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Vivitar Professional 180mm f2.8
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:23 am    Post subject: Vivitar Professional 180mm f2.8 Reply with quote

I recently acquired a Vivitar Professional 180mm f2.8 lens and I'm trying to track down any information about it. There's almost no trace of it online and none of the printed lens guides I've looked at include this lens. I know of only one other Vivitar Professional series lens, the 135mm f1.5, but I don't know if the two share anything in common.

The lens has an M42 screw mount, tripod mounting ring, extending lens shade, and 8 blade iris. The serial number is 1000002 and doesn't correspond to any manufacturer on the Vivitar serial number lists.

A local used lens dealer I showed it to recently was unable to find it in his printed guides and concluded that it was some sort of one-off lens, perhaps a prototype or custom job.

Has anyone else ever run across this lens before? I'm curious if it's really that rare.

You can see more photos in my flickr gallery:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steevithak/sets/72157627309803137/detail/

-Steve





PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 5:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

No info, but wondered how much it weighed and how big the front element is.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fascinating! Where's Big Dawg?!


PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 7:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interesting, wonder if it's a copy of the Sonnar design or whether it has a different optical scheme?

Not many manufacturers made a 2.8/180, there's the obvious CZJ Sonnar, the Nikkor, Leica Elmarit, can't think of any others off the top of my head.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sigma, and Olympus also both made 180 2.8 lenses.
The design looks like it could possible be Tokina made. But that's just a guess.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
Interesting, wonder if it's a copy of the Sonnar design or whether it has a different optical scheme?

Not many manufacturers made a 2.8/180, there's the obvious CZJ Sonnar, the Nikkor, Leica Elmarit, can't think of any others off the top of my head.

Isco made one, too.
Anyway, that Vivitar seems to be a rare bird.

Klaus


PostPosted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 8:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Probably is a Tokina, looks very similar in details to the Tokina made Vivitar 200mm on the right of this pic:



PostPosted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 4:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
No info, but wondered how much it weighed and how big the front element is.


It's big. The filter size is 86mm. If I get time, I'll try to weigh it tomorrow.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

steevithak wrote:
Quote:
No info, but wondered how much it weighed and how big the front element is.


It's big. The filter size is 86mm. If I get time, I'll try to weigh it tomorrow.
Comparible to my 180/2.8 Sonnar I expect as the front element is similar size..


PostPosted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm getting into this topic because I own a nice CZJ 180/2,8. As you probably know, it's a medium format lens : it's big and heavy!

This Vivitar is made for M42 and is as big...

So my question : why those lenses are so heavy?? Are there "not so heavy" 180mm somewhere??


PostPosted: Tue Aug 16, 2011 6:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

One reason they are so heavy is the Sonnar design has a great big lump of glass in the middle.


PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2011 6:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks!


PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 6:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I finally got a chance to weight this thing and here's the result:

1,408 g (3lbs 1.7oz)

So, very heavy but lighter than the only other Vivitar Professional lens, the 135mm f/1.5 which weighed in at 4lbs 8oz.

Still haven't found any evidence of other examples of this 180mm f/2.8, even searching lens reviews in old camera mags via Google book search.

I created camera-wiki.org pages for the two Vivitar Professional lenses and will add more info on the 180mm as I find out anything.

Vivitar Professional 135mm f/1.5
http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Vivitar_Professional_135mm_f/1.5

Vivitar Professional 180mm f/2.8
http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Vivitar_Professional_180mm_f/2.8


PostPosted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

First one what I seen! Congrats!


PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 4:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Attila wrote:
First one what I seen!


Judging by its serial number, at least one other sample exists Smile


PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 5:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice find! The 180mm focal length is nice for those compressed depth of field model shots like you shot for your Flickr stream. I think this lens is very well suited to medium distances and really renders people (skin tones, etc.) well.

I checked a bunch of period catalogs I have and a book dedicated to Vivitar with no luck, not even a mention of the pro series. Great job on the Wiki, by the way!

Best,

Paul


PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 10:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's probably a Tokina judging by the barrel stylings, but I can find no info on a 2.8/180 made by Tokina.

Did Nikon make their 2.8/180 themselves or could they have had it made for them by Tokina?

Could this be the Nikon lens in different clothing?


PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
It's probably a Tokina judging by the barrel stylings, but I can find no info on a 2.8/180 made by Tokina.

Did Nikon make their 2.8/180 themselves or could they have had it made for them by Tokina?

Could this be the Nikon lens in different clothing?


Woah! Slow down there with the conclusions partner! What on earth could possibly make you think that Tokina made the 180/2.8 for Nikon? Nikon made their own lenses. I can only think of one modern AF lens which some believe is a Tokina lens re-branded...


PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ManualFocus-G wrote:
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
It's probably a Tokina judging by the barrel stylings, but I can find no info on a 2.8/180 made by Tokina.

Did Nikon make their 2.8/180 themselves or could they have had it made for them by Tokina?

Could this be the Nikon lens in different clothing?


Woah! Slow down there with the conclusions partner! What on earth could possibly make you think that Tokina made the 180/2.8 for Nikon? Nikon made their own lenses. I can only think of one modern AF lens which some believe is a Tokina lens re-branded...


No, no, no! Not drawing any conclusions, just musing!

The Viv 2.8/180 looks like other Vivs made by Tokina so is probably made by Tokina.

I was just trying to think of other Japanese 2.8/180s of the same vintage.

I was just wondering out loud, it's not to be taken as gospel, it's intended to stimulate debate!

Sorry for any misunderstanding there.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 2:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey, no worries! The problem with forums like this is that everything appears on Google, and if people read your thoughts and believe it to be gospel, all of sudden ebayers start selling Tokina lenses as Nikkors and the prices go through the roof Wink

Similar things have happened recently with mis-informed people believing that the cheap Japanese Helios 135/2.8 lenses are copies of CZJ Sonnars and any Chinon lens being listed as Tomiokas Confused Laughing


PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 2:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

This is a fascinating lens. Definitely no relation to the nikkor though, it is much bigger and heavier. It is more like the Sonnar, which I also have.


patrickh


PostPosted: Sat Aug 20, 2011 3:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hmm, I wonder how people came to the conclusion the Helios is a Sonnar copy? Because the Russian Helios are Zeiss copies?

Did Tokina ever sell a 2.8/180 branded Tokina?


PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
Hmm, I wonder how people came to the conclusion the Helios is a Sonnar copy? Because the Russian Helios are Zeiss copies?

Did Tokina ever sell a 2.8/180 branded Tokina?

Helios 44 is a copy of the Biotar.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 7:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Indeed it is, I have several, great lens.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 23, 2011 8:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Smull wrote:
I'm getting into this topic because I own a nice CZJ 180/2,8. As you probably know, it's a medium format lens : it's big and heavy!

This Vivitar is made for M42 and is as big...

So my question : why those lenses are so heavy?? Are there "not so heavy" 180mm somewhere??


Yes,

Leica Elmarit 2.8/180mm MKII..
Filterthread 67mm
1.8m-infinity
integrated lens hood
lenght 121mm
weight 810g.

no need for a tripod collar.

Cheers
Henry