Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Northeast Philadelphia Posts: 1,137
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 1, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $60.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | resolution, contrast, close focus, pretty fast | | Cons: | soft at f/2.8, CA & loss of edge detail at 28mm | |
I wanted a lens with appropriate speed and focal length range for indoor use, and this one fits the bill. I used it a lot this past Christmas for candid family photos. Though I like the lens - it feels sturdy, has good color and contrast, and the close-focus is handy, it's not as sharp as I would like, particularly around the edges at wide apertures. And at f/2.8, it's nearly as soft as my JC Penney 28mm f/2.8.
Here are some shots:
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Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Posts: 1,536
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 22, 2010 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Great IQ for it's vintage, Built like a tank | | Cons: | Heavy CA wide open, Heavy!! | |
I bought this lens new in 1986. I still have it. I also still use it occasionally but with the caveat that the stop down metering isn't that accurate with this lens on my K20D. If it was auto Aperture it would get tons more use
The CA is easily fixable in Lightroom.
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Veteran Member Registered: February, 2007 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,774
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 5, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $70.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, Contrasty, Built like a Tank | | Cons: | Heavy, CA | |
I bought this Komine made Vivitar Legend, two years back and it came with oily blades which I later understood to be somewhat of a common issue for this lens...and because of its complex design, I didn't want to risk it at the shop....so a year later, I ebayed another one (the older Kiron made non series 1 variant...just in case. XD)
Anyways, the blades still closed ok, just a lil' slower but not enough to hamper operation and quickly became my standard lens until I got my DA16-45.
The IQ is very nice. Sharp and contrasty right from f2.8. The f3.5 at 90mm surprisingly works well for portraits. The lens also has a decent close focus macro capability at the wide setting.
This lens is easily the "main tank" of my collection. Its heavy, feels solid, focus is smooth. It's been smashed into a boulder as I was climbing river reinforcements leaving with only small scratches on the rim. Just yesterday, it rolled off table as I was changing lenses during a shoot and hit the ground with a resounding thud. A quick inspection and again the lens was ok. Its not to say you should toss this lens around but take this as a testament to its build quality.
If you are reading this, you probably have one in your sights. Bear witness to one of the greatest lenses designed and made in Vivitar's history, a lens that has rightfully earned its nickname, 'The Stovepipe.'
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Inactive Account Registered: November, 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 34
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 13, 2008 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Resolution, build quality | | Cons: | CA at open apertures | |
A classic manual focus lens with a devoted fan-base. Has some flaws on a full-frame body, such as vignetting and poor edge sharpness, but on a cropped sensor it becomes really good. Resolution is great wide open and excellent one stop down. Way better than my sigma 18-50 2.8 macro. Rather heavy CA on open f-stops. Prone to flare. Built like the proverbial tank - mine hasn't got a single mark in spite of years of intensive use.
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