Vivitar Series-1 28-90mm f/2.8-3.5: Some snapshots...

cheekygeek · Joined: 05 Aug 2008 Posts: 183

I've caught up on things to the point that I'm finally ready to send this lens to Ralph Innes for an oil change/clean-up.
I've now got a Pentax K-5 and I'm dying to see what this lens can do on it.

Russ · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 432

f8orbust · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 8:50 pm Post subject:

Hi Russ

I can fax, or photocopy and post. I don't have a scanner but my son does. I'll see if he can come up with a legible copy...or..........

I also have some other Vivitar leaflets and lens instruction manuals that you might be interested in. If you promise to send them back I will quite happily bundle them all up and post to you - FOC

Phil

Russ · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 432

f8orbust · Posted: Sun Oct 07, 2012 10:49 pm Post subject:

Hi Russ

I have a feeling it's your fault that I have so many Vivitar lenses. Mr QLP on the Cult Lens megasite? Kiron Kid?

Normally I wouldn't enter into a personal conversation here but as it is a Vivitar thread hopefully some other readers will find some of this interesting. Apologies to others.

Russ. I have:

Instruction Manual S1 28-105 (Cosina)
Instruction Manual S1 70-210 v3
Instruction leaflet Macro Converter (Kiron)
A4 4 page leaflet Vivitar Auto Fixed Mount lenses (1980's) 8 lenses
A4 4 page leaflet Vivitar Series 1 lenses (1980's) 4 lenses including 28-90 and 70-210 v3
A4 4 page leaflet Vivitar Series 1 lenses and Binocs (1980's) including 28-105 and 70-210 v4
Camera Weekly Test S1 28-105
Camera Weekly Test 70-210 v3 They rated it as pretty average. Idiots
Camera Weekly Magazine including a test of the S1 70-210 v4. They loved it!. Idiots?
Which Lens supplement Summer 1987. 100 pages of Zoom lens reviews available at the time. LBA Bible!
Which Lens supplement Winter 1988. 100 pages of Zooms. Ditto
Which Camera Supplement Summer 1986. Pages in the back for prices of all lenses available at the time

I also have a 70-210 QDOS tucked away somewhere with all the bits. I can't include it now but if you need Instruction Manual etc let me know. This is really a 70-210 v4 Cosina with bits added on but if the Camera Weekly Review is anything to go by maybe I should use it more often!

I'm sure you have some of these. If so let me know and we can lighten the postage

Finally if you would like to email your address to me at work we can continue in private if you wish

PM sent

Phil

Russ · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 432

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

I'm a happy boy today I just picked up a near mint, cased, copy of that Viv' S1 today for �10 at the local camera fair. The sun is shining, I'm off to try it! Very Happy

SonicScot · Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 3:14 pm Post subject:

Russ · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 432

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

the lens was in a box of crap under a table at the camera fair, in it's unmarked case. I held it up and asked the price, paid the money and ran! I knew it was good, the seller didn't.

I think I'm going to like this lens, it is Canon breechlock which I hate - but so is my Komine S1 70-210, what a great walkabout pair of lenses.
Here's a few pictures from its first outing, all untouched except for the church pic' which has had some levels. All shot wide, not fully wide open - maybe f3 to f4. ISO500 and hand held on a Sony A6000.
They all need some levels / contrast, but that's me rather than the lens. Once I get used to it this will be a well used lens. Cool

There is sharpness in this lens, I didn't quite nail it here though.

Mir · Expire: 2017-09-30

#1 and #2 for me.... looks like your gonna like this one !

Great find, congrats !

Russ · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 432

My all time favorite lens. Still using the one that I purchased in the early 80's when they came out.

Russ · Joined: 26 Feb 2007 Posts: 432

kenetik · Joined: 02 Mar 2014 Posts: 524

semaca · Joined: 23 Apr 2014 Posts: 25

Nice lens. Does anybody know if 90$ is a good price for a Vivitar in very good shape with Nikon AI(?) mount?

Oldhand · Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 8:09 am Post subject:

Mir · Expire: 2017-09-30

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

Some more pictures from today, I'm loving this lens already. The one touch is OK, I do prefer a two ring lens but I don't hate one touch so much I wont use them - I have plenty. The close focus is superb, on the Sony A6000 - Canon FD Adapter - I can get the subject about 50mm from the front of the lens. I rarely shoot wide open, these pictures are all f3 - 4 and maybe 5.6. I have PP'd them as well, but not much.

jfoote · Joined: 07 Apr 2015 Posts: 4

I have one that will be here tomorrow. I got it for next-to-nothing with a Nikon FE attached.

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

I think you will like it, I use mine a lot - it's such a good walkabout lens. Post some pictures, I'd like to see them.

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9097 Location: Houston, Texas

I'm with Lloyd here. As I mentioned in a previous post, I used to use this as one of two zoom lenses along with my Canon F-1 in my "walking around" kit. It has delivered for me countless times, such that I came to depend heavily on its reliability, its color, contrast, and sharpness. With my APS-C NEX, instead of it being a wide-to-short-tele zoom, it has become a portrait zoom with its approximate 35mm equivalent range of 50-150mm. Just about perfect for a portrait zoom.

I'm also a really big fan of Tamron and I own several Tamron zooms. Two of my most recent purchases are the SP 28--80mm, which I see as a direct rival to the Vivitar S1 28-90, and the SP 35--80mm, a highly respected zoom. Even with its limited zoom range, it can still be used in a comparison in which those faal, I feel.

So one of these days soon, look for a direct comparison between these three optics. I also have the Canon 35-105mm f/3.5 that might should be included and I think I might have a Tokina AT-X as well. I have so many lenses right now, many of which will be going on eBay when I find the time to sort through them and write descriptions.

Boats moored against a small Morro Bay pier. Canon F-1, Vivitar S1 28-90mm, Kodachrome 64

"Boys on Pier" Canon F-1, Vivitar S1 28-90mm, Kodachrome 64

"Camcorder Bubba" Canon F-1, Vivitar S1 28-90, Fujichrome 100

pkmx · Joined: 25 Aug 2015 Posts: 25 Location: Hsinchu, Taiwan

I bought this Vivitar legend and have been shooting with it for a few weeks.

Pros:
- 28-90mm makes it a really decent walkaround lens.
- 1:3 macro capability at 28mm for versatility.
- The image quality is phenomenal for a zoom lens of this age. The center is extremely sharp even wide open at f/2.8~3.5.
- Distortions at all focal lengths are well-controlled.
- It's cheap. I bought mine for $60 and it came fresh like new.

Cons:
- As it has been pointed out, this lens is not a true zoom. The vari-focal aspect doesn't really annoy me much however.
- There is very severe vignetting at 28/2.8, but it is reduced to negligible amount once you stop down or zoom to ~35mm.
- While this lens is very sharp in the center, the extreme borders and edges are fairly soft.
- The lens doesn't really handle flaring well, so beware of bright lights around your frame.
- The focus throw is way too short (~90 degrees) that it makes nailing the focus quite difficult.

Overall I'm quite pleased with the results. You just need to avoid the weakness at the edges and the vignetting at 28mm, otherwise it's a very nice lens indeed.

This one is shot at 90mm and f/4 showing the sharpness at center. It also got a bit of flare from the sun in the left:

DSC04621 by Chih-Mao Chen, on Flickr

The vignetting at 28mm and f/4:

DSC04526 by Chih-Mao Chen, on Flickr

Bokeh looks good as well:

DSC04704 by Chih-Mao Chen, on Flickr

doomed-forever · Joined: 09 Aug 2014 Posts: 239

I'd say the Vivitar 1 28-90 is radioactive, based on the tantalum high refractive front element into the lens, just like other lenses from the 70-80s time table.

caledonia84 · Joined: 06 Feb 2013 Posts: 203 Location: Glasgow

An excellent lens, another I regret selling.