Got one today in Sweden, in a most unlikely place to have it - a charity shop. Added bonus is that money will go to a good cause!
Cosmetically great and glass is superb. There is some dust inside, but that's push-pull zoom construction for you. No mold or fungus inside. Nikon mount.
It's a tractor beam emitter of a star destroyer in it's own right.. Zoom creeping a little, but I am content.
Is there any tripod mount available by any chance?
There were a few of these (not sure which mount) at a 2nd-hand camera shop I was in last week. None looked as good as yours though. Most were in heavy need of cleaning.
Krosavcheg wrote:
All I need now is a Nikon->EOS adapter, so possibly a non-chipped one el-cheapo will do the trick.
I wouldn't -- I've got bad experience with the cheap ones.
I'd go with Rayqual or Fotodiox Pro or equivalent.
It's a good investment anyway if you want to use other Nikkors/F-mount lenses.
I have been eyeballing Fotodiox ones for some time, but so far I haven't got need of AF confirm chip, so by saying "cheap" I really ment just an adapter. I ordered one few days ago, and will test it.
trying to also get Nikkors 80-200mm F4 AI-S or 4.5 AI and if I manage, I will definitely invest in a proper one.
I read few posts on FM stating there were little difference in adapters and cheap ones were a good solution? Perhaps I misread..
Krosavcheg wrote:
I read few posts on FM stating there were little difference in adapters and cheap ones were a good solution? Perhaps I misread..
I think the cheap ones are produced with lower tolerances and hence have more variation in them. I've got identical looking Pentax-K to EOS adapters but one was just right and the other extremely loose. My cheap Nikon-F adapter is not nice to use (hurts the hands) and doesn't give infinity on my Nikkor 20/4. I also got an extremely crude M42 adapter that I didn't even want to try.
So in short: there are cheap adapters that work fine, but getting a bad one and having to buy and wait for a good one is just a hassle and waste of money.
By contrast, the Rayqual (Fotodiox Pro equivalent) adapter that I have is a nicely machined piece which I feel comfortable using.
By the way: bad adapters can be expensive just because an focus confirm chip was added. Don't waste money on that; you can always buy a chip and epoxy it on (easy to do). Pay for mechanical quality, not for the chip.
Aham: Thank you for the note. I definitely remember the Rayqual, and of course, Fotodiox is a common recommendation. There are numerous sellers on ebay, and price varies, but perhaps ordering directly from Fotodiox would be best?
In Japan, adapters tend to have pricing off the scale, with for instance M42 adapters by Kenko costing around 8-9,000 yen. It felt rather ridiculous to see C/Y to EOS adapter for 30.000 yen!!!
At the same time, there are unbranded chromed brass on yahoo auctions sold for little over 1.500 yen...
I skip the AF confirm ones until I get a decent prime...perhaps 125mm APO Lanthar..
Edit: Btw, I came across few threads some time ago bashing Fotodiox adapters...not sure if it was C/Y or Leica-R....
Got the adapter today. The pin which locks on Nikon mount feels a little flimsy, but I suppose I have to be extra careful.
One thing that disappoints me is that The adapter doesn't really lock well on Nikon Adaptall mount making it relatively easy to twist the lens off. But that's Adaptall issue.
Here is a test shot - I really like colour/contrast/sharpness balance in this lens!!
No pp at all, only bicubic resize.
I have the exact same lens - a few serial numbers down from the one posted and really like it. Mine is in the Nikon Ais mount and I use it with my D700. A real gem with exquisite image quality.
The 28-90mm f2.8 version of this same lens is also very good.
Pascal: Thanks for the tip! I will be on lookout. I just started toying around with it and need to get used to it..
Handholding in low light is a challenge indeed..
@Krosavcheg: The Pro series of Fotodiox is or seems to be identical to Rayqual. They're more expensive but you get what you pay for. Bad adapters are quite purpose-defeating.
Just a note, from the past-if that series one sticks/jams in the macro mode, your in for some real thrills in terms of repair or finding some one that can do it. I know, been there, done there. Really a neat well made, lens.
Aham, Rayqual adapter is sold for about 115 pounds...a tad too juicy for me... Fotodiox's regular adapter seems to be more feasible of a purchase. Perhaps I will change my mind when lens will drop...hope it won't be Noct Nikkor then...
Kingfisher: You are scaring me now! Is it that difficult to service? So far macro mode works great, but then again I have been shooting for only 2 days...
It was years ago, when i had one. I was told by a repair shop, they were difficult to un-jam. I really cant remember what was done to mine or the cost. Maybe he had to dis-assemble most of the lens to free it from macro mode jamed.
Over the years I've known more then a few people who've had the Series 1 70-210 f3.5 by Kiron (Kino Precision).I'm don't recall any of them having the mechanism jam on them,however a few had to be reminded to set the zoom at 210mm which is the required setting to either engage or disengage the macro setting.What Kino Precision was known for was quality optical engineering and build.Below is the PDF instruction manual for the lens.
For what it's worth...I have quite a few Nikkor/EOS adapters including the Fotodiox standard and pro versions which have seen considerable use...and I must say that though there may be a slight movement,no lens have ever fallen off using Fotodiox adapters.I also have the Fotodiox C/Y to EOS adapters,I personally haven't experienced any problems focusing to infinity with these adapters as reported elsewhere.
The Vivitar Series 1 90-180mm f4.5 Flat Field Zoom is a versatile macro lens capable of 1:2 reproduction by it self or 1:1 or more with extension tubes.
A few other Vivitars worth collecting are the TX interchangeable mount lens which are shown on the top shelf.The bottom shelf are more Vivitar lenses and the preferred Kiron lenses.Also shown are the T-2 mount Tokina built Tokina 800mm and the Vivitar 600mm http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w110/boomer1954/Camera%20Gear/053-2.jpg
The Vivitar TX 300mm f5.6 (standing rear left) and the TX 400mm f5.6 (3rd from the left rear)can usually be found at a reasonable price.... as well as the whole range of TX Close Focus Zooms a few of which are in the upper left corner laying down.
I have both the Kiron and Komine versions and the macros from the Kiron are sharper in my opinion. It was made in '79 I think (serial number 2296xxxx). The zoom is no longer smooth, but certainly worth dealing with. I got it for $25 so I am happy.
Cherubino
