Junior Member Registered: June, 2015 Location: Százhalombatta, Hungary Posts: 37 | | Review Date: April 1, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $65.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Ultra wide-angle, solid build quality, non-rotating front element | | Cons: | Pretty soft corners, some blue CA | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: Sony Alpha 7 II, Pentax Spotmatic and SuperA
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I'm writing this review as non-biased, but still from a non-critical perspective.
I'm someone who loves vintage glass with all their faults. This is their "character" and their charm. That being said, this lens is far from tack sharp. However, colors are nice, sharpness is decent in the center and gets softer and softer getting closer to the corners. You can get a really nice dramatic ultra-wide view with it. Very nice for nature photography, as well as maybe some street shots. The front element, to my surprise, is non-rotating, so using CPL filters with it should be a breeze. This lens can focus reeeeally close. I mean it! On the focusing ring, it turns below 16 centimeters close! So it has some macro functionality, or at least the ability to get some really interesting close-ups with it! That is a huge plus!
Mechanically it is your typical vintage all-metal tank. I have the version with the green meter markings, which has a proper, non-reversed aperture ring. The focusing ring turns to infinity counter-clockwise and it turns about 270° from infinity to the closest. Mine is in pretty good condition, with only a few body scratches, with a fully working aperture and focusing mechanism. Both the aperture ring and the focusing ring turn silky smoothly. It has a push-on metal front cap with a Vivitar marking. The lens also has an A/M switch, so it's compatible with all kinds of adapters. Used on a proper M42/PK camera, the lens hard-stops at infinity, which is great!
By the way, this is supposed to be made by Kiron/Kino, sold under various brands.
I tried it on my Sony Alpha 7 II, where focusing it with magnification is a breeze. Also put it on my Pentax Spotmatic. Focusing with a mircoprism is quite hard, as f/3.8 is quite dark for that. However, putting it on my Pentax SuperA with an official M42 adapter ring, focusing was easy with a split screen.
Personally I got it for $65 on ebay and got it shipped to Hungary in about two weeks. Shipping to this distance was quite expensive, so I paid about $100 in total. I'd say, don't pay much more for it. It's not THAT great. But for what it costs and what it can do, it's quite good I'd say. Forget using it on APS-C though. Totally pointless.
Auto Vivitar Wide-Angle 20mm f/3.8 by Zsigmond Szabó, on Flickr
Auto Vivitar Wide-Angle 20mm f/3.8 @ f/3.8 by Zsigmond Szabó, on Flickr
Auto Vivitar Wide-Angle 20mm f/3.8 @ f/5.6 by Zsigmond Szabó, on Flickr
Auto Vivitar Wide-Angle 20mm f/3.8 @ f/8 by Zsigmond Szabó, on Flickr
Auto Vivitar Wide-Angle 20mm f/3.8 @ f/11 by Zsigmond Szabó, on Flickr
Auto Vivitar Wide-Angle 20mm f/3.8 @ f/16 by Zsigmond Szabó, on Flickr
Auto Vivitar Wide-Angle 20mm f/3.8 @ f/22 by Zsigmond Szabó, on Flickr
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Junior Member Registered: August, 2009 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 30 | | Review Date: October 8, 2016 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Close focus, solid build, decent IQ | | Cons: | Only f/3.8, sticky aperture, some distortion | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: Sony NEX-7, A7
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Not really sharp enough to beat a typical kit zoom at 20mm on 24MP APS-C, except in close focus. Notably better on less-resolution-demanding full frame, where it actually does pretty well. Here's a close-up shot wide open:
and a more distant shot around f/8:
There is some curvature of field and some distortion, but not much for a 20mm on FF. Vignetting is also minimal.
The lens is very well made, but suffers the usual Kiron sticky aperture. I own two copies of this lens, and both have sticky apertures (although one operates slowly). The lens is also heavy with a huge front element (more than twice the size of the 19mm Vivitar), but it can take a filter. Flare isn't bad considering I use it without a hood.
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