knowing, I can tell you that back then I was not close to being able to afford one!
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