==[The Vivitar Series 1 28-90mm f2.8-3.5]==

Yup finally got the lens today. It seems the rumors about oily aperture blades are correct as I found my newly acquired lens to be a statistic. It was a hard blow after almost $100 spent. However, the blades seem to experience minimal noticeable lag and the diagram actuator (the part of the camera that stops down the lens) should be able to push the blades down before the shutter lifts.

Lens itself weighs 684g (with caps) and extends 12cm from the K Mount plate. (13.5 at full zoom).

Anyhow here's a couple outdoor shots. It was mostly cloudy today so I'll try to get the lens out more often. There was an ice carving contest like a week ago and most of the statues have either succumb to vandalism or the today's rather moderate temperatures. (~2 degrees Celsuis)

Despite the cloudiness, it was still farily bright in the afternoon and I did shoot with the Vivitar stopped down. (Didn't notice the sticky aperture effect)



SassaFraz, once a celebrity hotspot, cordoned off for repair since last year thanks to a rather suspiscious kitchen fire. Restoration/construction still continues after all this time.



A macro test at f2.8. Very narrow DOF.









Any thoughts, C&C, questions?

[Alvin]

Beautiful shots! I liked the Icefest and the "#11 Lovecraft" ice sculpture.

A nice shot of the Sassafras restaurant too.

The bokeh on the Benetton shot was very pleasing

[FotoPete]

Beautiful shots! I liked the Icefest and the "#11 Lovecraft" ice sculpture.

A nice shot of the Sassafras restaurant too.

The bokeh on the Benetton shot was very pleasing

Oh hey! Thanks! I thought no one liked my vivitar haha. Thanks for the comments!

I should post more shots sometime. The lens is really sharp (albeit the 'loose' 2nd lens element and the greasy aperture blades )

[roentarre]

I was about to log off, meeting Joel for a feast tonight.

Nice sharp images as you suggested. I particularly like the Ice Fest photo. It looks refreshing to me

The bokeh in Benneton is smooth and silky. I wonder why you left it upside down though??

The tilt of the camera with the Sassafras helps to add interest to the pic. I wonder what that shop do? It also has that danger sign in front of it...

Cheers

[FotoPete]

SassaFraz is a restuarant and one that was particularly popular with celebrities...until there was a suspicious fire. haha. The building is still under restoration. Its been a long time now.

The shirt, haha I was just in the store playing around with the lens and decided to try the macro on the tag. Didn't want to mess around with the store mechandise though.

[FotoPete]

Here's a flower shot I took earlier today. Its either f2.8 or f4. I can't remember which.

I'm becoming to trust the lens more and more. When I got it, I got smacked with a slew of potential lemon issues. The greasy aperture and the loose 2nd element. The glue securing the 2nd lens element might have cracked with age maybe or maybe the lens got dropped during shipping or even before the auction. It just rattles in its slot. (luckily)

Also..another thing. Unlike some todays lenses, you can't zoom it to check focus and then zoom out again. The focus 'changes' as you zoom in and out..so you really have to squint with this lens to get the right focus.

But I'm glad I got this as my "pro"/fast standard lens.

[Photochop]

Good for you Pete! That's one sharp lens. I wouldn't even know how to get to the aperture blades much less clean them.

Those ice sculptures are amazing, I drove past them last night, they're still there but melting quickly. I'm sure they'll be gone by the end of the week with the weather we'll be having the next few days.

[NaClH2O]

Looks good to me! Nice and sharp, doesn't look the the aperture is sticking at all. Looks like a keeper after all! The ice sculptures are interesting, I think I like them with most of the detail melted off, it allows you to concentrate more on the form.

NaCl(and the orchid shot shows how really sharp this lens is)H2O

[FotoPete]

Looks good to me! Nice and sharp, doesn't look the the aperture is sticking at all. Looks like a keeper after all! The ice sculptures are interesting, I think I like them with most of the detail melted off, it allows you to concentrate more on the form.

NaCl(and the orchid shot shows how really sharp this lens is)H2O

You can clearly see the grease and theres a slight lag on the blades but they still open and close ok. If you leave in on the camera too long without touching it, the blades can sometimes get stuck wide open. Just unmount the lens, push the stop down pin and the blades will come free again. I just hope that it doesn't degrade from its current state right now haha.

Good for you Pete! That's one sharp lens. I wouldn't even know how to get to the aperture blades much less clean them.

I read about how this lens had a rather complex build and is a total pain to dismantle for cleaning. Plus theres a risk of misalignment. Yea, with these lenses, you just gotta roll with them because repair usually costs more that the purchase price.

The only saving grace for aperture sticky lenses is either the self timer w/ mirror lock up or adoption by other dslr systems.

[slip]

I like the 5th pic ice sculpure the best.
a mild cc would be to have the background out of focus

otherwise great shots!

cheers

randy