M42 Vivitar Ser1 28/2, 28/1.9? 24/2?

Anyone have experience with these two 28's? They both seem to have an

avid following, as does the 24/2 (was there a 24/1.9 also?). Anyone

got both, which do you like better? I'm also interested in the 24/2,

but it seems to be a lot rarer than the 28...

Jan

 

There was a Vivitar Series 1 28mm f1.9, made by Tokina. The 24mm f/2 and 28mm f/2's were made by Kiron (Kino Precision Industries). Both are availabe on the used market. There was no 24mm f/1.9. The Kiron 24mm & 28mm f/2's are quite good. If you'd like to know more about them, go to ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Kiron-Klub/ ). We have loads of info on the Vivitars and Kiron's.

 

Russ (Kiron Kid)<div></div>

The 28F1.9 was the ONLY series 1 wide-angle in the 24-28mm range. The 24F2 and 28F2 were not series 1 lenses. There was a 35F1.9 but that was not a series 1 lens either. The next best wide-angle to the 28F1.9 was the 28F2.5 made for Vivitar by Kiron.

I have had both and I prefer the 28/1.9. As pointed out, the 28/2 was not a Series 1 lens, but it's performance was very good. I had about 3 of them at different times, but all developed sluggish aperture blades. Seems that was a problem with that particular lens. Never experienced it with the 28/1.9, or 24/2 for that matter.

Ahh, thanks for the clarifications! This helps! Sounds like the 28/1.9 is the one to look for...

David ,

 

There was a Series 1 24-48 zoom which does include 28mm! Big, heavy but very good if you had one that the diaphram would stop down. I had mine repaired twice and gave up when it broke a 3rd time, sold it for parts.

I am a happy owner of two of the Kiron 28mm f2 lenses, one in Nikon AIS mount, and one in Canon FD mount. It's a very nice lens, and I've not encountered the issue of lube on the aperture blades, but I have heard that it does happen more often than it should. Otherwise, this lens is quite nice, although a bit susceptible to flare when wide open. They go for around $45-50 on ebay in nice shape.

 

But I would also recommend the slightly slower, older Vivitar 28mm f2.5 lens, also made by Kiron. These lenses are extremely well built, sharp, and contrasty, and less susceptible to flare than the aforementioned 28mm f2. And they sell for ridiculously low prices on the used market - I've owned 4 of them (Nikon F, Minolta MC, Pentax M42, and Canon FD) and I have NEVER paid as much as $20 for one of these (typically $7-15 plus shipping on the bay). It's a screaming bargain. In fact, it was better than any of the Nikon 28mm lenses of the same era. FYI, the Modern Photography test charts on this lens were across the board Excellent, center and corner, at every f-stop, except for the corners at f2.5, which were Good. As a longtime user of several samples of this lens, it absolutely deserved these scores.

"Ahh, thanks for the clarifications! This helps! Sounds like the 28/1.9 is the one to look for..." in my opinion no it is not. I have used both the Kiron 28mm/2 and the Vivitar 28mm/1.9 in every respect I found the Kiron a better lens. The extra .1 stop of light is not realized because the 28mm/1.9 lens has more air glass surfaces. However, these lenses are now cheap so buy what you can find and enjoy.

 

miles