Some Vivitar Love

[Patriot]

I wanted to try using my tripod and the "mirror up" feature of the D7000. I practiced using the Vivitar 70-210mm 3.5 (non VMC) model. My lovely subjects were the Nikon FG and another Vivitar VMC 70-210 3.5. I used a white kitchen table with white computer paper in the background to make it as white as possible. The Fg was given to me as a gift by a member of this forum so it is very special to me.

If I remember right all pictures were taken at F8 or F5.6. This lens had a different Nikon mount than the other Vivitar 70-210mm 3.5 lens I have so the aperture didn't register with the body.



Vivitar head on by Jarrett_Hunt, on Flickr

This is one of my favorite pictures. I made it narrow for a banner for any header such as Facebook or any other website.


Vivitar and Nikon by Jarrett_Hunt, on Flickr

I do believe it's computer background quality, well at least to me. The two are the same except for the last ones' background isn't so white and isn't cropped down. I kinda like the slightly greyish blue backdrop. The FG in the first one is also darker. Which looks better?


Vivitar love 1 by Jarrett_Hunt, on Flickr



The Nikon FG by Jarrett_Hunt, on Flickr

To get the pictures white I had to use the camera's custom WB. Is it possible to use the WB and the flash with the flash changing the color? Ever time I used the flash I get the actual color of the kitchen and not the WB that I set.

 

[BrianV]

That is a good lens- the Vivitar Series I lenses broke new ground when they came out. That lens was the most popular of the series, competed well with the Nikkor 80~200/4.5. The Nikkor was over $600 in the 1970s.

 

[Derrel]

I like the third photo the most. Yeah...Vivitar's Series 1 zooms...such a pretty lens, even today...love the design ethos!!! ANd what's not to like??? 70 to 210mm...constant f/3.5 max aperture...compact 67mm filter diameter....one-ring control! The meter coupling "prong" on this lens has holes drilled through it, which means it's an "Ai" mount--Nikon's roughly 1977 intro of Automatic Aperture Indexing...the Nikon FG needs "Ai" lenses to register with the camera body's aperture-coupling "tab"...the tab on the body registers withy the "ai coupling ridge" on the back part of the lens....the "prong" or "buckhorns", the metal connector at the f/5.6 location, is for connecting to older Nikkormat and Nikon metering systems.

Web page detailing the serial number CODE SYSTEM for Vivitar lenses!!!

http://www.cameraquest.com/VivLensManuf.htm

 

[Derrel]

As I read it, the first two digits of the serial number,22, indicates this was made by Kino, aka Kino Precision (the company that made the also very well-regarded "Kiron" branded zooms back in the day).

The third digit is the year....1, representing, I am going to guess as being 1981. The 4th and 5th digits are the week of the year, in this case 51....and the last three digits, number 317. I doubt this was made in 1991...and it was NOT made in 1971, absolutely NOT.

So..the lens was made by Keno in the last week of December, 1981. That would make it quite contemporary with the Nikon FG.

 

[BrianV]

" The meter coupling "prong" on this lens has holes drilled through it, which means it's an "Ai" mount--"

Ohh... Nikon Bunny Rabbit Ears! Always remember to ask if the lens has "Bunny Rabbit Ears", as they were officially known among Nikon Fanatics. The original AF and Series E lenses will also work, despite not having bunny rabbit ears.

 

[Derrel]

" The meter coupling "prong" on this lens has holes drilled through it, which means it's an "Ai" mount--"

Ohh... Nikon Bunny Rabbit Ears! Always remember to ask if the lens has "Bunny Rabbit Ears", as they were officially known among Nikon Fanatics. The original AF and Series E lenses will also work, despite not having bunny rabbit ears.

I always thought it was cute that Nikon included screw-tapping location dimples on AF lenses' aperture control rings for literally YEARS after the mechanical "buckhorns" bodies were obsolete!!!

 

[BrianV]

"Buckhorns"- Texas Nikkors! That is funny.

I have some of the original Vivitar ads for the Series I lenses, and I have the 600/8 Solid Cat and the 135/2.3. The latter is the first Telephoto that I know of that had floating optics for close-focus. The 600/8 Solid-Cat was made in the USA by Perkin Elmer. I'll get some shots up, will find the ads.

 

[Patriot]

That is a good lens- the Vivitar Series I lenses broke new ground when they came out. That lens was the most popular of the series, competed well with the Nikkor 80~200/4.5. The Nikkor was over $600 in the 1970s.

$600! wow, but I can see why. It is by far my favorite lens. I like it some much that I have back ups just in case one goes down. I have one that's awaiting maintenance right now. Lucky I found a group of guys that had the Official instructions on how to fix the lens piece by piece. Heck all of these guys seems to use film cameras also.

Sometime I wish some of the old makers were to come back and make lens again. Too bad Vivitar fell so low now, even if they didn't build lens themselves. I guess that's what happens when all of your makers go under.

As I read it, the first two digits of the serial number,22, indicates this was made by Kino, aka Kino Precision (the company that made the also very well-regarded "Kiron" branded zooms back in the day).

The third digit is the year....1, representing, I am going to guess as being 1981. The 4th and 5th digits are the week of the year, in this case 51....and the last three digits, number 317. I doubt this was made in 1991...and it was NOT made in 1971, absolutely NOT.

So..the lens was made by Keno in the last week of December, 1981. That would make it quite contemporary with the Nikon FG.

Wow you can learn a lot just with the number I see. I only knew about the first set of the maker. Kino seems to have a good reputation behind them. There is even a Kiron-Klub group just for those lens. A member of this group is the one that gave my the know how on how to repair this lens. He's a cult member of Kino lens.

" The meter coupling "prong" on this lens has holes drilled through it, which means it's an "Ai" mount--"

Ohh... Nikon Bunny Rabbit Ears! Always remember to ask if the lens has "Bunny Rabbit Ears", as they were officially known among Nikon Fanatics. The original AF and Series E lenses will also work, despite not having bunny rabbit ears.

I never knew what those things were for until now. Yes, all of the these lens have the "Bunny Rabbit Ears". I do have some Series E lens, a 50mm and a 35mm.