Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm 1: 2.8-3.8 VMC Macro Focusing Zoom review

For the opportunity to write Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm 1: 2.8-3.8 VMC Macro Focusing Zoom lens review many thanks to Dmitry Pavlovich, who sent I have a lens from another area.

Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm 1: 2.8-3.8 VMC Macro Focusing Zoom review

Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm 1: 2.8-3.8 VMC Macro Focusing Zoom review

The Vivitar 28-105mm f / 2.8-3.8 is a decent old professional grade lens. What is the Vivitar 'Series 1' designation you can read here. My copy has a Nikon F mount and is AI-S compatible lens for Nikon. How to use old lenses on Nikon can read here. The range of 28-105mm is very convenient when used on full-format cameras, the lens boasts a good aperture f/2.8-3.8. On Nikon DX cameras EGF will be 42-157,5mm.

Lens view Vivitar 28-105mm F / 2.8-3.8

Lens view Vivitar 28-105mm F / 2.8-3.8

The lens has one wide rubberized ring for controlling zoom and focusing; the lens has a piston design. When focusing, the front lens does not rotate, and the trunk of the lens lengthens. The focus ring rotates 90 degrees. It’s a little inconvenient that when focusing you can slightly bring down the set focal length. The lens has a focus distance scale, made so that you can find out the focus distance in any zoom position. The macro of the lens is weak, MDF at 28mm is about 20cm, and at 105mm it is more than 1 meter.

View of the front lens and aperture

View of the front lens and aperture

The number of diaphragm blades is 8; in certain positions, the blades form a jagged hole. On Nikon cameras, aperture control is automatic.

Lens view Vivitar 28-105mm F / 2.8-3.8

Lens view Vivitar 28-105mm F / 2.8-3.8

The lens is made in Japan. The assembly is very good - everything is made as a monolith of glass and metal. The diameter of the front filter is 67mm. There is a similar lens, but with a 72mm front lens. The Vivitar 28-105mm f / 2.8-3.8 was also produced under other brands.

Enlightenment of the lenses of the Vivitar 28-105mm F / 2.8-3.8 lens

Enlightenment of the lenses of the Vivitar 28-105mm F / 2.8-3.8 lens

Sample Photos

The lens is sharp, contrasting, and can catch hares. There is vignetting at 28mm f / 2.8. Distortion is normal. The lens has good bokeh. See for yourself - photos without processing, on-camera JPEG, APS Nikon D700 FX:

Lens view Vivitar 28-105mm F / 2.8-3.8

View of the Vivitar 28-105mm F / 2.8-3.8 lens on a Canon camera. The lens is dressed using a Nikon-Canon adapter.

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Conclusions

The Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm 1: 2.8-3.8 VMC Macro Focusing Zoom is a pretty good old fast universal zoom.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram

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Comments: 31, on the topic: Review of Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm 1: 2.8-3.8 VMC Macro Focusing Zoom

  • Oleg

    The question may not be on the topic, but still - nothing happens to the camera matrix when photographing the sun directly? (inspired by your photo examples)

    • Arkady Shapoval

      If you approach this matter wisely, then absolutely nothing will happen to the matrix. In the examples, I almost always shoot the sun at an aperture of f / 22 and below, with this value and a short shutter speed, the matrix will not be able to do anything.

    • Anatoly

      It depends on what focal length ...

  • Roman

    Blurry girls don't look bad)

  • i-hero-in.narod.ru

    An interesting lens. Once I almost took a Vivitar flash, but she didn’t want to work with my D70s. For some reason, I always thought that it was some kind of left-wing firm.

    In your opinion, which universal fast aperture zoom is better to take? that would be high-quality, not very heavy and expensive. Autofocus and aperture 2.8 are welcome!

    • Vktor

      Tamron 17-50 f 2.8 or 28-75 f 2.8 depending on needs. Personally, I use the first option. My copy was made in China, but this did not affect its quality in any way. The only small complaint about the manual focusing ring is that it is not very comfortable and is a bit backlash. However, this does not interfere with photography at all. And if you use the auto mode an overwhelming number of times, then there are no complaints about the lens at all. Further: a lot is written that people chose and miraculously chose one out of three. I ordered mine in the online store without looking. I took it as it is and I'm completely satisfied. If there are autofocus misses, you need to be aware that this is a zoom, not a fix. Do not hit, aim again. There will be mistakes, but they are tolerable. Ideally shoot with manual (manual) optics. I do so when I have free time. Good luck.

  • Gene jb

    I have a Vivitar 383 puff and a 50 / 1.8 lens. If puff is a blatant china, then a better lens than a helios will be made. Nevertheless, the outbreak of TTL as expected, and not garbage like Yongno.

    • Oleksandr

      I completely disagree with the statement about the outbreaks. I have three Yongs and all are excellent. Here is a site where there are reviews and opinions of people who know about these fires at all. http://strobius.com.ua/category/reviews-cat/flashes-reviews-cat

    • Jorge Santos

      Ola boa tarde amigo preco da lente Vivitar 28-105mm vmc

  • nukemall

    A lens designed and manufactured by Cosina, which never shone with anything, but rarely dropped below average. Nowadays Cosina is known for producing lenses with the inscription “Carl Zeiss” (in fact, there is more of a Voigtlander design, therefore, lenses from the Japanese company Topcon are under the Voigtlander brand).

    • Passed by ...

      But nothing that in the original one of the legends of Kiron / a? Together with 2.0 widths and hypersums, this optics made a name for itself in the early 80s. Do not mislead people and learn materiel!

  • anonymous i

    What weight does the lens have?

    • Rustam

      670 Gram

  • Rustam

    Arkady, does this lens have swirling bokeh, or is it I, after my helios, see a "twist" where there is none?)

  • Igor_K

    Can someone tell me how the lens from the review is compared to the Vivitar ser1 28-90 \ 2,8-3,5. First of all, I am interested in the convenience of focusing on the 28-105. Focusing on “28-90” causes serious difficulties for me, I am thinking about replacing it with “28-105”.

    • Igor_K

      I will answer myself.
      I just got the lens from the review - I'm very happy with it! It is easy to aim, the picture, as for the zoom, is very good (IMHO). Cosina made a very good lens, in this case Kiron (28-105) with Komine (28-90) “nervously smoke on the sidelines”! True, Kobori (35-105) is also very good, but 35mm on the crop will seem a bit long for many. Fans of "Vivitar" -s will understand what I mean. Arkady, another RESPECT for his most useful work! Personally, the review once again helped me a lot.

      • Yaroslav

        Is this a McDonald's crop or full frame?

  • ST

    I do not agree with the previous opinion that 28-90 is from Komine, something smokes there. In my opinion, it is the Vivitar Series 1 28-90 f / 2.8-3.5 VMC from Komine that deserves attention. It is not for nothing that one of the legendary German lens manufacturers acquired the license for the production of the Vivitar 28-90 Series 1. A 28-105 seemed to me a “so-so” lens, not bad, but not outstanding, which is also confirmed by reviews on the Internet, so 28-105 by me was sold. Ease of focusing, with the same 90 degrees of focusing ring travel, which in itself makes focusing difficult due to the shallow travel, depends on the state of the lens (backlash, smooth movement of the ring, etc.). Well, it should be noted that the 28-105 lens is a later release, and the later Vivitar (s) Series 1, by that time, had already lost their positions.

  • ST

    Yes! I forgot to say thank you very much to Arkady for the excellent reviews. I always read reviews from Radozhiv before buying a lens.

    • Igor_K

      In my opinion, when evaluating any lens (and not only), one can be guided by both objective characteristics (aperture ratio, resolution, etc.) and subjective perception of the image it forms. As for the “28-90” from Komine, the resolution is very decent, but the spherical aberrations at open aperture are at the same high level. Personally, this “white fog” annoys me. Of course, if you shoot exclusively in “ravki” and add black level and contrast during conversion, then this problem can be easily “cured”, but after shooting with Kosinov's “28-105”, I was surprised to note that even with an open aperture, it has much more contrast. sharper and “more colorful” than the opponent. With all this, I will not sell "Komine", in its "smoky", soft drawing (on the open), in some cases, there is its own unconditional benefit. Simply, for me personally, the perky, bright, “pioneer” design of the lens from Cosina really liked it, and this is my personal subjective perception. And it is very good that you opposed my position - in the dispute we will find the truth, each his own!

  • anonym

    And which adapter to use Nikon D90, otherwise I can not pick up?

  • anonym

    Please tell me, What adapter to use for Nikon D90, otherwise I can’t pick it up?

    • ST

      Buy with a Nikon F mount (as in this review) and no adapter is needed.

  • ST

    Igor_K - ... THE TRUTH IS HERE ... :-)

  • Stepan

    I had 28-105 now I’m shooting a video at 28-90. Both are good at drawing, sharp at 2,8. It’s difficult to take pictures with them, a lot of mistakes, but it’s a pleasure to shoot videos with them. 28-90 is more like both in drawing and in sharpness .Focusing in a video song, very convenient. I recommend but only for video!

  • Roma

    Knowing bi, scho tsіkavitesb danim obєktivom - mav bi for the honor of giving on trial!
    Wonderful for a great blog! Interpretation and systematicity and pedagogy of the vikladu of the rain, the passion, the flow and the form of the relish and the technical sanctification!
    Somber.
    And now nourished, a little lamerske, I hope you do not burden.
    Otzhe, Power Vivitar Series 1 28-105 mm F 2.8-3.8 VMC Macro Focusing
    DO YOU TURN TO YAKA TO THE SIDE / SPIN FILTER ??
    Having an important, solid, metal slope and quality, in the process of living, it does not bend / deform during seizures. From і in me so - twirling, and іt twisting ... it's time for the nobility of such simple truths - kudi blendy і filters twirl!

    Vedyachny!
    Success, good luck and joy!

    • Igor_K

      The filter is screwed in behind the year's arrow, it is screwed up as if - against, as if wondering at the front line, it seems, the frame is right for money.

  • Sergei

    thanks for the reviews. I always read with pleasure. doing the right thing. health to you and strength.

  • nashua

    I have one, only in AF version, released under the Soligor brand.
    He did not impress me on the cropped cameras, especially since starting with the Nikon D90 the cameras no longer wanted to work with him in AF mode. However, FX cameras, he showed himself in a completely different way. And all the cameras of prof. they recognize it and its sharpness is very decent, even at 36MP. Focuses fast. Of course, he doesn’t like the backlash, well, this is a sore of all aperture zoom optics, even the top one. And of course, a typical sore, this is a drop-down trunk

  • Vadim

    I have had this lens for several years. The spring on the petals was a constant hassle, and the spring wedged on the open one. But the lens itself is awesome. Disassembled with a thought - the last time and shortened the spring, it became tighter, but the shutter copes. Soviet lenses, with much stiffer springs. What I wanted to say, I did not assemble it quite correctly, the internal block turned a little.
    BUT !!! It turned out to be a funky lens. The most floral macro, the focus is no more than a meter, but blurring at f8 is much steeper. And I'm not going to fix it !!! And the sharpness seemed to be better. I mostly shoot at f5,6, but it does just fine at 2,8. I almost sold it. Pictures can be viewed at Rasfokus http://rasfokus.ru/Vadim1955 Whoever buys it, he will delight him.

  • Oleg

    Good day! there is such a lens - Vivitar 28-70mm f / 3.4-4.8 MC Macro, can it be used on a Canon EOS camera, and does it make sense, maybe someone knows? Maybe someone met this lens, there is also this one - Vivitar 28-70mm 3.5-4.8 MC Macro, they are different.

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