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Vivitar 70-150mm, F3.8 macro focusing
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 7:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi,
I am also looking for a very good (not that slow zoom lens) that is 2x that start around 70 or 80.
If I understand it right there are zoom lenses that indeed allow me to focus closer ? Or this is just a kind of macro functionality?

I am a big fan of zoom lenses actually as they help me to easier work with composition.
I already have a minolta 28-85 that I like a lot, but I find that it does not allow me to focus very close.

Can you please help a new comer?

Regards
Alex


PostPosted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 10:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alaios wrote:
Hi,
I am also looking for a very good (not that slow zoom lens) that is 2x that start around 70 or 80.
If I understand it right there are zoom lenses that indeed allow me to focus closer ? Or this is just a kind of macro functionality?

I am a big fan of zoom lenses actually as they help me to easier work with composition.
I already have a minolta 28-85 that I like a lot, but I find that it does not allow me to focus very close.

Can you please help a new comer?

Regards
Alex


Hi Alex,
most zooms in the 70-150 range will focus no closer than around 1.5-1.8 metres.
The close focusing zooms like the Vivitar will focus more closely of course. The Vivitar will focus down to about 40cm (c 16 inches) giving around 1/2 life size
Other zooms like say the Tamron 80-210 (103A) focus down to around 1 metre but at their close focus setting will give a similar result at 210mm of around 1:2 like the Vivitar.

These aren't true macro lenses as they don't usually give a life size image (1:1) but they are quite OK for what they do.
The Tamron will give 1:1.4 with an attached matched 2X converter.
Hope this helps
OH


PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi
so your lovely vivitar 70-150 (Btw do you find it fast enough, otherwise range is great) can focus at all focal lengthes closer? This does not work only at macro mode but across all focal ranges. Right?
I guess that can boost (when focusing closer) the bokeh you get at lower apertures (where you will also get sharper images).

Can you give me a link of your lens? I think that sells extremely cheap on ebay.. What is wrong really?

A.


PostPosted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 9:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alaios wrote:
Hi
so your lovely vivitar 70-150 (Btw do you find it fast enough, otherwise range is great) can focus at all focal lengthes closer? This does not work only at macro mode but across all focal ranges. Right?
I guess that can boost (when focusing closer) the bokeh you get at lower apertures (where you will also get sharper images).

Can you give me a link of your lens? I think that sells extremely cheap on ebay.. What is wrong really?

A.


No, the Vivitar can only close focus when the zoom ring is rotated to the close focus setting. Once there, you have to physically move the lens to or from the subject and use the focusing collar.
The Tamron will zoom through its range at its "macro" setting.
I have found it fast enough - faster zooms cost lots of money.
Here is the Vivitar - it is the one on the right. As you can see there are other Vivitars in this same configuration.
Link:
http://forum.mflenses.com/vivitar-75-205-kiron-t62254,highlight,%2Bvivitar.html



PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
A very good lens.I have one in Minolta MD mount.Used to have 2x two touch Vivitar zooms,but they weren't as sharp,esp at 150mm wo,so I sold them.The other similar zoom that I got,the Olympus Zuiko 75-150/4 is a tad sharper and contrastier wo across the zoom range.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi,
first I would like to thank everyone in this forum. Very good answers from members that they really know their stuff.
Thanks also for the time and the dedication each answer has. I appreciate it.

Now forgive me that I am new so let me try to explain what I understood, so please correct/ and provide feedback as needed.

1. Typical zoom lenses can not focus very close. Typical minimum focus ranges are something like 1-1.5 meters.
2. 2x zoom lenses look to have good quality and they do not (always) cost too much. Compared to 3x or 4x zoom lenses
3. The macro settings is the widest focal length at the lens (at least at my minolta that goes from 28-85mm macro is just right of the 28mm)
4. There are though some zoom lenses that they allow you to focus closer than the typical range of 1-1.5 meters as it was described at the first point.
5. If I understand that well being able to focus closer would allow me at longer focal lengths, lets say 150mm to build up more bokeh and through out of DOF easier more of the background
6. If 5 is true some example please (not macro lenses like my 28-85MD lens)
7. How good in terms of quality these Macro zoom lenses are? Example my 28-85MD lens
(well have some more questions but I should stop now, before you kill me Razz)

Have (even more) fun of what you like


PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alaios wrote:
Hi,
first I would like to thank everyone in this forum. Very good answers from members that they really know their stuff.
Thanks also for the time and the dedication each answer has. I appreciate it.

Now forgive me that I am new so let me try to explain what I understood, so please correct/ and provide feedback as needed.

1. Typical zoom lenses can not focus very close. Typical minimum focus ranges are something like 1-1.5 meters.
2. 2x zoom lenses look to have good quality and they do not (always) cost too much. Compared to 3x or 4x zoom lenses
3. The macro settings is the widest focal length at the lens (at least at my minolta that goes from 28-85mm macro is just right of the 28mm)
4. There are though some zoom lenses that they allow you to focus closer than the typical range of 1-1.5 meters as it was described at the first point.
5. If I understand that well being able to focus closer would allow me at longer focal lengths, lets say 150mm to build up more bokeh and through out of DOF easier more of the background
6. If 5 is true some example please (not macro lenses like my 28-85MD lens)
7. How good in terms of quality these Macro zoom lenses are? Example my 28-85MD lens
(well have some more questions but I should stop now, before you kill me Razz)
Have (even more) fun of what you like


Hmm.... some answers
1 Yes, except that one touch zooms like the Tamron mentioned obtain their close focus through the zoom range at the close focus position - the two touch do not. Keep in mind that these zooms are not macro lenses but general purpose lenses that also have close focus. Being able to focus down to 1-1.5 metres is very good for such old lenses, even without the closer focus ability. Of course the close focus of the Vivitars gets them closer. The Tamron, mentioned, gets no closer but its zoom makes up for that by giving a similar image size.
Even modern lenses like the AF-S Nikkor 55-200 ED VR still only focus to about 1 metre like the Tamron does and use the zoom for close focus ability.
2 Probably the Vivitars are all around the same price
3 The close focus setting is past the shortest focal length setting of these two touch zooms
4 Yes
5 Bokeh is the least concern at close focus - sharpness depth is the problem. The depth of focus (the amount of the subject that remains sharp) is very small at close distance, and it is usually a struggle to get everything that you want sharp the be sharp - smaller aperture helps here
6 see 5
7 See the reference that I gave above to the other post where there are samples of images taken. You can also google images from these lenses and make your own judgement on whether the quality is pleasing enough for your needs.


PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 6:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi thanks for the answers Smile

5. If sharpness is the problem why this extra feature of close focusing is considered as a nice think to have? I though this is a very nice and cool feature to have.

Regards
A.


PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2014 8:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alaios wrote:
Hi thanks for the answers Smile

5. If sharpness is the problem why this extra feature of close focusing is considered as a nice think to have? I though this is a very nice and cool feature to have.

Regards
A.

Yes, of course it is a cool feature to have, but other zooms attack it in different ways to get the same result.
It is not that the lens isn't sharp, it is that at close focus distances the depth of field is shallow.
You will encounter this when you start taking close up pictures with any lens.
Have fun
OH


PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 7:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi,
it looks that indeed you look better.
May I ask you to comment a bit more?

What do you mean is a cool feature? A cool feature that allows you to do what? You have commented that other zoom lenses typically attack this differently ..how do you mean?

Can you give us some shots that you were able to shoot and other lenses would not allow you to have?

Regards
A.


PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alaios wrote:
Hi,
it looks that indeed you look better.
May I ask you to comment a bit more?

What do you mean is a cool feature? A cool feature that allows you to do what? You have commented that other zoom lenses typically attack this differently ..how do you mean?

Can you give us some shots that you were able to shoot and other lenses would not allow you to have?

Regards
A.


It means the same as your comment here:
5. If sharpness is the problem why this extra feature of close focusing is considered as a nice think to have? I though this is a very nice and cool feature to have.

Regards
A.

I have answered your second question above in my replies.
Please google images for any more information..
Look, the lenses cost so very little, why not just buy one and have a go.
I'm just about out of answers for you and you need to start using a lens so that the replies can make sense to you.
OH


PostPosted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 2:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
...... and you need to start using a lens so that the replies can make sense to you


This is the key as I found experience with different lenses opens your eyes to what it is that someone is telling you. It has only taken me 3-4 years Laughing and I still have not finished learning .

A zoom that takes close focus and long distance, that is a cool feature...it means you can get two benefits from the one lens. The ability to take close up images and the ability to take distance. I can't say it in technical terms, it's what I have learned by using many cheap lenses and taking lots of images.

I started by buying the cheaper Soligor zooms ,zooms I had not heard of.Thankfully this website gave me the knowledge to buy "better" (by better, I mean lenses that have a fairly solid reputation) lenses,therefore elminating my trial and error buying.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 6:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
OK, I hope that this will finally put to rest your uncertainty until you can try a lens and see how it works in practice.
Here are three images taken by three different lenses.
The first two are taken with Vivitar two ring close focus lenses where the close focus is engaged on the zoom ring below the minimum zoom range. Withe these the camera and lens have to be advanced to the subject until it comes into focus - minimum focus is 0.42 metres
The third is taken with a Tamron whose close focus is a fixed position on the focusing collar, but the zoom can still be used to enlarge or reduce the size of the image - minimum focus distance is 0.9metres
Here you go:
Image 1 is taken with Vivitar 70-150 two ring close focus zoom:


Image 2 is taken with Vivitar 75-205 close focus two ring zoom:


As you can see there is little difference.

Image 3 is taken with Tamron 80-210 in "macro" mode on the focus collar at 0.9 metres and at 210mm



You can see from these just how shallow is the depth of focus.
Hope this helps, as I am just about all out of explaining ideas.
Cheers
OH


PostPosted: Sat Mar 15, 2014 6:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I appreciate the time you spent replying me.

Regards
A.
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