Forgot Password
Pentax Camera Forums Home
 
Log in or register to remove ads.

Third-Party Pentax Lenses - Reviews and Database » Vivitar Lenses » Zoom Lenses
Vivitar MC MACRO FOCUSING ZOOM 28-85mm F3.5-4.5 Review RSS Feed

Vivitar MC MACRO FOCUSING ZOOM 28-85mm F3.5-4.5

Sharpness 
 8.0
Aberrations 
 7.0
Bokeh 
 7.0
Handling 
 8.0
Value 
 8.0
Reviews Views Date of last review
1 12,617 Wed July 22, 2020
spacer
Recommended By Average Price Average User Rating
100% of reviewers $15.00 7.00
Vivitar MC MACRO FOCUSING ZOOM 28-85mm F3.5-4.5
supersize


Description:
K Mount
S/N: 77XXXXXX (KOBORI)
Not to be confused with the Kiron made f2.8-3.8 28-85mm.
NOTE that this lens may have the large aperture lever protection flange that will prevent the lens properly mounting because it hits the SDM contacts.

Optical Construction: ?ç
Accessory Size: 62 mm
5 blade aperture
f/3.5-f/4.5 max aperture depending on focal length
f/16 min aperture
Very short focusing adjustment
Macro focus at 85mm
62mm filter
Mount Type: Pentax K



Add Review of Vivitar MC MACRO FOCUSING ZOOM 28-85mm F3.5-4.5
Author:
Sort Reviews by: Date | Author | Rating | Recommendation | Likes (Descending) Showing Reviews 1-1 of 1
New Member

Registered: December, 2017
Posts: 15
Review Date: July 22, 2020 Recommended | Price: $15.00 | Rating: 7 

 
Pros: Surprisingly sharp; good zoom range; well-built
Cons: Disappointing min. focus distance; very short focus throw; heavy vignetting at 28mm
Sharpness: 8    Aberrations: 7    Bokeh: 7    Handling: 8    Value: 8    Camera Used: Nikon D810   

(I'm using the Nikon AI-S mount version of this lens.)

This is an interesting lens. It exceeds my rather low pre-purchase expectations and is fun to use.

The first thing you notice when you start to use this lens is how very short the focus throw is. I estimate the main part of the throw (excluding the "macro" focus range) to be about 40 degrees. Mainly, that's because of this lens's very disappointing minimum focus distance of 5.5 feet (1.7 meters). Because of the long MFD, the ratio of the focus helicoid does not feel inordinately high, and it's still possible to focus precisely. But I'm constantly bumping up against the MFD, which is unfortunate.

At 85mm (only), you can engage the macro focusing range to focus down to 0.6 meters—still not very close, and far from true macro. There is no switch or ring to move to get into the macro range; you just keep turning the focus ring. There is a subtle "bump" and change in resistance when you turn past the normal MFD, so you can tell when you're in macro. Once you're in the macro range, you can't zoom out until you get out of it. I understand why the designer decided to allow macro mode at 85mm only: field curvature at the "macro" distances is extreme, so you really don't want to get into macro mode by accident.

One more note about focus: this lens has focus breathing in spades. It's very easy to see the image magnification grow and shrink as you rack focus.

Central sharpness of this lens is surprisingly good at all focal lengths, even wide open. There is a bit of glow from spherical aberration wide open, but this goes away pretty quickly on stopping down. Peripheral sharpness isn't great. It's decent at some focal lengths, not so good at others. Contrast is okay, about what you'd expect for a lens of this age. Resistance to flare and ghosting is poor.

The build quality is very good, and the lens feels solid and tough. The grease used on the zoom and focus mechanisms is quite viscous, making these actions heavier than on most other lenses. Still, the zoom barrel manages to slowly creep all the way from fully extended to fully retracted when I point the lens skywards. In my copy, some of the grease had migrated to the aperture ring, giving it a viscous, damped feel as well. It was easy to clean the grease off of it, leaving the aperture ring free and clicky.

A few crappy example images to give you a feel for how this lens renders. Note that the 85mm apertures are actually 2/3 of a stop greater than the indicated aperture due to the variable aperture of the lens.

28mm f/3.5:




28mm f/8:




85mm f/3.5*:




85mm f/8*:




85mm f/5.6*:

Add Review of Vivitar MC MACRO FOCUSING ZOOM 28-85mm F3.5-4.5



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:50 AM. | See also: NikonForums.com, CanonForums.com part of our network of photo forums!
  • Red (Default)
  • Green
  • Gray
  • Dark
  • Dark Yellow
  • Dark Blue
  • Old Red
  • Old Green
  • Old Gray
  • Dial-Up Style
Hello! It's great to see you back on the forum! Have you considered joining the community?
register
Creating a FREE ACCOUNT takes under a minute, removes ads, and lets you post! [Dismiss]
Top