Speaking of Minolta mount lenses - Vivitar SMS ???

[nelsonfoto]

Anybody familiar older Vivitar lenses? I know they had lenses made by the best for quite a few years, but I am having a difficult time digging up info on a Vivitar SMS 28-200 1:3,5-5,3 MC Macro-Focusing Zoom.

[bruce]

I don't know that lens Craig, but I would be suspicous of anything with that wide a range. I do know that the old vivitar series one lenses were first rate in their day.

[nelsonfoto]

Thanks, Bruce.

The wide range doesn't trouble me as much as the sliding scale ap and potential for softness. I would like a fixed-aperture zoom with good to great sharpness across all stops.

Dan has something down at Colliers that is fixed. I might run down there and have another looksee. Probably priced way out of my range. I dont think he takes PayPal, either.

C.

[bruce]

I had a 28-200 for my pentax, I think it was a tokina. Anyway, what I found was that it was awful big, heay and slow, tough to hold still. I really am not a zoom fan- too may comprimises optically, and if you are going to lug something that big and slow, may as well go mf. Good primes are so cheap for 35 anymore it hardly seems worth screwing with.
 Guess I'm a crumudgeon....

[nelsonfoto]

I got few other good names for you too.

 :twisted: