Vivitar 28mm f2.8 MC - Any good for Landscapes on Crop Canon

[andyw]

I have recently purchased a Vivitar 28mm f2.8 MC (M42) and am pretty happy with it.

I now have a Canon 500D and the Vivitar is the widest lens I have at the moment. I am going to get the 24-105mm f4L lens as a regular walk about lens and will have a Canon 50m f1.8 II soon also.

I'm looking to also get a wide prime for landscape work. I love the look of the Carl Zeiss Distagon T* 3.5/18 ZE (The modern one for EOS cameras) as the IQ is just stunning but it's just under £1000 which is just way too much.

Would the vivitar be ok or is there better wider lenses out there. What would you recommend?

Thanks

[AhamB]

I only have experience with the Vivitar 28/2 (Komine built) and I think it was not so great for landscapes on crop, but nice for close-ups. But 28mm is not a wideangle on APS-C crop.

Why don't you get a Tamron (non-VC) 17-50mm/2.8? Then you have real wideangle and excellent sharpness. It's one of the best standard zooms for crop and very economical. The Canon 17-55/2.8 will be better but is about as expensive as that Zeiss ZE 18/3.5. I've had great results with the Tamron and it's very convenient as a walkabout zoom.

I think the 24-105L doesn't make sense for a crop camera: 38.4-168mm fullframe equivalent?? No wideangle at all...

If you can find one for a good price, you can try a Tamron 17/3.5 or Tokina AT-X Pro 17/3.5. They should be quite good, but the Tamron 17-50/2.8 isn't much more expensive.

You can also get nicer lenses than that Canon 50/1.8, by the way, if you don't necessarily need the AF.

[ManualFocus-G]

I find the Vivitar 28/2.8 is excellent!

http://forum.mflenses.com/vivitar-28-2-8-m42-komine-trip-to-france-t18808,highlight,%2Bvivitar+%2B28+%2Bfrance.html

[andyw]

[andyw]

[ManualFocus-G]

[fatdeeman]

28mm is not so wide on a crop camera but you can do landscape stuff if you want, you just have to be a bit more creative by picking out areas you like. You can do landscape work with a tele lens if you want, it's just refereed to as selective landscape photography. Just don't expect an ultra wide field of view.

[Attila]

There is plenty of other lenses and price level between cheap Vivitars and Zeiss .

http://www.mflenses.com/gallery/v/wide-angle/?

[peterqd]

Andy, I like the Vivitar 2.8/28 so much that I've bought three versions of it - M42, PK and Minolta MD, each around £15. And there's only one reason for that - I like it more than my S-M-C Takumar 3.5/28, Pentax-M 2.8/28 and Rokkor MC 3.5/28.

[RioRico]

Aren't there about 3.5*10^15 different Vivitart 28/2.8's in existence? I've sold a Komine-made (C/FD) and Tokina-made (T4, difficult M42 adapter), and kept a Kiron-made (N/AI) and Tokina-made (N/AI). Big Dawg here is the V'tart guru, and likely owns at least one of each and every version made since the Triassic era. He is the person to opine about specific models.

My thoughts on 28's as landscape lenses: They have their place. My best Grand Canyon pictures on a recent trip were shot with a Pentax M28/2.8, but only because I'd left my 24's in the motel safe. 28mm is great if you want a normal FOV. But zillions of normal 'scapes have already been shot. On an APS ('crop') camera, a kit 18-55mm covers landscape territory pretty well. I find myself using manual 21's and 24's for 'scapes; the 10-24 that should arrive before Xmas may change my mindset.

My thoughts on landscape shots: For resolution, get an old 6x9cm folder, some low-ISO film, and a negative scanner. That will blow away any digital camera and lens.

[Attila]

[andyw]

I'll never do film....far too impatient!!

[andyw]

[fuzzywuzzy]

[AhamB]