| Author: | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2010 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Posts: 813
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 11, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $55.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Solid build, Close focus, sharpness, CA control, IQ | | Cons: | Lens hood mandatory, a little soft at edges when wide open | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
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According to the Bestiary mine is the K02 version (Komine).
It's a solid 9.
IQ is not as good as K28/3.5, same as A28/2.8 and maybe a smidge better than FA28/2.8 AL.
A lens hood will help increase contrast, and reduce sun glare.
The close focus ability can open the door for some real fun close-up wide shots - especially portraits. I call it the Pinocchio effect. 
At F4 and beyond, sharpness and detail is very good.
A great walk-around lens (if you really like an all manual lens).
Jack.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2009 Location: Southern Tablelands NSW Posts: 406
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 30, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp and Light A-version is simply GOLD. | | Cons: | I sold it!!!! STUPIDO!!!! | |
I have suffered LBA for some time, but this is the lens that started off my Seller's Remorse. I scored a mint A-version of this lens and sold it on. Big mistake!!! In the unceasing search for funds to hunt down the best glass, sometimes you should just hold onto some. The grass is not always greener.
The build quality of the Vivitar 28mm f2.8 CF is equal to most Pentax native 'M' lenses and the results in my limited testing far exceeds them. I compared this on a test card against the M50/1.7. The Viv outperformed the 50/1.7 from f2.8 to f8....after that they were neck and neck....though the Viv appeared to control CA much better even at smaller apertures. The Viv is far sharper and exhibited far better contrast to the M50/1.7. The Viv is lighter and the rings had a far more confident feel.
I highly recommend this lens for anyone who wants a utilitarian 28mm walk-around. My only advice is:
1. see if you can't hunt down an A-version, just for added utility, and
2, DON"T SELL IT!!!! (Caveat: or if you do then do so TO ME!)
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: September, 2006 Location: Horn Island, Torres Straits, Q Posts: 4,715 | | Review Date: May 4, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | size, bokeh, CF ability, angle of view, build quality | | Cons: | nothing | |
If I have a single general purpose lens this would be it.
When I raise the camera to my eye the scene appears the same as without the camera so for me this lens is the perfect angle of view.
No further comments to be added on the comments above.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: Lévis, Canada (Québec) Posts: 144 | | Review Date: February 6, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $25.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, cheap, solid. | | Cons: | Lateral CAs, vignetting. | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-5, K-7, K10D
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Bought this lens used to fit my K1000 back when I was shooting film. I wasn't disappointed!
This prime is pretty sharp for an old film-era lens and still does good on a DSLR, even wide open, where it's soft but still acceptable. Sharpness improves when stopping down. Contrast is good wide open and gets very good once stopped down a bit. The lens is good to very good from F4 and gets tack sharp around F5.6, where it's on par with modern glass.
Distortion is visible on film cameras but is less much of an issue on a DSLR, where it's very low. Vignetting is still strong wide open, even when used on the smaller APS-C sensor. Stopping down to F4 solves the problem.
Lateral CAs are on the very high side, which is to be expected for a lens designed for film. Purple fringing can occur in contrasty scenes and when it does, it's worse than most other lenses I've used. Flare resistance is pretty good for a wide angle lens. Bokeh isn't bad either, although it's not your best lens for buttery OOF areas. It gets very creamy from up close, however, so this is an excellent lens for close-ups of flowers and other subjects that may require a wider field of view than a 50mm lens, for instance.
It's also small, solid, and very cheap, so it's worth having it in your collection if you can find it in a flea market somewhere or on eBay. A nice lens for close-up photography, with the purple fringing and lateral CAs being the maing bugs.
| | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2008 Posts: 8,819 | | Review Date: November 2, 2008 | Recommended | Price: $10.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | good value for the price | | Cons: | better variants not AF | |
There are many variations on this Vivitar 28mm lens, as this thread makes apparent. At least three of them are made by Komine and say "close focus" on the rim. Those so marked might focus as close as 14cm, but for others 20, 23 or 30cm might be the limit. So if you want the full magnification, look for those words.
All variants share similar optical qualities. They are generally free of distortion, render colours well and are easy to control.
Besides the Komine there are Vivitar 28mm f/2.8 lenses made by Tokina, Cosina and Kiron. To make things more confusing there are Vivitar TX mount lenses (made by Tokina) and at least three M42 versions. This doesn't even touch the f/2.5 or f/2.0 lenses in this focal length. Vivitar sure kept themselves busy!
I would rate these lenses a 7-8 and say they are great value if you don't mind manual aperture control. (Some of the later variants had auto-aperture but these are not as commonly found and might not have the same resolution.)
I should note that besides being faster, the Vivitar 28mm f/2.0 lenses are sharper as well -- they rate a 9.
EDIT: There are now over 30 known variants of manual focus Vivitar 28mm lenses. The Great Vivitar 28mm Bestiary provides a master catalogue. | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 514 | | Review Date: May 10, 2008 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, great color, easy focus, compact, good DOF | | Cons: | | |
Gotta be one of the best wide angles available. Manual focus only lens that hits it's focus target quickly because of the relatively generous DOF. Shooting for a week or so & haven't found one weakness yet. Good performance all around.
Softening at the edges of a frame when shooting f/4 or lower, but that is common with most wides, so you aren't giving up anything there. All 'round astounding lens that can be had cheap - and with auto aperture!
If you find one, BUY IT!
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2007 Posts: 8,237
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 7, 2008 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Sharp, small, close focus | | Cons: | none | |
Excellent unheralded performer. Very sharp, even wide open. Close focus + native sharpness means incredible resolution for fine detail available up close. Love this little guy.
Taken with this lens:
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