Vivitar Series One 28-90mm Lens Review

A quick review of the Vivitar Series 1 28-90mm f/2.8-3.5 lens. This lens was made by Komine and branded for Vivitar. This is a pretty fast lens for the price but suffers a bit of light falloff at wider apertures.. It is however a well made lens and pretty sharp overall. If you only have a hundred bucks (or less) and want a more vintage style lens then this may be a good choice!

[@PhiggysDOTcom]

Recently purchased this lens with Pentax K Mount to use with mirrorless Fuji X and Olympus Omd-em bodies Bokeh looks good so looking forward to shooting with it. Thanks for the review and your opinions 😊👍🏼

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

Thats awesome man. Sure you're gonna like it... Good to have a few lenses that get away from the sterile perfection that most new lenses seem to render these days... A quick look at my portfolio confirms that a more perfect look is what makes up a majority of my images, but a few good images from the more artistic side help to round things out! Enjoy it!

[@worldadventuretravel]

If you want to get something better and lighter weight with a fixed 2.8 aperture, Tamron makes a 17-50mm and a 28-75mm zoom lens that are both beautiful and not that expensive, and you don't have to deal with a variable aperture.

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

Lighter weight on newer plastic lenses, but not built to beat someone with and keep on shooting! I agree about variable aperture but go too new on the Tamron lenses and you lose the aperture ring, which is very important for me. I have since got rid of this lens, but kept the 70-210 and don't see myself getting rid of it. Thanks again!

[@thegreatvanziniphotos5976]

I think I missed it in there somewhere, what is the mount? I have few Vivitar's. They seem to vary not only from generation to generation but also from one mount to another.

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

This one is for Nikon F-mount, but I haven't compared any different mounts... The specs don't seem to suggest differences from mount to mount, but it wouldn't surprise me... There are definitely big differences between generations. Thanks for the comment... I have the 70-210 as well and that one is one I will definitely be keeping... Haven't gotten around to reviewing that one yet! How do you like the ones you have?

[@thegreatvanziniphotos5976]

@@BrettBodkinsPhotography I like them & some seem almost as good as the Nikon's from the era. I do have a??? 50mm that seems to be just not good glass or color. But that was on my film cams. Haven't dug it out to use on my digi's. The glass is clean but the pics just didn't look good. Most of the others are longer zooms. No push pulls though.

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

@@thegreatvanziniphotos5976 The two I mentioned are the only two that I have experience with.. Hard to say what the issue with your 50mm might be... Have you been able to see sample images from other peoples lenses online? Maybe a comparison is in order... My 70-210 is very good, but this one is so so... My Nikon Ai-s prime 50 is much much better than this lens, but I wouldn't consider it a fair comparison...

[@thegreatvanziniphotos5976]

@@BrettBodkinsPhotography LOL. Retired x 2 months & I am already losing my memory. I dug it out & it is a Pentax K mount not a Nikon. I have an adapter so I'm going to slap it on a Fuji & take some snaps & see if my memory is even close to correct.

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

@@thegreatvanziniphotos5976 Let me know how it goes and I hope well! Got me curious now as well!

[@mokacokolata25]

I recently purchased Nikon F301 and this lense came together. Do you think it’s suitable for taking people’s (portraits) pictures? I know this is not made for it but do you think it can take a flattering pictures of people?

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

You know, I would say that this lens may work pretty well for more of an environmental portraiture, especially where a more Lo-fi quality is desirable... This lens is pretty soft at wider apertures and takes a good bit of stopping down before it really gets sharp. My best results were around f8 and works pretty in its semi macro mode at similar apertures... I would say that a Nikon 50mm 1.8 would be a good cheap option that works very well for portraiture... An old version of an 85mm 1.8 works much better for portraits if you can find one for about $200 like I did.. Hope it helps but my advice is to experiment for yourself... Of course this gets expensive if you're shooting film... Good luck bud!!

[@mokacokolata25]

@@BrettBodkinsPhotography wow thank you so much for a detailed and informative answer... I learned more just by reading your answer. you are a gem!

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

Thats very kind of you and I hope that it helps.. Are you shooting the F301 or do you also shoot on digital? I think film is quite expensive in most countries, no? What lenses are you using currently???

[@mokacokolata25]

@@BrettBodkinsPhotography I am trying to use my F301 but I have been using my Sony Alpha 6000! I live in Austria and as long as I don't spend on coffees too much, spending money on film is not too painful I guess! Currently I am using Sony SEL35F18 35mm f/1.8 for my Sony

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

I also learned on 35mm film back in the day.. I shot many rolls of film before finally getting a digital camera... I still like shooting film and do it from time to time.... Glad you also have a digital to work with as well... Maybe get a cheap adapter for using the Nikon lenses on the A6000.? Definitely a 50mm 1.8 works very well on full frame as well as crop sensor for portraits .. Get a Nikon D version and an adapter for the Sony in my opinion!! Hope it helps and Happy New Year bud!

[@tonypmedia]

great video man but one thing ... I don't see how it's a "hassle" with zooming/focus, all lens have this. The electronic ones just focus for you. Personally even using electronic is a problem because you can have all the eye focus technology and all.. but if you pair it with peaking, it's actually a fantastic way to dial in focus. I LOVE manually focusing lol. I'm sitting here staring at a series one of these for $30 shipped but I got scared with "pumping air into the sensor" ... that's kinda scary lol. Great pics man

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

Well, im not sure what i said in the video exactly, but it may have been my warning for people scared of manually focusing. Ive never had focus peaking on a camera, but i love manually focusing. Also i may have been talking about the push/pull aspect of zooming which i dont particularly like and i think some others may feel the same way. Kinda neat that you can zoom and change focus in one movement once you get used to it. The air/dust on the sensor isnt great but i didnt notice an increase after i got this lens. They all need cleaning from time to time. Glad you liked the video and i hope this addresses what you meant!

[@tonypmedia]

@@BrettBodkinsPhotography Oh yea great stuff man, yea I never really had dust issues and don't these clean themselves anyways? lol. Nah seriously it's not bad. I love watching your vids because it's my final stop to making a decision to push that button! That hand canon I ordered now has been a beast and i'm going to order this bad mini-beast now. I love these brand lenses, they are just smooth and does what i want. But seriously, I don't see it pumping air and if it does, it's gotta be minimal to none. Welp man you helped me out as usual, i think imma snag it! BTW, you DID take fantastic shots of your daughter and the others frames. That's what I come here for ;-)

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

@@tonypmedia Thanks man! Really appreciate the kind words. Its a great lens that can help some people save tons of cash. Theres so many film era lenses that can still be great today especially if you know where to look. I got this and the 70-210 with an F3 film camera i bought. Didnt know anything about em before! Im currently on a solo motorcycle photography trip around Peru. If i make it back alive Im hoping to have a story to tell! Take care man!

[@tonypmedia]

@@BrettBodkinsPhotography Keep firing them videos man I enjoy them all and once I start doing youtube, I MUST feature you in it. I recently became a vintage lenses crackhead. I LOVE THEM. I literally ordered that lens you talked about and I said forget it... lets go ahead and order the Vivitar 28-105mm as well lol. I did that for the fact that I have a 16-50, the soon 28-90 from here, and a 28-105, and the other lens you reviewed I orders... the VMC 70-210mm. All macro(became a fantastic with that too). I've ben shooting for 15 or so years and I never once thought about a "silly old lens and macro"... Well because of you I see how people are getting the fantastic shots and sometimes I question myself if I should even post mine because they look extra pro as if you or some top pro took it. Extreme game changer! Man we must connect! You have facebook?

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

I'm not sure which body you're using, but you might want to look into some of the older Nikon prime lenses like the AIS lenses.. They are awesome and a game changer as well.. My favorite lens I've put my hands on yet is my 50mm 1.4 AIS lens... Definitely consider putting your work out there in some way or another... The process of figuring out your very best work can really help you in your journey... Over time you learn when to not even bother taking a photo and then when you get home you know which ones to skip over more quickly.... I'm at the point that when I take a shot in the field I think about my portfolio and ask myself if the shot I'm about to take can add to it or not!! Long story short is that its very helpful to your growth... Even if you don't post it online, you can still do that!! Definitely get at me on pretty much any social media... I killed my personal Facebook account, but still have my photography page... Hit me up on messenger if you want... Google my name and pretty much everything you'll find is me!!

[@godspoet2915]

Can I use this lens for Canon 80D?

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

I really don't know very much about Canon as having shot Nikon since the very beginning of my photography work... This lens was produced during the Canon FD mount era and I know that they made this lens during that time for Canon as well. I don't know much about the Canon EF lens interchange on newer bodies... I know that adapters exist to mount Nikon lenses on Canon bodies, but I'm not sure whether it would be easier to adapt Nikon F or Canon FD... Think you may want to do more research on this... Thanks for watching and hope this helps a bit!

[@opreklensamanual6815]

5 version isn't it vivitar series 1 70 - 210mm ?

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

I also have the 70-210mm version... If you're saying that this is gen. 5, I could be mistaken, but when I researched it, I think I came out with Gen. 3 by Komine! Maybe you know something I don't... I will get around to doing a review on the 70-210 as well at some point!

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

To clarify for anyone reading this.... This lens was only made in one generation with a serial number that starts with 28 and was made by Komine... I also have a review of the 3rd generation 70-210mm lens as well!

[@rakautzphoto6901]

Light falloff isn't a problem at the wide end. Why would you shoot f2.8 at 28mm? Also, there's only one version of this lens with the Vivitar name.

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

I actually measured the light falloff off the lens at different settings because I was getting too much in what seemed unexpected ways... Many lenses have falloff at the wide end from what I've learned... Why wouldn't you shoot wide apertures at wide angles? Wide angle allows more in focus making wider apertures more useful... For anything lowlight really... Yes, as another commenter corrected me already, I was confusing my research on my other Vivitar Series One lens... Thanks for watching!

[@rakautzphoto6901]

@@BrettBodkinsPhotography Wides are used for landscapes. There's no benefit to shallowing the depth of field. Yes, the depth of field is greater, but not unlimited, and out of focus areas in landscapes are bad. Low light is meaningless when you are on a tripod.

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

@@rakautzphoto6901 Wides are not always used on landscapes and there are many situations where you may want to shoot a wide off a tripod... A wider aperture is often useful in such a situation... Sometimes in a low light situation I'll shoot at 28 vs a 50 , for example, just so its easier to handhold... Low light is also not meaningless when on a tripod as shutter times can still be a factor... There are situations where you don't want leaves to blur, limbs to shake, stars to trail, etc...

[@rakautzphoto6901]

@@BrettBodkinsPhotography Dude. You are learning. Just learn. 99% of the 28mm's ever made have significant corner falloff and distortion. Learn to work around it. You don't know enough to understand the error in your thinking. Just learn.

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

@@rakautzphoto6901 Are you serious? You don't have a clue about what I know or don't... Coma and distortion can be a problem, but worse is not getting a shot at all... The fact is that with a 28mm you can get pretty much everything in focus from about 15 feet to infinity and that works great for low light shooting off a tripod... This isn't just theory, this is experience... I could easily point at many things you've said in these comments that come off as wrong, but I don't try to do that as things in text are easily misinterpreted.... Using a wide lens for longer shutter times isn't a new concept.. Using a wide lens at wider apertures isn't uncommon either... I'm pretty sure I even showed the results of the light falloff of this lens in this video... Sounds to me like you might be misinformed on some things and would rather point a finger than to learn yourself... Where's your work? Put up or shut up!

[@JulesMoyaert_photo]

👍

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

Thanks for watching!!

[@joecap2919]

I had 2 of these from the film days. The Verifocal was a hassle to get in focus and it had a strange color cast on digital. Modern lenses are sharper.

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

Modern lenses are definitively sharper as you can see in the image examples I used to demonstrate the render of this lens, but when people are looking at lenses that have a more vintage look the things that make a modern lens "technically precise" are often the attributes that people are hoping to avoid, right?.... When I want that modern look, I use a modern lens, but that's not always the look I'm going for... That said, the focusing is a pain... I don't see a strange color cast on my files, but I never use this lens in situations where faithful reproduction is the goal. In fact, that's not generally the type of photography I do anyway... I did sell this lens in a recent attempt to streamline my gear, but I don't see myself getting rid of the sister 70-210mm that I also reviewed.. Of the things you mentioned, the only one that affected my decision was the push pull focus mechanism was not ideal.. The results on the 70-210 are worth dealing with that in my opinion, but not as much on this lens... The main reason I sold this lens was light falloff and I wasn't totally happy with the render toward the edges of the frame... Not as bad on crop, obviously.. If I still lived a "normal" life in the US, I'd probably still own the lens as finding a super clean example like mine is getting hard these days and the small amount I got from selling doesn't offset having that option... To be fair, I've never invested in the fancy fast zoom lenses and I think for alot of people this represents a sweet spot in price/performance.... For someone like me, having this lens and the look it offers is a no-brainer for the cost... Selling one or two prints from any 1 image I get using this lens pays for the lens... I got both of these lenses as a package deal with an F3!!

[@rakautzphoto6901]

Japanese names are pronounced per syllable. "Ko-mi-nay"

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

Right on... Thanks!

[@cineaudiophile4465]

Thankfully this video doesn't go into what makes this lens highly regarded. Don't need prices going up on these vintage lenses any more than they already have.

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

Probably the newbies are the ones who need the deals more than most, so that's why I did this video... Thanks for watching!

[@johnapperson7495]

sorry there are 5 generations of Vivitar series 1 70-210 not this one sorry.

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

Yes, I also have the third gen 70-210mm as well... Did I make a mistake explaining this lens in the video? Hmm.. I'll have to check back into that! Thanks!

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

Oh yeah, so I could have interpreted this comment in a few different ways and think I have settled on what I need to clarify. In my research of two different Vivitar lenses, I mixed up some info. To clarify for anyone watching this video or reading the comments... There was only one generation of this 28-90mm lens. They all start with the "28" serial numbers and were made by Komine... Thanks for pointing that out bud!

[@johnapperson7495]

@@BrettBodkinsPhotography thx for the review, and yes I only mean well

[@BrettBodkinsPhotography]

Yeah, I really appreciate that... I always appreciate that kind of constructive input as the whole point of this is to get info to the viewer. It took me a minute to figure out what you meant exactly, but it's all good... I actually just finished my review video of my 3rd gen Komine 70-210 lens that I mentioned before.... I don't go super in depth of the whole family of lenses or anything, just more photo examples and such... I actually like the 70-210 much better... I need to streamline my gear setup and the 28-90 had to go, however I am keeping the 70-210.... I know I'll regret the loss of the mint 28-90, but when you live internationally you have to make hard choices!! Take care man!