Vivitar 80-200 M42 Query

killwilly · Joined: 16 May 2011 Posts: 111 Location: United Kingdom

Bought this lens today from a charity shop for £7 and it's in mint condition.

It says that it has zoom macro, but at the moment I am unable find out how the macro is supposed to work. Can anyone offer advise or point me to any info on this lens?

The serial number is:- 25741756.

Many thanks

Alan

IMG_6064 by killwilly, on Flickr

WolverineX · Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 1:42 pm Post subject:

it's color coded: macro ratio and 200mm , so logic is macro ratio that is written on the lens is achieved when the lens is at 200mm. now, i have a tokina macro zoom lens that when you set it at designated focal length for macro hooks up the inside glass element and transforms push-pull motion of the lens from changing focal length to macro focusing...maybe it's something like that on this lens too

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Interesting, neither of my Tokina 70-210 zooms have that feature.

Big Dawg · Joined: 28 Jan 2009 Posts: 2530 Location: Thach Alabama

luisalegria · Expire: 2018-01-18

Same lens was sold as Soligor c/d series

Minolfan · Joined: 30 Dec 2008 Posts: 3439 Location: Netherlands

The focusing distance for a 200mm (macro colour) is very short. So I think that is all there is. No extra movements, only set zoom on 200mm and use shortest focusing distance. There was a time that everything better then 1:10 was called "macro" Very Happy

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Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

To get that lens into macro - zoom out to the 80mm end ( away from you ) then twist the outer sleeve clockwise as you look at it from behind ( twist to closest distance, 5ft ) and continue to twist gently. There is a slight resistance as the lens goes in to macro. It will not go in unless the lens is zoomed right out.

Looking at the picture yours is different manufacturer, so it 'might' be different, but that's how my Kobori version works. Mine also macro's to 1:3.4

It's not a bad lens, for £7 it's a decent lens. Yours was made by Ozone Optical according to the serial number.

Vivitar Subcontracted Lens Makers
(1st two digits of serial number)
6 Olympus
9 Cosina
13 Schneider Optik
22 Kino (aka Kiron)
25 Ozone Optical
28 Komine
32 Makinon
33 Asanuma
37 Tokina
42 Bauer
44 Perkin Elmer (US)
47 Chinon
51 Tokyo Trading
56 Kyoe Schoji
61 Samyang (?)
75 Hoya Optical
77 Kobori
81 Polar

killwilly · Joined: 16 May 2011 Posts: 111 Location: United Kingdom

Thanks everyone for your replies. It is a difficult lens to get spot on focus, much more difficult than my two manual prime lenses.

I also have a Vivitar 75-300 FD Close focusing Zoom, which I have had for more than 30 years. With that one you extend it to 75 and then give it further slight turn to the right, which then locks the zoom and to focus you have to move the camera back and forth until it's focused. The serial number is 77002743, which according to the list provided by Lloyd is a Kobori lens.

I liked this lens a lot when I used my T90, but sadly with the FD-EOS adapter the results are pretty poor.

I wonder if it would be possible to remove the FD mechanism from the 75-300 and replace it with an M42 fitting. Might have a try one day. Smile

Lloydy · Expire: 2022-01-01

They are hardly worth the trouble to modify, the one you want will probably turn up cheap somewhere soon. There's usually plenty at the Wolverhampton Camera Fair ( next one Sunday 2nd October ) I got a Vivitar 70-210 Series 1 for £10, in excellent condition with case and caps at the last fair.

http://wolverhamptoncamerafair.co.uk/

They also have a fair in Brighton, and possibly Scarborough a couple of times a year, but I can't find any information on those.

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

My Tokina 4.5 70-210 has a Red M marking for macro, when turned to that setting the focus ring won't budge.

I also have a Tokina version of the Viv S1 70-210 in OM mount, completely mint, been thinking of selling it but no idea what it's worth.