Trevor Briggs <trevor@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>Just wondering whether anyone has any info on the difference between the
>28 - 105mm S1 lens. I was looking at one of these lenses. The Vivitar
>website has different specs than the one I was looking at. Filter size,
>weight, elemenets/groups and overal size were different. It looks as if
>Vivitar updated the lens, but one or two stores still have older ones in
>stock. Any ideas which is better? When the changed the design? Any
>information appreciated.
The older 28-105mm S1 lens (67mm filter size) is based on Vivitar's
original Series 1 28-90mm f/2.8-3.5 lens. It's a vario-focal design,
patented by Vivitar. The 28-105mm version was originally made by
Kiron (Kino Precision), and, after Kino got out of the 35mm business
-- by someone else (Cosina?), to Vivitar's spec's. Btw, Kiron also
sold a very similar 28-105mm f/3.2-4.5. These were/are very fine,
sharp lenses, with excellent build quality and great optics. Two
frequent problems I'm aware of with this product: (a) a tendency to
vignette at 28mm end -- be VERY careful with your choice of filters,
i.e. get the thinnest one you can find; and (b) the diaphragm is prone
to become oily and "stick".
About 2-3 years ago, Vivitar redesigned its 28-105mm zoom into an AF
lens. I guess vario-focal design is no good for AF. Besides, new
optical glass and CAD-based lens design technologies have obsoleted
the inherent advantages of vario-focal zooms. So, Vivitar came out
with a new AF Series 1 28-105mm f/2.8-3.8 lens, and its MF version
has replaced the above older lens, I guess due to economies of scale.
The new duo is much lighter (flimsier?), and it has a 72mm filter size
which likely solves the above problem (a). The main drawback of the
new pair seems to be their inferior macro (close focus) performance
-- only 1:6.8 life size magnification vs 1:2.5 in the older design.
Cheers,
/Gary Schloss.
schloss@xxxxxxxxxxx
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
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