> Don`t know if I`ve taken more pictures than you, but I lean > towards the Vivitar Series 1`s, 90/2.5 and 90-180/4.5. The 90-180 > is sweet, sharp everywhere in the zoom range. Both have a 3D bokeh > effect, and built like tanks.
[and] > Vivitar Series 1 90/2.5. It's the early metal version with the 1:1 > adapter lens. A wonderfully sharp lens with great color and bokeh. > You can see a sample image here: > http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=645134&size=lg [and] > I second Steve's two candidates. I own both, although my 90/2.5 is > the Vivitar's Tokina AT-X twin. Since closeups of flowers deserve > a tripod, the 90-180 zoom gets my nod for its easy framing. After the A 100/2.8 Macro, I would take the VS1 90-180/4.5 Flat Field Zoom, and either the VS1 90/2.5 Macro with i:1 Macro Adapter or its optical twin, the AT-X 90/2.5 Macro with 1:1 Macro Extender, for my #2 and #3 choices. (I am not sure whether I'd take the 90-180/4.5 before or after the 90/2.5 "twins separated at birth", since they are designed for somewhat different macro purposes - it's a bit of "apples and oranges".) All of these lenses are optically and mechanically superb, and a whole lot of fun to use. Conspicuous by its absence in my mention is the A* 200/4 Macro - it's a beautiful lens, but I just never found it quite as useful or as frequently used as the others I've mentioned here (which is why I passed along to another list member who has given it a good home, where it gets all the pampering that it deserves, rather than the shameful neglect that it suffered at my own hands - <g>.) Fred
