vivitar 75-205mm f/3.5-4.5 macro

[SoulfulRecover]

I was given this lens a while ago and I have been considering getting an adapter to mount to my Nikons. Anyone have experience shooting this lens on a modern DSLR?

 

[webestang64]

Can't answer about shooting it with a DSLR (don't own one) but I have never been that impressed with Vivitar lenses I shot with, I prefer Kiron.

 

[SoulfulRecover]

I'd hate to spend the ~50 bucks on the lens if its not going to impress at all. Thought it might be a decent portrait lens on my D600

 

[limr]

I have to echo web's comment - can't speak to adapting that particular lens, but I have some K-mount Vivitar lenses I use on my K7, and they're okay. I mean, the Vivitars I've had weren't bad but they weren't particularly noteworthy, either. They do the job but not much more.

 

[SoulfulRecover]

I honestly don't even remember where this lens came from but I'll probably just sell it then. It mounts to the X700 that was my grandpas but Ive got a 50mm and a 135mm (I think) for that, that he gave me. Both are spotless.

 

[Derrel]

I would not want to deal with the hassles of the lens adapter and the need to manually open and close the lens aperture, nor would I want to deal with the variable f/stop as the lens is zoomed (especially when shooting with studio or non-TTL flash!). As far as it goes, there is a VERY good, yet inexpensive lens made by Nikon that's available readily, has a fixed maximum aperture no matter what the lens focal length is zoomed to, so f/4 at 70mm STAYS f/4 at 100 or 135 or 150 or 180 or 200mm, and which has a very good, workable depth of field scale and good focus distance markings on the barrel. This lens is still very good on modern 12- to 24-MP Nikon cameras.


I bought this especially clean example for $79 in 2012. It is the Nikkor 80-200mm f/4 in Ai-S mount. When it was made, this was the best 80-200mm lens Nikon offered. The hassle of a non-native lens on most d-slrs is the need to open the aperture to focus, and then to close the f/stop ring down to working aperture to shoot, and to remember to actually complete this cycle every time. With a Nikon-mount lens, the aperture closes down and re-opens automatically, so shooting, focusing, and composing is easy.

 

[cgw]

This seems like a sticky candidate but, presumption aside, it can help sort stars from dogs in the thickets of used 70s-80s manual lenses:

Cult Classics in Third Party Lenses

Agree that the Nikon 80-200/4(even the earlier NAI 80-200/4.5) are gems.

 

[Derrel]

The nicest thing about the 80-200 f/4 Ai-S is the generous focusing ring "throw", and the numerous marked distances it has. Also, plenty of surface on which to make either tape, or pencil marks, to show front and rear DOF values for the color-code f/stops, OR to carefully measure out and to mark other, specific, focusing distances.

The lens has good performance clear out to the far edges, as you can see in these two crops of a 12MP D2x image shot with bounce flash at f/6.3 I would estimate. These have been compressed, and are from my Facebook pages. These would be better from a higher-MP camera with a better sensor than the D2x had.

 

[compur]

I second Derrel's comments on that Nikkor zoom and, for a lower cost alternative, I would also recommend the Nikon 70-210mm f/4 Series E zoom.

Here is a good review of the Series E zoom for use on DSLRs:
Lens Review–Nikon 70-210mm f/4 Series-E

 

[SoulfulRecover]

Great info guys, thank you! I will be keeping an eye out for the Nikkor. Seems like a great lens for the price

 

[Dave Colangelo]

Ill also second what Derrel said on the older Nikkor lenses. I had a vivitar 300mm M42 briefly that was mediocre at best. I happened to have the adapter lying around so I used to for a short time. Eventually I found a really clean 300mm Nikkor Ai-S for less than $100 that has way out performed the vivitar. If you are patient on ebay or hunt your local antique stores and flea markets you can find lots of great nikkor glass for cheap. On top of all that it will mount right up and you wont need to worry about infinity focus.

Regards
Dave