Vivitar 200mm f3.5 18 blade--How Old Is It!?

Jeff Zen · Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Posts: 262 Location: Northwest USA

I recently bought this old Vivitar 200mm f3.5 18-blade preset lens for under $20. I have seen later versions online but no information on this particular model. It is reasonably sharp wide open and an excellent all around performer.

Some CA, but this is a non-issue for me since it takes only seconds to correct in photoshop. (I use Replace Color Adjustment.) It definitely could use a hood as it does flare in some situations, but less than I expected.

I think this is a very sexy lens and I would appreciate any information as to date and place of manufacture, even if you are just making an educated guess. Thanks!

Ps. What does the red R on the DOF scale mean?

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Its from the mid-late 1960's, one of the first set of lenses sold under the Vivitar brand, perhaps the first 200mm Vivitar.

The maker seems to be the same one that was responsible for all these early preset Vivitars. The distinctive slotted aperture mechanism is the main unique feature of these.

Member Big Dawg has a nice collection of these btw.

My guess is the maker was Kino/Kiron, mainly by a process of elimination. Because its not similar to known presets made by major third-party makers of the day, Taisei/Tamron, Tokyo Koki/Tokina, Nittoh/Komine, Kawakami/Kawanon, Sankyo/Sankor, etc., someone with manufacturing capacity and expertise had to have made these. Kino/Kiron had to have gotten its start in this business somehow, and I have never identified a true Kino-made preset before.

martinsmith99 · Expire: 2013-11-18

Isn't that serial number indicative of Olympus made Vivs, or is this before the numbers gave away the makers?

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

This is indeed from before the days of the serial number system.

Jeff Zen · Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Posts: 262 Location: Northwest USA

Thank you luisalegria. I greatly value your insight. I figured BigDawg was the go-to guy for older Vivitars. I wonder if he can shed further light on the subject.

It's a shame we don't have documentation on who manufactured these earlier Vivitars. Actually I wonder if the serial number documentation we do have is entirely accurate. I have no reason to doubt it other than my conviction that there is way too much disinformation on the web. Call me cynical.

Here are some test shots taken with this lens:

no-X · Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 10:08 pm Post subject:

This lens was very likely made by the same manufacturer as the 85/1.8 Vivitar. Some users says it is old Tokina lens, but I think there's no proof of that.

estudleon · Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 3754 Location: Argentina

Yes. It seems to me that the vivitar 1,8/85 and that 200 mm lenses were made by the same maker.

I find that the rendering of the 200 lens is very similar (in color and contrast) than my mamiya sekor 2,8/135.

Oh, perhaps the maker of the vivitar 1,8/85 and the mamiya 2,8/135 can be tokina. The 200 was a tokina one too?

Rino.

martinsmith99 · Expire: 2013-11-18

That 1st image has a fantastic vintage look to it.

scsambrook · Expire: 2011-11-18

"Ps. What does the red R on the DOF scale mean?"

That's for when using infra-red film - you focus as usual, note the distance on the scale and then shift the reading to the R mark. Not many people ever used IR film, but the makers back then maybe assumed they should cater for all eventualities.

andyw · Joined: 15 Aug 2009 Posts: 624 Location: Surrey. UK

Awesome pics!!! Greta colors and sharp as a tak!

fatdeeman · Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 780 Location: UK

Nice pics and a nice looking lens!

Big Dawg · Joined: 28 Jan 2009 Posts: 2530 Location: Thach Alabama

A great lens and one of my favorites. As to the maker....Who knows? Some say this is one of the ones made for Vivitar by Olympus. Durring this period Vivitar would buy from whomever had the best price and quality. All I know is it likes my 2X 22 Vivitar teleconverter. Great shots with it. Other than some Chromatic aberration and flair it is a nice contrasty lens with very good color and smooth Bokeh. Don't back light your subject and the Chroma is not apparent.

Go here for some of my photos taken with it.
http://forum.mflenses.com/a-few-photos-with-a-vivitar-200mm-f-3-5-preset-lens-t20502.html

And here for some more...Please forgive my poor shooting skills.
http://forum.mflenses.com/a-few-more-with-the-viv-200mm-pre-set-lens-t20569.html

One precaution with these Vivitar Pre-set lenses.....Be easy on moving the aperture rings. The blades can come loose from the Iris ring if you slam them around. Also some have reported breaking the blades. Just move them smoothly and you will have no problems.

estudleon · Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 3754 Location: Argentina

Jeff Zen · Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Posts: 262 Location: Northwest USA

Thanks Big Dawg for your valuable wisdom, and thanks scsambrook for solving the red dof "R" mystery. I wouldn't have guessed that.
Great forum!

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

Here's another Vivitar example that appears to have been made by the same maker -- the legendary 135mm f/1.5 "Professional":

I owned one of these for a long time, finally sold it a few years ago. Construction and cosmetics look to be very similar to your 200/3.5. As near as I was ever able to determine, my 135/1.5 was made in about 1968. Image note: I googled the above image. I have some pics of the one I used to own around here somewhere, but it would take quite a bit of digging to find them.

Big Dawg · Joined: 28 Jan 2009 Posts: 2530 Location: Thach Alabama

Jeff Zen · Joined: 17 Jun 2009 Posts: 262 Location: Northwest USA

Very, very interesting Michael and Big Dawg. I was totally unaware that this lens existed, and apparently the folks at Vivitar had no idea either. There are some similarities between this lens and mine for sure, but also some differences. Here are some more photos of the 135mm f1.5 "Professional" that I found online. Note the differences in the Vivitar logo. That could possibly indicate that it came later than mine. The professional looks like it might have 16 blades that curve more than the 200mm at the aperture. Its less Tak-like than mine but both lenses are definitely related. Thanks for pointing that out.

Boy would I love to have one of these, or at least a Helios 40-2.

espirit · Joined: 08 Nov 2010 Posts: 12

The red R on the DOF scale it's referente to focus for infra red photos.

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

They all fit here - obviously the same producer:
http://forum.mflenses.com/mistery-lenses-collection-t23606.html

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

Just noticed this old thread being resurrected. I don't recall seeing the images Jeff provided before. So let me just make a brief comment. The 135/1.5 pictured is, I believe, an earlier example than the one I owned. Mine said "Professional" on the front ring along with the rest of the info it has there. I believe the s/n on this old lens was also indicative of its year of manufacture. The one in Jeff's photo is 19671001, and I'm pretty sure that was the first lens produced in 1967. This would reinforce my argument that the one I owned, with its "Professional" label, came later. Manufacturers tend to add to labels and descriptions over time, rather than subtracting from them.

Perkin-Elmer also built some of Vivitar's optics. Perhaps this was one? Or maybe even this series? From one story I've read, one of Vivitar's early optical engineers was an ex-Perkin-Elmer employee, and apparently, they went to P-E for some of their work, especially the solid CATs.

Big Dawg · Joined: 28 Jan 2009 Posts: 2530 Location: Thach Alabama

There are different series of these early pre-set Vivitars. Some with the serial number of 5XXXX, some with 6XXXX and some with 7XXXX.(There are probably others) The first two usually with the early T-mount and the 7XXXX with a T2 mount. I always am a little aggravated when someone says T2 mount when it is an original T-mount. It can be confusing to some since a lot of the T2 adapters are T-T2's, usable on either one by the way.

From Wikipedia....

T-mount is a standard lens mount for cameras and other optical assemblies. The T2 version is a screw mount using a male M42x0.75 metric thread on the lens with a flange focal distance of 55 mm, and a mating female thread on a camera adapter or other optical component. This thread form is referred to as T-thread. (This should not be confused with the M42 lens mount which is also 42mm, but has a 1mm thread pitch.)

The "T" is said to stand for Tamron, a Japanese manufacturer, who in 1957 made a line of aftermarket camera lenses all using their T2 T-mount as a universal fit to 35mm SLR cameras of various manufacturers. The proprietary lens mount of each competitive manufacturer was adapted to the T-mount thread with a simple adapter. Thus a retailer could stock a small number of expensive lenses that would fit a large number of camera brands using a selection of inexpensive adapters.

The original T Mount slides onto a T mount lens. It is secured only by 3 set screws that match a channel on the lens mount so that the lens barrel is not deformed by the set screws, and it can therefore be removed with no problem.

The T-mount connection is a solely mechanical specification. Electrical or mechanical connections (such as for autofocus) are generally not provided, however Sigma's YS Mount featured an automatic diaphragm coupling.

The 7XXXX lens I've run into are the threaded versions thus T2 mounts. But then I'm still new at this and do not know it all! First step to knowledge is to admit ignorance., I say! LOL

I've often wondered and am in the process of seeking out the lens of each serial number series, to see if they indeed are separate series and possibly made sequentially as series. With the 5XXXbeing followed by a 6XXXX series followed by a 7XXXseries. And I mean a full series.....Well that is the excuse I'm giving my wife anyway!!!! LOL

SVP · Expire: 2017-12-17

casualcollector · Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 12:32 pm Post subject:

SVP · Expire: 2017-12-17

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

I think that sounds plausible. They saw how many of the 1967 run actually got sold, and just decided to drop a couple of digits.