Hanimar-Vivitar 100mm f 2.8

casualcollector · Posted: Wed May 13, 2009 9:27 pm Post subject: Hanimar-Vivitar 100mm f 2.8

Curiosity overcame me with this lens, a recent E-Bay purchase. I haven't seen this lens before and am curious about its parentage. It's a nice, compact lens. 52mm filter tread. It's in Canon FL mount, so that dates it to 1972 or earlier. The focus grip looks rubber but it is metal. It doesn't appear to be cheaply made, unlike some Hanimars. The engraving is fine and nicely done, the A M ring has "ears". The two parts of the focus helical are brass and aluminum, usually an indication of a well intentioned maker. There is a single focus guide. The kicker is focusing orientation. This lens goes counter clockwise to close-up. Something I usually associate with Sigma but this lens seems to nice to be a Sigma and it doesn't bear the sigma symbol or an E in the serial. Four screws hold the Canon FL mount to the body. It's pretty obvious that it is not Tokina. I'm thinking Nitto/Komine as I think they would go both ways on the focus helical. Somebody must have a near ringer of this lens and some insight. Look the pictures over and tell me what you think!

Bill

A size comparison with the Tokina made T4 105/2.8

Ye Olde Blunderbuss dwarfs it!

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Huh, curious indeed. That M-A switch is too much. How often does one turn that ?

All-metal knurling like that was also an early 1970's Sigma feature I think. I have an Upsilon YS-mount (cheap Sigma-made) like that.

There are some Soligors with that "eared" ring. But this is on presets, the ring was the aperture ring - but the feature is so distinctive that it could easily have been recycled as the overkill M-A switch.

I think this was the last preset series Soligor sold - and its quite common too. I don't know who made those for Soligor, but it must have been one of the majors, Soligor didn't sell trash then.

Here is one -

http://cgi.ebay.com/SOLIGOR-1-3-5-135mm-PRESET-LENS-PENTAX-M42-EXCELLENT_W0QQitemZ190306888604QQihZ009QQcategoryZ3323QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Komine is a good guess, but as you say, this is a very odd lens because it must be rare. If its rare, it could be nearly anyone, doing a small run.

casualcollector · Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 4:10 pm Post subject:

Luis,

I imagine it gets used occasionally if the lens is adapted to digital cameras. Since this is a Canon manual focus lens, adapting to common DSLRs with infinity focus will require some clever reworking.

I looked at the lens you linked to and see that it uses the Leica-Canon focus orientation. I'm not sure how difficult it is to change that in the manufacturing process. I recall the Hanimex lenses we carried when I was selling went one way or another depending on model. The 28 did the Nikon-Pentax thing while the 135 was opposite! Soligors seem to have favored the Leica Canon orientation but there were exceptions there, too.

The lens is going to be inconvenient to use on MF Canons. The ears of the AM ring interfere with getting a good grip on the breech lock ring. Same occurs with the aperture ring. If it were Canon FD mount if would be fine for autoexposure cameras but the aperture ring is difficult to turn for match needle cameras. I have half a roll of film left in my new Canon T70, I'll give it a trial soon.

casualcollector · Posted: Thu May 14, 2009 9:31 pm Post subject:

I really need to get a job! I was combing auction listings for lenses that resembled the Hanimar today. Sure 'nuff I found a near ringer and it says Vivitar on it. Distance engravings, filter rim features, even left handed focusing is the same as the Hanimar. No A-M ring! Serial number does not conform to the published list for Viv. Perhaps we could add Kino to the list of suspects.

Luis, I think you're onto something about those late model Soligor presets. The ears are similar to what's on my Hanimar. The way Soligor is engraved on the name ring differs from Tokina made lenses and is much like Kino made Mirandas and Soligors.

Click here to see on Ebay

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Hey, I've got a job and I'm just as bad, or probably worse.

Anyway, that Vivitar is certainly the same lens. And no serial # series, I guess its from 1968-71 or so ? Fits with your Hanimar.

PBFACTS · Joined: 24 Dec 2008 Posts: 568

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Hanimex sold a lot of different makers in its time. There are 1960's Hanimex/Hanimar that are Tamron and Tokina-made for sure, just to start, and there are many more besides. So I would expect all sorts of things to turn up under the Hanimex brands.