Vivitar Series 1 90MM Macro

thrice · 03-11-2008, 09:22 AM

I know the love for the 105 Macro, what's the deal with the 90? Is it as well loved?

--thrice

Igilligan · 03-11-2008, 02:07 PM

Originally posted by thrice

I know the love for the 105 Macro, what's the deal with the 90? Is it as well loved?

--thrice

I have the old screwmount 90mm series 1 It has a matching Macro adaptor w/tripod mount... A total work of art... beautiful...

If there is a problem it is that to do true 1:1 macro you need to have the adaptor on. But the lens without the adaptor is a very sharp 90mm prime lens. Beautiful OOF areas and fast at
f2.5

Here is my original thread with a picture of the lens and some of my first shots with it are down farther in the thread.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/16196-old-vivi...-question.html

hope this helps

aegisphan · 03-11-2008, 03:11 PM

This is basically the same as the Tokina 90 macro, which is known for its beautiful bokeh. Photodo rating of this lens is 4.6, one of the highest ever tested on that site. I did a recent comparison between this lens and the Vivitar S 105 and the Voigtlander 125. It performs pretty well, though with the bluish cast signature.

thrice · 03-12-2008, 06:50 AM

It was actually your thread that got me looking at the Vivitar macro lenses, then I found one of the 90MMs for a decent deal and was wondering if it was worth pulling the trigger. Thanks for the response.

--thrice

thrice · 03-12-2008, 06:53 AM

IGilligan, I think the one I was looking at didn't have the macro collar, would this be hard to obtain? Being as I'm wanting to use it for some macro fun I think it would be important, yes?

--thrice

John Kovarik · 03-12-2008, 08:13 AM

I have one of the Panagor 90/2.8s which is very, very good. Anyone know if this is similar to the Vivitar/Tokina? Mine is bayonet mount..............

Igilligan · 03-12-2008, 04:27 PM

Originally posted by thrice

IGilligan, I think the one I was looking at didn't have the macro collar, would this be hard to obtain? Being as I'm wanting to use it for some macro fun I think it would be important, yes?

--thrice

I think it might be hard to find the original adaptor... The one I have is made of the same beautiful shiny black metal and has the built-in tripod mount. The tripod mount is very handy for some tricky macro work. It is possible that some of the later versions of the lens may not have needed the macro adaptor (like the Series 1 105) but I am not sure of that. Mine is definately a M42 screwmount version.

I think that post I linked to above, has mostly adaptor-less shots except for the coin and the corn... those were with the adaptor. But the blue berries and the leaf shot is without adaptor and you can see how close it focuses...

How much are they asking for the lens without the adaptor?

aegisphan · 03-12-2008, 05:36 PM

Originally posted by John Kovarik

I have one of the Panagor 90/2.8s which is very, very good. Anyone know if this is similar to the Vivitar/Tokina? Mine is bayonet mount..............

The Panagor was made by Kiron, not by Tokina. It does have good reputation like some of the Kiron-made primes. In macro world, you can hardly find a "bad" dedicated macro prime. They might have different characteristics, wide open performance, but when you stop them down, they're all very sharp.

03-11-2008, 09:22 AM	#1
thrice Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Utah Posts: 40	Vivitar Series 1 90MM Macro I know the love for the 105 Macro, what's the deal with the 90? Is it as well loved? --thrice

03-11-2008, 02:07 PM	#2
Igilligan Guest	I got a M42 version of it... Originally posted by thrice I know the love for the 105 Macro, what's the deal with the 90? Is it as well loved? --thrice I have the old screwmount 90mm series 1 It has a matching Macro adaptor w/tripod mount... A total work of art... beautiful... If there is a problem it is that to do true 1:1 macro you need to have the adaptor on. But the lens without the adaptor is a very sharp 90mm prime lens. Beautiful OOF areas and fast at f2.5 Here is my original thread with a picture of the lens and some of my first shots with it are down farther in the thread. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/16196-old-vivi...-question.html hope this helps

03-12-2008, 04:27 PM	#7
Igilligan Guest	No adaptor? How much? Originally posted by thrice IGilligan, I think the one I was looking at didn't have the macro collar, would this be hard to obtain? Being as I'm wanting to use it for some macro fun I think it would be important, yes? --thrice I think it might be hard to find the original adaptor... The one I have is made of the same beautiful shiny black metal and has the built-in tripod mount. The tripod mount is very handy for some tricky macro work. It is possible that some of the later versions of the lens may not have needed the macro adaptor (like the Series 1 105) but I am not sure of that. Mine is definately a M42 screwmount version. I think that post I linked to above, has mostly adaptor-less shots except for the coin and the corn... those were with the adaptor. But the blue berries and the leaf shot is without adaptor and you can see how close it focuses... How much are they asking for the lens without the adaptor?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
For Sale - Sold: Vivitar 90mm f2.8 macro (1:1); vivitar series 1 70-210mm (ver. 3); and Tam 2x	jkglogau	Sold Items	10	10-06-2009 06:32 PM
For Sale - Sold: Vivitar Series 1 90mm 2.5 Macro/Bokina	Fl_Gulfer	Sold Items	2	09-05-2008 11:59 AM
For Sale - Sold: Vivitar Series 1 90mm 2.5 Macro	Okami	Sold Items	19	06-01-2008 07:20 PM

03-11-2008, 03:11 PM	#3
aegisphan Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New Mexico Posts: 815	This is basically the same as the Tokina 90 macro, which is known for its beautiful bokeh. Photodo rating of this lens is 4.6, one of the highest ever tested on that site. I did a recent comparison between this lens and the Vivitar S 105 and the Voigtlander 125. It performs pretty well, though with the bluish cast signature.

03-12-2008, 06:50 AM	#4
thrice Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Utah Posts: 40 Original Poster	It was actually your thread that got me looking at the Vivitar macro lenses, then I found one of the 90MMs for a decent deal and was wondering if it was worth pulling the trigger. Thanks for the response. --thrice

03-12-2008, 06:53 AM	#5
thrice Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Utah Posts: 40 Original Poster	IGilligan, I think the one I was looking at didn't have the macro collar, would this be hard to obtain? Being as I'm wanting to use it for some macro fun I think it would be important, yes? --thrice

03-12-2008, 08:13 AM	#6
John Kovarik Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: West Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 338	I have one of the Panagor 90/2.8s which is very, very good. Anyone know if this is similar to the Vivitar/Tokina? Mine is bayonet mount..............

03-12-2008, 05:36 PM	#8
aegisphan Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New Mexico Posts: 815	Originally posted by John Kovarik I have one of the Panagor 90/2.8s which is very, very good. Anyone know if this is similar to the Vivitar/Tokina? Mine is bayonet mount.............. The Panagor was made by Kiron, not by Tokina. It does have good reputation like some of the Kiron-made primes. In macro world, you can hardly find a "bad" dedicated macro prime. They might have different characteristics, wide open performance, but when you stop them down, they're all very sharp.