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Vivitar Series 1 VMC 200mm 3.5
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PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2014 3:49 pm    Post subject: Vivitar Series 1 VMC 200mm 3.5 Reply with quote
I picked up this Vivitar from the fleamarket this morning. It's in pristine condition, really like new, but I can hardly find information on the net. As I'm still waiting for an FD adapter to arrive, I can't test it. Is there someone out there, who has any experience with this lens. I think it must be the first AF lens Vivitar made. It needed 3 AAA batteries.

quidam




PostPosted: Thu May 08, 2014 6:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
edited

Last edited by bernhardas on Tue May 17, 2016 7:32 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 2:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
This has been reported on here before. Someone has one, but I don't recall who. This lens is the same as the Series 1 3/200, but with the funky AF and a little slower, no doubt because of the focus add-on. I have reported on and posted the 3/200 many times.


PostPosted: Fri May 09, 2014 12:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the info Woodrim. This must be the thread you referred to:http://forum.mflenses.com/vivitar-series-1-200mm-f-3-5af-t25275.html
It seems to be a quite rare lens. I'm looking forward to receive that adapter.

quidam


PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2014 3:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
woodrim wrote:
This has been reported on here before. Someone has one, but I don't recall who. This lens is the same as the Series 1 3/200, but with the funky AF and a little slower, no doubt because of the focus add-on. I have reported on and posted the 3/200 many times.


Partially exact..
The first batch was komine made (was it the same optical formula than 200 f:3 ??) but 99% of sold lenses were cosina made

test is here
http://allphotolenses.com/public/files/pdfs/e45c404060b4e39f61b5a001fa4752fa.pdf


PostPosted: Sat May 10, 2014 4:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The serialnumber of my lens begins with 09 and that means Cosina as lensmaker and not Komine who starts with 28. Therefore I doubt that it has the same optics as the 200mm 3.

quidam


PostPosted: Sun May 11, 2014 9:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Let's see some AF'd shots from this contraption. Looks like it was never used from your photos!


PostPosted: Sun May 11, 2014 10:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Looks like it was made for the Canon T80 Question

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_T80


PostPosted: Sun May 11, 2014 12:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
quidam wrote:
The serialnumber of my lens begins with 09 and that means Cosina as lensmaker and not Komine who starts with 28. Therefore I doubt that it has the same optics as the 200mm 3.

quidam


Well, we don't really know for sure, but I don't think changing manufacturer necessarily means different formula. I believe the Series 1 designs belonged to Vivitar.


PostPosted: Sun May 11, 2014 3:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
kenetik wrote:
Let's see some AF'd shots from this contraption. Looks like it was never used from your photos!


I can't, I'm still waiting for the FD-NEX adapter. Glass and body are like new, just a few dust particles inside.

quidam


PostPosted: Sun May 11, 2014 6:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
edited

Last edited by bernhardas on Tue May 17, 2016 7:32 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Fri May 30, 2014 4:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I finally received the FD adapter. Here are some pictures of flowers in the garden.







PostPosted: Fri May 30, 2014 5:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'm always very interested to hear what the photographer has to say about a lens. What are your impressions and how do you compare it to others at that focal length?


PostPosted: Fri May 30, 2014 9:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
God I love this forum. Everyday something to learn, a super cool old lens to discover, amazing pictures from forgotten pieces of engeneering...
This is beyond cool, I didn't even know that some lenses needed batteries ! I want one just for showing to my friends. And nice performance too ! How does the AF works ? Does it only do its job in the center of the frame ?


PostPosted: Fri May 30, 2014 10:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'd be happy with that. It might not be the sharpest lens in the world - it's actually not that bad either, but take it for what it is - a very old AF lens - and it's remarkable.


PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 10:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
PBFACTS wrote:
The first batch was komine made (was it the same optical formula than 200 f:3 ??) but 99% of sold lenses were cosina made


I wonder if this is true. All Viv with self-contained autofocus that I have seen (200/3.5, 28-70, 75-200) were made by Cosina. Cosina even made one under its own name (a 75-200. I've only seen a photo). On the other hand I have never heard of Komine lenses with electronics.

Last edited by tao on Mon Jun 02, 2014 3:45 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 10:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Billou wrote:
How does the AF works ? Does it only do its job in the center of the frame ?


This particular design uses PDAF as in your DSLR. On the other hand, there were some AF lens from the same era that used active autofocus like the ones from Ricoh, Chinon and Canon. Since these lenses has two "eyes" I assume they use either time-of-flight or triangulation to measure distance.
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