Novice: seeks advice on Sigma, Optomax + Vivitar Series I

[ocular saccharum]

Hello everyone,

Having dug out my old Olympus-fit manual lenses and finding a mixture of fungus and 'sticky' elements on several of my old Zuiko favourites, I'm now enjoying learning a lot from this site and scouring the various places to buy old lenses. To that end, I wonder whether anyone had any views on the worthiness of following lenses (I appreciate they are fairly standard fare):

Sigma 28-70mm f2.8-4
Sigma 400mm f5.6 APO
Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f2.8-4
Optomax 135mm f2.8

Many thanks!

[Helios]

Welcome on board !
I think there is no "dog" in this list . I only know a few about the Vivitar 70-210 S 1 , perhaps the best zoom I owned in this range of focal lengths. Optomax is an english reseller's brand , I have a T2 mounted 4,5/200 mm which is surprisingly good. In third party lenses of 135mm focal length , really bad lenses don't exist, you won't be disappointed, but don't pay much for it ...
I cannot say anything about the 2 others.
If you cant catch this whole gear for €100 or under , it woukd be a good deal ....

[Photomac]

Hello there,
The Viv S1 can usually be counted on for decent results. Of the others, inspect carefully any copy of the Sigma 400 f5.6 APO you are thinking about buying. Shine a high-intensity light through the lens, ignore the dust and look for cloudiness.

If you get a good one, it can be a very good lens, but they often have problems with internal haze, which comes from one of two sources - grease from the I/F sleeve and rollers, or separation of the cemented element in the focusing group.

They are also quite difficult to repair - Sigma UK won't even try, and there is no obvious way to dismantle them and then successfully get them back together again. I managed to do it for Rob Leslie's lens, but I had the benefit of a scrapped one to work from in determining what to do!

regards

Angus

[spiralcity]

I own the Optomax 6.3 400mm, I find that for the price it's a usable lens.

The Optomax 400mm

[cooltouch]

Of the lenses listed, the only one I have any experience with is the Vivitar Series 1 70-210. Vivitar made at least four different version of this lens, and the f/2.8-4 was that last one, according to my records. It's a very nice zoom.

[PBFACTS]

[edumad]

I have the sigma 28-70mm and its good, its for sale right now because the range in APS-C is not that great for me, and I have others to replace it.

Sigma 400mm APO should fare very well too. The older non APO version isn't good.

[ocular saccharum]

Thank you everyone for sharing your valuable knowledge - much appreciated. I shall let you know how I get on.

[Russ]

Left to right:
Kiron model, f/3.5
Tokina model, f/3.5
Komine model, f/2.8-4
Kiron 70-210. f/4 with Zoom-lock

Regarding Viv S-1 glass. There are numerous (8 editions) Series 1, 70-210 lenses. However, for the sake of discussion, we will deal with the first three. The following editions are nothing to seriously consider, so we will concentrate on the first three editions, which are the good one's. The 4th & 5th editions are also 2.8-4 variable aperture model's, but lacking in construction quality (Cosina built). Due to the fact that the third one is a variable aperture lens, (2.8-4) it will be somewhat sharper than a fixed aperture lenses. It is much easier to design and build a quality variable aperture lens.

The first edition was designed by Vivitar (Ellis Betensky of NASA Optics fame), had a hand in it, and it was built by Kiron. (67mm filter) It is a professional caliber lens, with a 1:2 macro feature built into it. It was the first zoom, designed with the aid of computers, that truly rivaled the OEM lenses of the time. That was in "76."

The second edition (my personal favorite) was built by Tokina, per, Vivitars specs. It too, is a fixed 3.5 aperture, but smaller, lighter and sharper. (62mm filter size). I really like it because of the fixed 3.5 aperture which is nice for focusing in dim light and long range flash work. However, not a true macro, 1:4 life size.

The third edition was made by Komine, and like the first two, is very well built. It is a 2.8-4 variable aperture lens, and the sharpest of the bunch. It has 1:2.5 life size macro from 100-210mm's, with a working distance of about two feet. Which can be quite useful. Can you see a discernible difference in slides taken with either one of them? No! Don't get caught up in bench tests. Any of the first three editions will give you professional-publishable images. I really like this lens, and over time, has become my favorite of the line.

Personally, I recommend the second or third edition of the line. I have and use all three of the first editions, and can highly recommend any one of them. Superb optics and construction.

Also, the Kiron 70-210 f/4, is a splendid performer.

QLP (Kiron Kid & MrVivSeries1)

[estudleon]

Thanks Russ.

Rino.

[Russ]