Vivitar 75 205mm f3.8 Close Focus Telephoto Lens for Canon AE-1, plus Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Konica

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[@johnwest7228]

I bought this lens back in the 70s to use with my K1000- it served me well and I still have it

[@fricki1997]

Got this exact same model for my Pentax K10D, and it's my favourite lens (so far). I just love its heavy feeling and dual focus/zoom rings. The macro function is very decent as well.

[@AzrielKnight]

It's a decent all around lens.

[@Jon-mz2wp]

Vivitar are pocket saver and work well !!!

[@rpdee7344]

For my Konica Auto Reflex T my go to zoom lens is the Tamron Adaptable along with my Konica 55mm f1.4. the other lens I had were low cost that I rarely used once I got my zoom. Being that you are shooting film with grain the sharpness was great for film, now that I shoot digital you really get to see how vintage lens compare to native digital ones, and the plus and minuses of each. The photo magazines at that time did a lot of reviews of all the tech of each lens in depth to help when considering what was the latest and greatest.

[@derekkonigsberg2047]

This reminded me that I've got an Asanuma 80-250mm f/4.5 lens for the Canon FD mount sitting around, among a bunch of other random 3rd party accessories for my Dad's old AE-1 that I no longer have. (The camera itself, and a few others of similar vintage, unfortunately got stolen in a break-in many years ago.)

[@dherring44]

Great, direct, review 👍

[@AzrielKnight]

Thank you Miles

[@gottanikoncamera]

I bought one of these new in college back in ‘77 or so. The photo mags of the time claimed it was the same optical formula and performance of Vivitar’s well regarded 70-210/3.5 Series I zoom. It was a pretty good lens and I used it until I could afford a Nikkor 80-200/2.8 many years later.

[@AzrielKnight]

They get the job done for sure!

[@michaelvangeldergelderland4239]

I recall JC Penney & Montgomoery Ward stores in the USA had Vivitar lens solutions for sale.

[@AzrielKnight]

Ahhh, JC Penny.....

[@jakewestbrook3214]

I've actually got two of these (one Nikon [formerly my Dad's] and one Pentax K), but I don't really use them because I don't like how heavy they are. I prefer using a Rmc Tokina 80-200mm f3.5-22 for my Nikon and a vivitar 75-300 f4.5-32 for my Xr-2s. Though I will say the 75-205s are still very well made.

[@tommyvictorbuch6960]

Sharp as a Katana.

[@autisticlife]

You are right lenses like this varied a lot in production back then. There were still variations in manufacturers own lenses, many were made by 3rd party manufacturers and badged for the camera maker especially the zooms. Back then price often reflected quality control, manufacturers who rejected many lenses charged more for releasing only the ones that met a standard. I have some Vivitar lenses which very in quality, the best being very good. Series 1 lenses were good but less so later on.

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks for sharing, someone else pointed me to a manufacturer's link. No wonder they varied so much.

[@Jgp_classic]

I just bought this lens for my Minolta cameras nice review I wasn’t sure if to buy it or not but with the sample pictures you showed I made the purchase!

[@AzrielKnight]

Sweet, hope you like it!

[@dangoldbach6570]

It looks plenty sharp to me, the B&W's look good. I noticed that the colors on the ground squirrel seem to drift towards the yellow, my guess is they knew how to make sharp lenses back in the day but color rendering was the variability factor. I have the same quirk with my Pentax 50mm 1.4, aka the 1970's glam-master. With fuji superia it is greenish yellow with a funky softness, but with acros II and a yellow filter it absolutely murders it

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks for the feedback Dan. I noticed the yellow too in other shots. Sometimes I correct, sometimes I don't bother.

[@FotodioxInc]

Nice review!

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks very much :)

[@tylers2626]

Anyone know what adaptor I would need for a Sony e mount ?

[@terryallen9546]

I am overjoyed with this lens. I have only used it on my D750 on b/w. Very simple to get focus. I can't imagine ever getting rid of this lens. Mint condition. $5 from my thrift store...worth hundreds. I also have the 70-210 Series 1. It didn't rock me, but I may have just tried a few shots with it out the back door on my D7000. I'll give it another go.

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks for the comment Terry. Sometimes the best lenses are the cheapos.

[@russellspeight5175]

Welcome to the rabbit hole that is Vivitar lenses. Alleged manufacturer codes are here: camera-wiki.org/wiki/Vivitar_serial_numbers First run of Series 1 lenses were ahead of their time, the more modern ones not so.....there are some gems in the non-Series 1 lenses for sure.

[@AzrielKnight]

That's really cool, thanks for sharing that!

[@jdebultra]

I have a Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 macro for my F2 and its stellar.

[@AzrielKnight]

I bet!

[@Otokichi786]

Soligor was the other option, in my Nikkormat FTN days. Back then, as a college student, a Nikon 80-200mm f/4.5 lens was pricey. So I bought a Soligor 90-230mm f/4.5 lens, which was...convenient. (Most ordinary long zooms didn't focus closer than 2.5 Meters, like the Soligor.)

[@AzrielKnight]

I've come across a few Soligor, not as many as Vivitar though.

[@olafwDE]

These were the days of "twist zoom vs shift zoom". I had the little brother (I think it was a 28~105), and for a 6th grader, it was just the biggest bang you could get for your buck. Of course, color rendition was rather pale, and I learned what chromatic aberration is, but in my favor for black and white film, there was nothing to complain about. For those who plan to adapt old zoom lenses to their digital system camera: The multiple twists zoom ring might even be of an advantage: Note that these lenses have no weather sealing. Therefore, zooming slowly with a zoom ring also means moving less air, meaning you're not about to "pump" all the dust onto your sensor with high pressure. Thank you, Azriel, for bringing up this one. Good ol' times... :) Is there a link to the music you've used for your slide show? I really dig that sound.

[@AzrielKnight]

Thanks for sharing that :) I'm curious now how it would look on my mirrorless but don't have an FD adapter....I don't think :P

[@ClawMachineMonster]

I have this model for my Canon EF body but any idea what adapter I would need for a Sony A7? I've bought two adapters that won't accept this lens lol

[@AzrielKnight]

A Minolta adapter I believe but I'm not a Sony shooter.

[@MileHighReefers]

"If you care about those things you probably shouldn't shop for a Vivatar" LMAO! love the review i have the 75-150 and find it to be a disappointing lens to use on MFT. I'm planning to upgrade to full frame soon and cant wait to see how the lens preforms on a properly sized sensor

[@gemista]

I see the Kodak Super-XX on the shelf in the background! ;-)

[@AzrielKnight]

Wicked! Let me know when the package arrives :)

[@gemista]

Azriel Knight Will do!

[@gemista]

Azriel Knight It came today, thank you! I’ll definitely be sure to hang up those prints; you do some amazing work!

[@AzrielKnight]

Thank you, I'm glad it arrived safe and sound.

[@btrdangerdan2010]

Tokina is a highly respected aftermarket lens manufacturer.

[@AzrielKnight]

Agreed I've heard good things.

[@zillaman0916]

I found one of these gems at a goodwill for 12$... The apature is stuck wide open but my camera isn't a lowlight juggernaut anyway soooooo... 🤷🏽‍♂️😁

[@zillaman0916]

If anyone knows a video to fix the apature on this lense (it's frozen wide open) please help a brother out. 🙏🏾

[@arty2917]

My Vivitar Series 1 lens is as good as any Nikon lens I own. It just focuses backwards, which drives me nuts.

[@AzrielKnight]

I've heard Series 1 is really good. Came across one once but it was broken :(

[@berkeleygang1834]

Well, the standard focus direction for Nikon F mount and Canon FD/FL are opposite each other, so they could never satisfy everyone.

[@arty2917]

@@berkeleygang1834 No kidding. Actually most camera manufacturers focus backward from Nikon, so that is probably why third party lenses typically go the other way. I love Tokinas for this reason.

[@gottanikoncamera]

There are actually three versions (maybe more, lol) of the 70-210/3.5 Series 1, if memory serves me. One of them was pretty mediocre, the other two were pretty good.

[@caldera878]

I always see these large old zoom lens in thrift stores.

[@AzrielKnight]

Usually overpriced I'm assuming?