The most expensive and highly regarded 135 I have is crap!

FluffPuppy · Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Posts: 365

Could be a knocked lens.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

This is my lens, mint condition.

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

I also have that lens and although it suffers from flaring if no proper hood is used and sometimes I can see some CA, it was never as bad as your images show!

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

That's a nice result, Moleman.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

What I don't get about my copy is it's fine at f8, but bloody awful wider than that. Surely if it was faulty it would be apparent at all apertures?

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Yours is later than mine, Ian, and multi-coated too -mine is not. Mine also has patina:

Is that a Canon mount? I'm wondering, by chance did you use the sma adapter as with your 28mm Close Focus? If not too personal, may I ask what you paid?

Orio · Expire: 2012-12-04

I tried Carsten's copy, let's put it this way: I was not impressed.

DSG · Joined: 04 Mar 2007 Posts: 544 Location: London, UK.

themoleman342 · Expire: 2013-01-24

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

My Vivitar 28 CF was in PK mount, so not same adapter.

I have a Big I's FD-NEX adapter, it worked fine with my Canon FDs 1.8/50 and 2.8/28 and my Tokina 25-50 in FD mount.

I don't have a working FD mount camera so I can't try it on film, my AE-1 is jammed and needs seals and mirror foam replacing.

Seeing as woodrim's is rather well used and single coated yet performs admirably, it just adds to my confusdion. I am sure mine isn't damaged, it has not a mark on it, like new.

If mine has been assembled incorrectly with an element reversed, surely it wouldn't be fine at f8? My copy is fine at f8, just a total dog at wider apertures.

I have loads of really good 135s, my personal favourite is my M42 Pentacon 2.8/135, sharp even wide open, no CA, beautiful colours and bokeh. I also have 3.2 and 3.5 135 Hexanons, those are razor sharp, 3.5/135 Hexar is great too, then I have a beautiful chromed Steinheil Quinar 3.5/135. I am selling all my other 135s such as my J11A M42 and Sigma-made Pentacon 2.8/135, just don't need so many.

I got this Vivitar along with the FD 28 and 50 and AE-1 body for a good price locally so not great loss, I have already recouped the money I spent by selling both FD lenses.

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

See what they go for on ebay, that will tell you something about how they're regarded.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Yes, they usually go for at least 200USD.

walter g · Joined: 20 Feb 2010 Posts: 2463 Location: NC, USA

Instead of trusting peak focusing have you tried to bracket a shot instead?

FluffPuppy · Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Posts: 365

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

Aim for the Beam! That thing is Cannon fodder! Pretty cannon fodder though. It's simply a bad copy of the lens.
It happens even with Leica and Zeiss. I've had a couple Contax lenses that looked new and behaved Sh!t on arrival.
Probably why a 30 YO lens looks new .... no one ever used it Wink

The front element looks dodgy in the pic however. Are those dried "droplets" inside or outside of the front element?

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

cross post Laughing

themoleman342 · Expire: 2013-01-24

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

Olivier · Expire: 2015-08-06

F16SUNSHINE · Expire: 2011-11-18

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Ian, to be clear, mine produces blue fringing in all the expected places and requires very precise focusing. The blue CA gets corrected in 10 seconds in PS. May I suggest your next go with it you do not go to a torture test as we already know it gets the blue, but instead try a subject that will produce a good focus somewhere in the frame, like a brick wall on an angle. Or maybe even the row houses, focusing at some point before infinity. I use Big-Is adapters and don't always get a good infinity, often going past. In a last ditch effort, loan it to another forum poster who is local for a second opinion. England is small, everyone is local. And if you don't want to do that, sell it cheap to me, after all, it's crap.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

The spots are on the outside, mostly bits of dust, I think it got some drops of rain on it and some spots are where it dried.

I wonder if someone could lend me an FD mount body?

I know England is small but it's probably 150-200 miles to the next nearest member!

I'm in a really remote corner of this little isle of ours.

I will try it again, need to figure this out.

SXR_Mark · Joined: 12 Jun 2010 Posts: 506 Location: England

It would seem likely that this lens left the factory with this problem. I think the three most likely causes are:
1. A reversed element
2. The incorrect spacing between two elements (caused by incorrect fitting or by a mis-machined lens ring)
3. A misshapen lens element

Decentring of an element is a common failing but would tend to cause extreme softness on one edge or corner of the picture only.

135m lenses are usually quite simple optically. So, it might be quite straightforward to open the lens up and try reversing one element at a time. The physical construction can also limit the choices, and we know the front element will be convex on its front surface. The number of options might be quite limited. Of course, if someone has an accurate optical scheme, the job becomes a lot simpler.

It might also be possible to judge if an element is not fitted correctly by looking at the various mounting rings and their threads - seeing if they are screwed home properly.

Obviously, there is not much that can be done about a dodgy element.

If the lens were bought from a dealer, i would try to return it. If Ian doesn't want to sell it on to someone else (and this is not something i could do without admitting it was rubbish and thus destroying its resale value), then I would have a go at opening it up to see what is what.

Mark

BTW, Colour fringing is often worse in out of focus areas, so the lack of sharp focus on this lens will exacerbate the fringing. Also, stopping down will improve sharpness even if the lens has a fault. Now, if the sharpness changes very suddenly from poor to good when going from f5,6 to f8, then that might indicate that an optical element has a flaw that becomes masked when the aperture is reduced.

SXR_Mark · Joined: 12 Jun 2010 Posts: 506 Location: England

I think it highly unlikely that the adapter would cause this problem. It would have to be very badly wedged to make the pictures so soft. This looks like a lens fault to me.

Mark