| Latest Review Posted | Vivitar Macro Focusing Zoom 35-70mm F2.8-3.8
Introduction
I got this for £20 inc p&p from EBay - a bit of a blind 'punt' (I hadn't found this site and its reviews at the time). I tried it first on my ME Super and it was OK - I didn't get to shooting any film. Loaded on the Sony A6000 its focal length equivalency is 52.5 - 105. It's become something of a 'go-to' on that body.
Sharpness
Wide open things can be a little soft off the centre. As you close the aperture things get better. At higher f stops it can deliver sharpness that is hard to distinguish from many modern lenses. This is 30 odd years old: I was amazed at how good it can be. It won’t beat the latest Zeiss, but can offer surprisingly competitive performance to lenses from some modern third party manufacturers.
Colour & Contrast
The performance is solid with a subtle, delicate character that was lovely in daylight shots.
Aberrations
Less than you might expect from a 1980’s zoom lens. I’ve been outside in bright sunlight shooting into the light and it performed well.
Bokeh
This is always open to individual tastes. It’s not ‘in your face’ like my Helios 44, but I love it. There’s more detail than you get with with most modern lenses, especially with high contrast / bright backgrounds. This sits under a sort of ‘watercolour wash’. Low contrast distant areas sit under a simple soft blur. It also has a lovely gradation into bokeh - enthuse, enthuse, enthuse.
Handling
This is a ‘Marmite’ one. It’s push-pull to zoom and twist to focus on the same ... |
