Promaster and Vivitar lens

[Maxxum5D]

any good ?? both promaster and Vivitar looks same !.. why promasters are more expensive ??

 

[jstuedle]

It depends. Neither brand makes their own lenses. I understand that most if not all Promasters are Sigma. I am not sure who is making Vivitar these days. Most likely Sigma as well.

 

[Patrick]

It depends. Neither brand makes their own lenses. I understand that most if not all Promasters are Sigma. I am not sure who is making Vivitar these days. Most likely Sigma as well.

Last I heard from the local (cough) "Pro" shop (cough) was that ProMaster lens were made by Tamron. Course I take most of what that one shop tells me with a grain of salt. They've moved to more of a Best Buy type store and most sales people there can't tell you what an f stop is. I get a kick asking them how fast a lens is on their shelf.

They do feel like a cheap Tamron but who knows.:scratch:

 

[usayit]

Comparing pictures on promaster.com and thkphoto.com it looks like the 12-24mm f/4 lenses are identical, gold ring and all. On the other hand, the 19-35mm lens from promaster looks like a silver finished version of the 19-35mm lens from tamron.com. Perhaps its a mixture.

 

[jstuedle]

If buying a "third party" lens, I would stay away from the store brands and the like. Maybe we could call these "fourth party" lenses. I think it would be more wise to buy the Sigma/Tamron/Tokina versions and deal with them if there are any warranty concerns. I have always wondered if the store brands get the after-market manufacturers "seconds". Just a thought.