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In a recent flurry of LBA/CBA, I became the proud new owner of four lenses:
- Auto Vivitar 135/2.8 (M42)
- XR Rikenon 50/2 (2 copies) (Review Here)
- Auto Mamiya/Sekor 55/1.8 (M42) (Review Here)
The Mamiya/Sekor and one the Rikenons came attached to camera bodies. The second Rikenon was purchased based on my positive impressions of the first with the intent that it would be paired with my other Ricoh body. The Vivitar was an impulse purchase fueled by Gus' (Igilligan) acquisition of a similar, though somewhat newer lens and his beautiful initial shots. (You can see his impressive work
here.)
So, true to my normal pattern, I decided to share my impressions of all four lenses in three installments. First in line is the Vivitar...
Auto Vivitar 135/2.8 (M42)
I found this lens at Knight's Camera Repair here in Vancouver, USA along with two other similar models. This one stood out on account of the bright red lettering on the "meters" scale (the others had green). I was taken by its sturdy good looks and extra clean condition and gladly parted with $30 to make it mine.
According to the serial number, the lens was most likely manufactured by Komine in March, 1971. As you can see from the picture below, it bears a strong resemblance to lenses in the current Zeiss lineup.
The build quality is quite good and all controls feel precise and smooth, though the focus is a little stiff for my taste. The lens handles well enough on the K10D, but really feels at home on my film bodies of the same era (Singlex TLS and Mamiya 1000 DTL). The sun came out last weekend and I was able to get out and take a few shots. Nothing as nice as Gus', but still enough to get a feel for what the lens can do.
First is just a general shot of some bee hives:
Vivitar 135/2.8 (M42), K10D f/8 ISO 200
And a 100% crop of the same image:
Next, I tried to coax some flare, CA or Purple Fringing. This was the closest I got:
Vivitar 135/2.8 (M42), K10D f/8 ISO 200
As you can see, there is moderate red/cyan CA at the out-of-focus margins.
And finally, here an example of the worst bokeh I could generate:
Vivitar 135/2.8 (M42), K10D f/5.6 ISO 200
The bokeh is a little busy at worst, but is generally not too bad.
In Summary:
I am pretty impressed with this lens. It is very well-made and performs nicely. Both contrast and sharpness are very good (maybe even excellent) and it is resistant to both flare and CA (no PF either). The bokeh is so-so at moderate apertures, but may be better wide-open. (I will post a follow-up later with some wide aperture shots.)
If a person is interested in this focal length, the Vivitar 135/2.8 (M42) is a great value at this price point and is currently fairly common on the used market. Highly recommended.
Steve
Edit
As promised, here are a few wide open "bokeh shots":
(focus was on the far eye...I know, that is backward from convention, but I wanted to show a little near bokeh as well.)
The "ghosting" on the near blur is a little strange...
To be complete, I want to report that I was also able to invoke some purple fringing in a strongly backlit situation with a hard, dark edge.
End Edit
Last edited by stevebrot; 04-06-2009 at 01:55 PM.