What a Monster!

magkelly · Joined: 06 Jul 2010 Posts: 182

I'm pretty sure this new Vivitar lens could give a person a hernia just trying to lift it onto a tripod! It weighs a ton! It is numbered #3726805 and is a 75-260MM 1:4.5 Auto-Tele Zoom. It doesn't say anything about multi-coating though. It came cased and it is in amazing condition. No mold, nothing much in the way of dust. It is definitely a tripod lens though, no way I'm hand holding this thing, whew!

Pics of all 3 of the zooms tomorrow here. I'm charging the batteries tonight. I used them all up earlier this week doing some flower and light studies and on the multitude of grasshoppers that kept trying to invade our house via our porch screens, but they'll be charged when I get up in the morning and I'll pull them all out and try to take some pics then.

I'm definitely feeling a bit smug now though. I'm pretty happy I took the initiative and actually asked what mount this puppy was. For a $5 bid I sure got my money's worth and then some!

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

It's an almost certainty that your Tokina-built bazooka has single coatings on its optics.

Love to see some pics when you get 'em.

martyn_bannister · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 1151

PBFACTS · Joined: 24 Dec 2008 Posts: 568

Helios · Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 537 Location: East of France

I have this monster in original brand : Tokina . Really very good , but very prone to huge flare , even with the built-in lens hood. Mr. Green

fatdeeman · Joined: 13 Jun 2009 Posts: 780 Location: UK

I had one but it was very soft until f/11 and I know other people have had better results so I think mine was defective. It looked and felt great though!

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

A few photos taken with my 75-260.

magkelly · Joined: 06 Jul 2010 Posts: 182

That second gull picture of yours I think was the one that I first saw when I ran a google search the lens. Is that the same one from when you first got yours? If so it popped up on another forum, that post, and I liked the gull, I thought it looked pretty good actually. That's what convinced me to risk the $5.

Pics in just a bit.

Smile

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

I found a pic here at mflenses showing this lens:

Then I surfed on over to eBay to check things out. Interestingly, all the lenses they had were a later style with rubber grips on the rings. Priced a bit higher than $5 though Cool

Y'all are getting me interested in this old lens. I'm looking forward to seeing more pics.

visualopsins · Expire: 2025-04-11

I have a bunch of these old zooms; leftovers from tail end of my LBA when I was buying lenses costing less than US$20. My opinion is they may be slow but that smaller elements are easier to design and manufacture to achieve good IQ at slow wide open. Later designs got faster due to improvements in manufacturing technique that could achieve the same IQ. Similar to how stopping down a fast lens improves image quality by discarding lens perimeters where tolerance variance and resulting loss of overall IQ is more evident. These old slow zooms produce pretty darn good IQ, imho, when given enough light.

Andrew G. · Joined: 18 Jul 2010 Posts: 159 Location: Pennsylvania, USA

The fixed-mount Soligor variant:

Boomer Depp · Expire: 2011-12-04

Mostly TX 2nd Generation Zooms with two TX primes for comparison.

Back Row L-R:85-205/3.5 Close Focus,300/5.6 TX,400/5.6 TX,75-260/4.5 TX,90-230/4.5 TX,90-230/4.5 Close Focus TX

Front Row:70-150/3.5 Close Focus,75-205/3.5 Close Focus,35-105/3.5 Close Focus TX,100-300/5 Close Focus TX,100-200/4 Close Focus

ManualFocus-G · Expire: 2014-11-24

I've got that Soligor version as well, but with the silver flash at the bottom Smile

I love those silver Soligor flashes Laughing

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

Hey Boomer is that your collection? Fantastic!

Boomer Depp · Expire: 2011-12-04

Thanks....Yes,that's part of my TX 2nd Generation Collection,not included are the rest of the TX 2nd Generation primes.

Also in my Vivitar collection in the Nikon F mount and one Olympus mount,are all the preferred Series 1 zooms and primes from the 70's to early 80's,including the macros 90/2.5 and the 90-180/4.5 Flat Field Zoom.

Have a few other Vivitar macro lens including the 90/2.8 and the 135/2.8 Close Focus.

I've also collected some of the well known Kobori built Vivitars including the 200/3.5,28-200/3.5 and the 120-600/5.6.

Like many Vivitar collectors I also have a few Kiron lens including the 105/2.8 Macro and four of their zooms,haven't collected any of the Kiron primes though.

Being a Nikon/Nikkor collector 90% of the above lens are Nikon F mount,but a few are Olympus or Pentax since they will mount on my Canon bodies.

Pictures of many of these lenses are in the Camera Gear slideshow in my signature.

error404 · Joined: 10 Mar 2010 Posts: 35

Boomer Depp · Expire: 2011-12-04

In the fixed mount Vivitars is available in Nikon F,Olympus OM,Pentax K,Minolta,Konica and Canon FD.

In the TX versions it's also available in the M42 mount.

I would recommend the 90-230mm in either version over the 75-260mm because of the flare issue.But if your aware of the flare,and it makes itself known in the viewfinder,the 75-260 is a fine lens to add to a Vivitar collection,if you take time to get to know the lens and how to deal with the flare.

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

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

martyn_bannister · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 1151

And a little one too Smile

Only joking Smile

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

Boomer Depp · Expire: 2011-12-04

You humble me...you would be welcome to see my little collection....and weather permitting perhaps a sail later for some pictures from the water of my beloved Puget Sound.... or if you enjoy climbing,perhaps a climb of one of the peaks of the Eastern Olympics for more photographic opportunities....or both Very Happy

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

This sounds better and better. Thank you for invitation Boomer!

magkelly · Joined: 06 Jul 2010 Posts: 182

Oh, I've always wanted to do that. I just loved what I saw of the Puget Sound while I was out there. I never got to really explore it though. I envy you living in that place. It's gorgeous. I'm actually thinking of moving back out that way, maybe towards Seattle someday. Do you have a website with lots of pics? I'd love to see them.

Boomer Depp · Expire: 2011-12-04

Well if you every make it back this way your welcome to come out with us for a sail or a climb(we'll can take the honeymooners route if you would prefer a safe assent to a summit).We have easy or more technical hike/climbs within an hour or so from Kingston,with distances ranging from three to 20 miles round-trip,depending on your preference....or if you prefer a drive to Blue Mountain or Hurricane Ridge a little over an hour driving distance for some scenic views at high elevation.

Sailing we like everyone to take there turns(watches) steering,pulling lines and so forth including a primer in coastal navigation.We have three boats for kids and friends,so we may take more then one boat out...and to make it interesting usually a destination port to port race.

If you click on my profile there is a website link,in the main album there are some pics,though I recently cleaned a couple pages of old pics out of this album and other albums.There are also pics scattered through the other albums.