Paul Connet wrote:
>Tom Scales writes:
>
>> I actually own both the Vivitar and the Zuiko. They look, feel and
>> work very similarly.
>
>There are two versions of the 70-150 Vivitar. The earlier one is a
>two-touch zoom, and the later one is one-touch. [...] The matching
>2x multiplier was probably also made in two versions.
>
>I once did an informal side-by-side comparison of the Zuiko 75-150
>and the first Vivitar, and concluded that I liked the look of the
>Vivitar better. It also focused closer.
Paul is right about the 2 Vivitar versions, and the 1-touch version
takes 55mm filters, and is thus more convenient for OLY users. Later
on, Kino who made these lenses for Vivitar came out with an incredibly
compact Kiron 70-150/f4 which is also 1-touch, but takes 52mm filters.
Still, that Kiron (if you can find it!) is a fine lens.
>Later on I discovered the Tamron one-touch 75-150 f3.5 CF Tele Macro,
>and I haven't used the other lenses since. The Tamron will focus to 1:3
>at 150mm and with it's 2x matched multiplier will focus to 1:1.5.
Indeed, the above Tamron is a fine lens, quite compact, and it takes
49mm filters, just like the Zuiko. However, the more interesting
offering from same lensmaker is the now scarce Tamron SP 70-150 f2.8
SOFT FOCUS. This is an early SP lens, so it's 2-touch, built like a
tank, and is therefore rather large and heavy. It is also very pricey.
However, this zoom is fast, and it has a built-in soft-focus mechanism.
Takes 62mm filters.
Speaking of fast portrait zooms, do not forget the scarce but wonderful
Tokina AT-X 60-120 f2.8 (1-touch, 55m filters). Both it and the Tamron SP
were quite expensive when new, sold poorly, and were quickly discontinued.
Now, they are cult items, and command top $$$'s.
A propos the 75-150 Zuiko: a sure sign of element separation, in the
absence of clearly visible glass defects and/or discernible signs of
impact damage (i.e. the lens was dropped), is when the lens no longer
behaves as a true zoom, i.e. when there's a significant shift of focus
while zooming.
Cheers,
/Gary Schloss.
schloss@xxxxxxxxxxx
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
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