[structuresguy]

Here are a couple samples taken with my vivitar 105 lens on DS body. I like it so much that I sold my FA50 and FA100 macro lenses after getting the Viv. I never use autofocus for macro work, so I don't miss that at all. And I find the Viv to be better for manual focus than the FA macros.

First one taken with extension tubes.

Andrew

[roy]

Here are a couple samples taken with my vivitar 105 lens on DS body. I like it so much that I sold my FA50 and FA100 macro lenses after getting the Viv. I never use autofocus for macro work, so I don't miss that at all. And I find the Viv to be better for manual focus than the FA macros.

First one taken with extension tubes.

Andrew

i've heard the same about this lens compared to pentax's newer offers. it's also one he** of a 100mm regular lens.

[kathyk]

Can this lens be used in aperture mode, or is it manual mode only? Thanks.

[Buddha Jones]

Here are a couple samples taken with my vivitar 105 lens on DS body. I like it so much that I sold my FA50 and FA100 macro lenses after getting the Viv. I never use autofocus for macro work, so I don't miss that at all. And I find the Viv to be better for manual focus than the FA macros.

First one taken with extension tubes.

Andrew

That brings up another question, whats the deal with extension tubes?

[CraigPJ]

I can't wait for my first Non-ghetto macro. I picked up the last in the batch.

[Buddha Jones]

I can't wait for my first Non-ghetto macro. I picked up the last in the batch.

HAHAHAHA!! Mine should be here Thursday.

[cmv]

Congratulations, CraigPJ! I brought one too and am eagerly awaiting it's arrival.

Bhudda - Extension tubes increase the magnification of the lens so with this lens already at 1:1 it would be possible to get more magnification with extension tubes.

edit: Wahoo! Congratulations to you too Bhudda. I have a feeling there is going to be a lot of "Vivitar 105mm macro LBA" posts coming up .

[cmv]

Argh... I'm going to gripe for a minute -- why charge $12 for shipping and ship Parcel Post? I'd rather pay $14 and get Priority Post so I'd have had my lens two days ago. I was well aware of the slow shipping but it is even slower then I had expected. Still no lens here .

[bc_the_path]

Me too, me too
I mean, I also have the Vivitar Series 1 105mm f/2.5.
I treat it as a jewel.
Below is a shot of a lens barrel 1:1, only to let me say the infamous "me too"; I could not resist!
(No post processing. PhotoLab + resize only)

[Buddha Jones]

Mine should be here today, but my K10D just broke today, and I loaned my K110D out to a friend... so I have no camera to play with it. Man, this sux...

[cmv]

Mine should be here today, but my K10D just broke today, and I loaned my K110D out to a friend... so I have no camera to play with it. Man, this sux...

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your K10D. I'm reading your thread in the DSLR forum.

I checked the shipping and for the first time I saw an update on the USPS site before I actually had the package in my hand. Looks like it's 2 hours away so I should have it tomorrow.

[structuresguy]

That brings up another question, whats the deal with extension tubes?

As someone else said, extension tubes increase the magnification factor that the lens is capable of producing. They do this by pushing the lens further from the film plane (or sensor) effectively increasing the focal length, thus increasing the magnification. However, by doing so, they also eliminate the possibility of focusing to infinite by quite a lot, depending on the size of the extension. In the case of the ant photo I took, I had a standard 3 tube stack of extension tubes, which is about 60mm total extension. Each tube is a different length, so you can vary the magnification ratio.

The real beauty is that there is no glass at all in an extension tube. They are simply spacers that go between the lens and the body. Because of this, they do not have any impact of the image quality or aperture of the lens, contrary to teleconverters. So for macro work, they are great as they won't degrade the excellent image quality of a macro lens. And for normal lenses, they are an inexpensive way to turn a lens into a macro lens. A good 50mm lens becomes a really nice macro lens with a set of tubes.

For Pentax, they come mostly without contacts to transmit aperture data back to the camera. Several companies do make extension tubes which have the electrical contacts, but they are much harder to find, and more expensive. I have Vivitar Auto extension tubes, which do have the contacts.

Hope this helps clear it up some for you.

Andrew

[Buddha Jones]

So if I get a set of tubed for the 105mm that add up to 60mm, I think have a 165mm macro lens? Is it that simple? And if I dont get tubes with an aperature setting, I just have to dial it into the camera so that it matches up with the lens setting right?

[silverbullet]

I know someone will chime in with a better answer, but I'll try. The extension tubes won't change the focal length of the lens. What they will do by changing the distance from the lens to the film plane (sensor) is decrease the minimum focusing distance, at the expense of losing the ability to focus to infinity. By using the tubes with the macro lens, you can get magnification greater than 1:1.
Someone may be able to say what the magnification would be with a 1:1 macro and 60mm of tubes.

Chris

[Buddha Jones]

For those of you with this lens, am I supposed to hear a rattling in the lens?