Great article Fred, you are (as always) a wealth of information. The lens cap he referred to for the 35-85 being "dished", is that the plastic one with the rib down the middle for your fingers to grab onto? Steve Larson Redondo Beach, California ----- Original Message ----- From: "Fred" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, June 14, 2002 11:45 PM Subject: Shutterbug Review of the VS1 35-85/2.8
> Prompted by the recent thread on the Vivitar Series 1 35-85/2.8 > Variable Focusing Lens, I am passing on some excerpts from a fairly > recent review of this lens by Frances E. Schultz (co-author, along > with Roger Hicks, of "The Lens Book", as referenced by Robert > Monaghan in his outstanding "Third Party Lenses Resource Megasite"). > The review appeared in the Classic & Collector column of the August, > 1998, issue of Shutterbug magazine. > > Fred > > [begin] > > Some lenses are legendary: the Voigtlander Apo Lanthar, the Zeiss > Biogon, the Leitz Thambar, and so on. Usually, their prices reflect > their legendary status. There are others which deserve to be > legends and are really appreciated by those who own them, but which > can still be found surprisingly inexpensive. > > The Vivitar Series 1 Auto Variable Focus 35-85mm f/2.8 is one of > them. Even by modern standards it is fast; it is still remarkably > sharp; and it is the classic "standard zoom" range. On the down > side, it is admittedly big and heavy, and it is not "parfocal" - in > other words, you have to refocus every time you change the focal > length, which is why it is called a varifocus or variable focus > lens rather than a zoom. These drawbacks are the price you pay (and > the price the designers thought worthwhile) for the speed and > performance. Part of the price, that is. The rest of the price came > in dollars and cents. In 1976, this lens listed at $499.50, at a > time when a new Leica CL with 40mm Summicron lens listed at $540. > > [Caption for an illustration] Although it isn't in cosmetically > perfect shape, my example of this legendary lens performs > beautifully. I have the unique fitting dished lens cap and the > original clamp-on hood. > > It was introduced in the mid-1970s, over 20 years ago; in my 1976 > Camera Barn Photographic Buying Guide it was described as "new" and > had a full page ad to itself. Very few zooms of that period were > any good, but the performance of this one is impressive, even by > the standards of the late 1990s. > > Like all the original Series 1 lenses, it was built to state of the > art standards of optical and mechanical quality, and pretty much > regardless of price. Optical design was American and Japanese; > mechanical design was Japanese; and the lens was built, at least > according to the original publicity material, using specially made > NC lathes from Germany and Switzerland. > > [Caption for an illustration] If you can only carry one lens when > you are traveling, a 35-85 zoom is a good choice. It is fast and > easy to use and delivers excellent results at all focal lengths. > This was taken using the 35mm end of the zoom range. Even with the > straight line near the edge of the picture, distortion is minimal. > > It is a "one touch" lens, with a single ring that you push-pull to > zoom and twist to focus. The closest focusing distance varies > considerably with focal length, from 10.2 inches (from the film > plane - 4.3 inches from the front element) at 35 mm to around 30 > inches (from the film plane) at 85 mm. This corresponds to about > 1/4 life-size at 35mm and 1/8 life-size at 85mm. > > The filter size is a big 72mm, and the lens weighs 27 ounces; > overall length at infinity is 3.6 inches, and maximum barrel > diameter is 3.2 inches. There are 12 glasses in nine groups, three > of them moving independently: the original advertising mentions > five concentric sleeves with nested cams. Despite all the glass, > and 18 air glass surfaces, flare is surprisingly low for such a > complex lens of this age. > > The other detectable shortcoming is distortion, but unless you have > straight lines near the edge of the picture, you will never notice > it. I have never noticed it in "real" pictures, only in test chart > shots which were designed to point out every defect. Resolution is > very high, better than 72 lp/mm centrally on a medium contrast > (10:1) target and Ilford Pan F Plus film. > > Compared to prime lenses, and even to modern zooms, the Varifocal > is an idiosyncratic lens. Apart from the size, the weight, and the > fact that you have to refocus every time you change focal length, > the thing which takes the most getting used to is the way the front > glass rotates as you change focal lengths. It only moves through > about 30 degrees as you zoom from 35-85mm, but somehow, this is > more unexpected than a greater movement. It also moves forward from > 35-55mm, then backward again from 55-85mm. The total to-and-fro > movement is less than 1/4 inch, but the effect is still odd. > > The lens cap which comes with the lens is unique, and screws into > the filter thread, The lens shade is also unique and fairly > vestigial, as it has to be at the 35mm end of the range. It is a > very shallow flared hood, held on (not always very securely) by a > set screw. It rotates along with the front glass as you zoom the > lens. > > The Vivitar Auto Vario Focus 35-85 f/2.8 is definitely my favorite > snapshot lens. There are many occasions when I don't want to carry > two bodies and three or four lenses, but I still want the > versatility and dependability of my regular cameras, along with > excellent quality. The 35-85 on one of my Nikkormat bodies is my > first choice. > > It is also an excellent lens for informal portraiture > on location. It is much easier to put yourself and your model at > ease if you don't have to keep changing lenses. While I would > normally use a medium or large format camera in the studio, the > combination of this lens and a camera body I know well allows me to > shoot quickly with a minimum of effort on location. > > For the same reasons, the 35-85 is my favorite reportage lens. I > can change focal lengths very quickly, and because I know the lens > so well, having to refocus does not cause me a problem. > > An interesting question is why no other manufacturer ever went down > the same road. If you can save weight and improve performance by > dropping a parfocal zoom action, and going to variable focus > instead, why has no one else ever done it? It would be fascinating > to see the same approach, with the same focal lengths and the same > constant f/2.8 aperture tried today. Until someone does try it, I > shall continue using my original Vivitar Series 1 Auto Variable > Focusing 35-85mm 1:2.8, as it proudly describes itself on the lens > bezel. > > [end] > - > This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, > go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to > visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org . - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. 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