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Vivitar (komine) 35mm f2.8 - M42 mount
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 8:35 pm    Post subject: Vivitar (komine) 35mm f2.8 - M42 mount Reply with quote
There are quite a few references to the tokina made 35mm lenses, both TX and fixed mount, but hardly any to this lens so I was prompted to put in a bid to satisfy my curiosity.



Nice lens in good condition. And first impressions are favourable (pentax K5).







PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 8:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Very nice results. These Komine-made 35mm f/2.8 don't pop up often. When I was searching to buy a 35mm, it was mostly the Tokina version that was readily available (and as other brands). I ended up going that route, but was also curious how the Komine would stack up. The Tokina fixed M42 and T4 versions are excellent, and appear to be classic 7x7 formula lenses. This one is quite shorter, possibly a 5x5? The landscape is quite good. I wouldn't expect such if it's a 5x5.

Thanks for sharing!


PostPosted: Mon Jun 29, 2015 11:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
There are some economical 35 mm lenses.

The soligor T4 (tokina?) made in vivitar brand too.

The konica is another good one.


How can compare you any or both lenses with yours.

Thanks.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 12:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
papasito wrote:
There are some economical 35 mm lenses.

The soligor T4 (tokina?) made in vivitar brand too.

The konica is another good one.


How can compare you any or both lenses with yours.

Thanks.


As you await MarcusBMG to reply to your question, I can add that the Soligor T4 is a Tokina lens...and the same one as a Vivitar.
The Tokina has a good reputation, and my T4 version is excellent and didn't disappoint. It has my recommendation.

The Konica isn't exactly economical, as I've only found them so far, for nearly $200 USD.

One affordable 35mm is the Takumar f/3.5. It's quite good, but the Tokina is overall better, considering far-field focus detail.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 3:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The 35mm lenses I can make some comparison with because I had them, are the Mir 1, an early preset t-mount vivitar 35mm f3.5, a soligor preset t-mount 35mm f2.8, and my DA 35mm f2.4. The t-mounts were quite decent stopped down but soft wide open. The Mir (= soviet flektogon), an early silver M39 one, required a lot of pp for dull contrast and overall I didn't think it was giving me anything particularly more than eg my adaptall 01A 35-80mm.
I will do some more considered comparison with my DA.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 30, 2015 5:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I bought one of these today in sr mount. Looks very decent, nice photos!


PostPosted: Sat Jul 04, 2015 11:09 pm    Post subject: Test Pics and crops Reply with quote
Well the sun came out and I had time to get some comparison pics with the DA35. These are from RAW, just same default settings (contrast 25, sharpness 25, 0 on everything else) for all the pics apart from slight exposure adjustments. I used AF with the DA.

Landscape f2.8; f4; f5.6; f8:


Crops


DA35 - f2.4


Resolution very similar IMO, both lenses a bit soft. Colours slightly brighter and more contrasty on the DA - no surprise with much more modern coatings. Some glow/halo around white reflective objects like the white boat with the vivitar. Water colour more natural with the DA.





DA35 - f8 edit as for the warmer colour i just checked back in LR and the WB temp was 6100 as opposed to 5500 with the viv, so that's the camera (mostly).


Glow/halos on viv mostly gone at f4, and both lenses nice and sharp from f5.6. However the DA is marginally but distinctly sharper, and previous observations re colours, contrast still pertain.

Castle, somewhat backlit.


Vivitar showed more, and more persistent, CA than the DA, in the form purplish seepage into the castle turrets (the most difficult CA to remove I think, I have usually had to resort to dropping the luminance and saturation for purple on the HSL sliders in LR3 to ameliorate this sort of CA - do you know different?). The DA exhibited a thin red fringe down the right sides of turrets.



DA35 f2.4


Resolution wise f2.8 vs f2.4 I thought the viv was actually a bit better on this shot, and also at f4.





DA35 f8


That purple seepage reduced steadily through f4, and was mostly gone by f5.6. Little to choose between the two lenses resolution wise at the middling f's.
I also took pics from the south side of the castle but when I examined them I noticed that the shutter speeds on the pics from the viv went 1/1250; 1/125; 1/160; 1/125! Something amiss there! Maybe I'll try again.
But in any case in most respects the viv keeps up well with the DA, which, although it's priced as a consumer prime, has a good rep for sharpness. I think this komine 35mm is a keeper.

Last edited by marcusBMG on Mon Jul 06, 2015 1:29 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 3:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just won a TX vivitar 35mm, interestingly and unusually an f2.5 (was I bidding against one of you guys??). So when that arrives I'll do some more pics with that and the komine on my 20MPx samsung.

I have now noticed that Kino (kiron) also made a viv 35mm (22xxxx serial)

Last edited by marcusBMG on Sun Jul 05, 2015 5:08 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 4:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
2.5/35 is the first generation TX. 2.8/35 is the later, compact version and may be less common.


PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 5:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
casualcollector wrote:
2.5/35 is the first generation TX. 2.8/35 is the later, compact version and may be less common.


Do you have a notion of the relative merits?


PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 10:50 pm    Post subject: viv 35mm on samsung NX20 Reply with quote
I took the viv 35mm and the samsung NX20 on an afternoon stroll around Deganwy Castle (site of). Very impressed with the resolution of the results at f5.6 - f11.





crop.


Last edited by marcusBMG on Mon Jul 06, 2015 1:27 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sun Jul 05, 2015 11:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Not aware of or familiar with the f/2.5 version. Only the f/2.8. Can you post a few pics of the lens?

It looks like another winner. I love the results from my f/2.8 T4 version.

Last edited by WNG555 on Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:29 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Mon Jul 06, 2015 4:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
WNG555 wrote:
Not aware of or familiar with the f/2.5 version. Only the f/2.8. Can you post a few pics of the lens?

It looks like another winner. I love the results from my f/2.8 T4/TX version.


To the best of my knowledge, the T4 2.8/35 did not change from the time of introduction to the end. The 2.5/35 was introduced when the TX line replaced the T4 series, ca. 1975. The 2.8 version was introduced a few years later.

I don't have the 2.8/35 TX so can't offer any opinions or comparisons. I do have the 2.5/35 TX but it's still buried from my last move so can't offer an image of it right now.


PostPosted: Fri Jul 10, 2015 9:20 pm    Post subject: Comparison with TX vivitar 35mm Reply with quote
Well the tokina made TX mount vivtar 35mm f2.5 arrived, here it is with a matching M42 mount side by side with the komine. The TX is also a really nice vivitar, lovely smooth focus, and it focusses to 27cm as opposed to 40cm on the komine. I did have a bit of bother removing the minolta tx mount.




I took some comparison pics with the Pentax K5 on the south side of the castle. From RAW, minor exposure adjust otherwise default lightroom settings only. TX 35mm crops first.



At f2.5 vs f2.8 the komine was comfortably sharper, and it was noticeable how the TX was softer at the edges - even on apsc. However the TX was much better re fringing/CA.




At f4 the komine ws still sharper.



At f8 IQ had converged but I would still tend to favour the komine.



Komine all the way .. but now I'll have to do some close focus pics.


PostPosted: Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Some close focus results. Centre crops, wide open and f5.6, samsung NX20, Vivitar TX top, komine below.









PostPosted: Sun Jul 19, 2015 9:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I decided to get a check on the castle comparison with my NX20. Results proved to be consistent.




Crops f2.8/2.5; f4; f5.6; f8; f11. Komine 35mm top.






I find the performance of the TX 35mm disappointing off centre, centre crops were close in quality f5.6 up (though for me looking at the full sized images side by side the komine still edges it). Is your TX 35mm better than this?

Last edited by marcusBMG on Tue Aug 04, 2015 7:17 pm; edited 2 times in total


PostPosted: Mon Jul 20, 2015 12:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The Komine's results are better than the TX. The sharpness is significant!

I just found what I suspect is a Komine version on evilBay this weekend. The seller's photos weren't good and there is a CPL obscuring the front of the lens. But it looks physically like yours, but for a Canon FD mount. A 'Buy it Now' with a price I couldn't risk hesitating on. Should arrive tomorrow afternoon.

And will do a similar comparison to my T4 and M42 Tokina/Vivitars.

Addendum:
The Vivitar lens arrived late yesterday and I was fortunately correct, it's a Komine!
Albeit with decades of dust on it. But it cleaned up nicely and the elements are clean and clear.
Initial test shots indicate it's a nice sharp copy like yours! Relieved and thrilled.


PostPosted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 6:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I picked up another example of the komine Vivitar 35mm 2.8, this time in PK mount for convenient use on my K5. Cost a bit more than the first one - some numpty had written a review on Pentax Forums giving it 9/10, noted I suspect by multifarious ebay scavengers...
Same performance though: soft at f2.8, good from f5.6. I was on Benarth Hill taking some test pics of the castle with some adaptalls and other lenses so fired off a sequence with it. This is at f8, exported from LR3.6 - quasi panoramic crop, just relatively minor contrast/clarity boost, slight exposure and WB (lens is a tad "cool") adjust, sharpen +50.
The bridges to the R of the castle are well known as the "test cases" for the much bigger versions of, respectively, the Telford box construction railway bridge (burnt down 1970, bridge rebuilt with arches and road deck), the Stevenson suspension bridge over the Menai Straits.
Worth a look full sized.

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