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Vivitar 200mm f/3.5
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 2:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
cooltouch wrote:
Thanks for the info, Boomer. Do you have any on the Komine-made AF S1 200mm f/3.5, like Russ's fugly one? That's the one I was wondering about.
.


Michael

My Viv S-1 200mm f/3.5AF glass, focuses to about 6 feet minimum. I believe that my Panagor (Kiron) 200mm f3.5 needs a bit more distance. It's no slouch either. The Panagor's are usuallty very cheap, when they come around. My Panagor (Kiron) 200mm and 21mm lenses do rather well. As for the "fugly" Series 1 200mm AF lenses, the Cosina and Komine model look identical, and both deliver VERY results. Mine hold it's own with my buddies Nikon 180 f/2.8 easily. I actually don't find them to be fugly at all. And as I said, the added lens motor makes it easier to handhold. The auto-focus is quite accurate, just not as quick as today's AF lenses and bodies. I've attached snaps of my Panagor's.


Panagor 200mm f/3.5


Panagor 21mm


Kodak HIE B/W IR, with Panagor 21mm glass.

Kiron Kid

Last edited by Russ on Sun Oct 25, 2009 4:00 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 3:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
A few more examples. These with a Vivitar 200mm f/3.5 T4 lens.






PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 5:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Russ wrote:
My Viv S-1 200mm f/3.5AF glass, focuses to about 6 feet minimum.


Yeah, so does mine. This is one reason why I was wondering if the optical formulas might be the same. Same front filter size, same minimum focusing distance, same manufacturer, but perhaps different coatings? I think this lens is multicoated (I see yellow, blue, and purple reflections), but it may not be as good as those on S1 lenses. I don't know when Vivitar first started marketing their S1 lenses, but I'll wager the age of mine predates this. I'm figuring this 200 is probably an early 70s lens.

Big Dawg, that old T4 is impressive. Love the color. Nice bokeh too.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Big Dawg wrote:

Shot these with mine as a trial. The original and 2 cropped photos. Hand held too.




That's a good crisp result, especially looking at the water droplets.

Russ wrote:
But easy to handhold and very sharp. I like it. Being that short and stout, it's very easy to handhold in less than idea lighting conditions. I used it to make this snap in overcast conditions.



Looks fine at that small size, but its difficult to evaluate a claim of superior quality without some 100% crops.


PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
patrickh wrote:
Frankly my fugly Viv Ser1 200/3.5 outperforms my nikkor 200/4 on most days! The nikkor is nonetheless a great performer for such issues as OOF rendition and colours.


How does your Viv 200/3.5 do against your Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 ED, Patrick?


PostPosted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 6:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Congrats , Russ ! I have these lenses in M42 .The 21 mm gives very saturated colors , I prefer it on general rendition , compared with Flektogon 2,8/20 and Mir-47k . Smile


PostPosted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 1:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Helios wrote:
Congrats , Russ ! I have these lenses in M42 .The 21 mm gives very saturated colors , I prefer it on general rendition , compared with Flektogon 2,8/20 and Mir-47k . Smile


You have those same Panagor's? You like them?

Russ


PostPosted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 4:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Chris
The Ser 1 AF 200/3.5 Viv is extremely sharp, to confirm Russ' view. It is at least as sharp as the Nikkor 180/2.8. However, as a personal preference I love my Nikkor, the colours, OOF and saturation are to my liking. The Viv by comparison has more "brilliant" colouring, rather like the Canon compared with the Nikon. However, it would be no exaggeration to put it in the same league!


patrickh


PostPosted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 9:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
patrickh wrote:
Chris
The Ser 1 AF 200/3.5 Viv is extremely sharp, to confirm Russ' view. It is at least as sharp as the Nikkor 180/2.8. However, as a personal preference I love my Nikkor, the colours, OOF and saturation are to my liking. The Viv by comparison has more "brilliant" colouring, rather like the Canon compared with the Nikon. However, it would be no exaggeration to put it in the same league!


Thanks for this useful comparison, Patrick.


PostPosted: Fri Aug 14, 2020 10:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I mistook the lens models, the photos were not from vivitar but chinon 200 / 3.5 Smile


Samples moved to the Auto Chinon 200 / 3.5 topic.

Last edited by siudym on Fri Aug 14, 2020 2:00 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Is it the one with the 28xxxxx serial number?


PostPosted: Fri Aug 14, 2020 12:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Very nice results from this lens.


PostPosted: Fri Aug 14, 2020 10:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Old post, but a great lens and worth reminding ourselves just how good this lens is. I've got this in TX Mount ( Tokina ) and Olympus OM, ( Komine )had both for years and I won't sell either I keep going back to them because I trust them. I know exactly what to expect, and it's all good.









Last edited by Lloydy on Sat Apr 24, 2021 11:13 pm; edited 2 times in total


PostPosted: Fri Aug 14, 2020 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I believe the Panagor also shown in this thread was also made by Komine. (It came in two versions early mfd 2.5 meter 8 blades orange lettering on the distance scale and late (harder to find) MFD 1.8 meter and six blades but multi-coated (PMC) and red lettering on the distance scale.


PostPosted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 5:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've got the old Tokina version with the aperture preset and slotted blades. Really nice lens.


PostPosted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 10:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Second Panagor version (PMC 1.8m MFD) popped up in a saved search today an will be here tomorrow (together with a 135mm also Panagor and Komine made)


PostPosted: Mon Aug 17, 2020 11:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Panagor was a house brand of Kiron so I doubt any of them are Komine.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 12:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
iangreenhalgh1 wrote:
Panagor was a house brand of Kiron so I doubt any of them are Komine.


Panagor sold many Kiron lenses, but I don't think they were a house brand. For example, the Panagor 90/2.8 macro lens and the 55/2.8 lens are both known to be Komine made, as they are more or less identical to the versions sold by Vivitar.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 12:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Okay I found the correct answer, Panagor was a brand of the Jaca Corp.:

http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Jaca_Corporation

Quote:
Jaca Corporation was a Japanese distributor of rebranded photographic gear with a business model similar to the US company, Vivitar. Their products were designed and made by other companies under contract, then sold under Jaca brand names. They are most famous for their Elicar and Panagor brand lenses, made by a variety of Japanese lens manufacturers which included Komine and Kino Precision.


PostPosted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 8:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Panagor Had both Komine and Kino lenses in their repertoire of prime lenses. The 200mm is also found in Mamiya-Sekor livery


PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:24 pm    Post subject: Newbie Reply with quote
Hello all. I'm really new to vintage glass. I started researching just a week ago a recently made a purchase of a lens similar to the one discussed in this thread. Can you guys help me identify the year?
IMG_0136

It's a 200mm 3.5 M42, auto telephoto with swappable TX mount. It's in mint condition so really hard to discern its age.

I used the lens on my X-t3 to take this photo Wink
Vivitar-200mm


PostPosted: Fri Apr 23, 2021 11:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Look at the serial number the third digit is the year of production 6 to 9 1976 to 1979 is probably seventies. 0-5 eighties 1980 to 1985. The first two digits will tell you the manufacturer: http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Vivitar_serial_numbers

Most likely made by Tokina (serial number starts with 37 )


PostPosted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 5:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
D1N0 wrote:
Look at the serial number the third digit is the year of production 6 to 9 1976 to 1979 is probably seventies. 0-5 eighties 1980 to 1985. The first two digits will tell you the manufacturer: http://camera-wiki.org/wiki/Vivitar_serial_numbers

Most likely made by Tokina (serial number starts with 37 )


Thanks so much! The serial # is 37612061. So made in 1976 by Tokina. Cool!! Hard to believe it's that old. My husband was arguing with me that it's a newer lens
Laugh 1


PostPosted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Yeah and 12 makes it week 12 1976 when this was topping the Bill Board Hot 100

https://youtu.be/LkGYlKs65qo

Here is an advert from 1976

Vivitar TX lens system (1976) by Jussi, on Flickr


PostPosted: Sat Apr 24, 2021 8:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
D1N0 wrote:
Yeah and 12 makes it week 12 1976 when this was topping the Bill Board Hot 100

https://youtu.be/LkGYlKs65qo

Here is an advert from 1976

Vivitar TX lens system (1976) by Jussi, on Flickr


For proper photo credit advert posted originally by mflenses user Nesster (Jussi)
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