Lens Question Vivitar 75-260mm Auto Telezoom 1:4.5

[monique_richmond]

<p>Hi guys!<br /> How is everyone? I just acquired this 20 year old lens, it's made by Tonika or so I've read. I don't mean to sound like a total newbie, but I guess I will so here goes. I have searched all over the internet for info on this lens and unfortunately, I've only come across one post! <br /><br /><br />Here is the link http://forum.manualfocus.org/viewtopic.php?id=13318<br /> I would ask the people in this forum but they're not allowing new registers <br /> <br /> I just want to know why this lens seems to have a "double aperture" and also what is the metal piece that slides back and forth for? I have taken pictures with this lens and it's super sharp, I like old vintage lenses like this. I took a picture at "11" one way and "11" the other way- I saw no difference between the photos. Can't figure it out, asked a bunch of other people... so now I'm here. Any ideas?</p><div></div>

[craigd]

<p>Have you looked through the front end of the lens while turning the aperture ring in both directions to see if the aperture behaves identically? Perhaps one direction is for stop-down metering while the other is for open metering? If that's not it, then I have no idea why it's like that unless they just let it go both directions to keep both Nikon and Canon shooters happy. Interesting looking lens, anyway.</p>

[monique_richmond]

<p>Craig,<br>

I think you might have hit the nail on the head here, when I use the stops to the right, the blades narrow down slightly smaller than when I use the stops to the left. Interesting. I have never seen this before in a lens. I just started using vintage primes and other lenses w/ my D90. I like the "look" it produces. You rock, and I'm no longer stumped ha ha... It weighs a ton! However the performance of such and old lens is superior so I'm gona stick with it for a little bit.<br>

Thanks!</p>

[jcofer1]

<p>Monique,<br>

Depending on the adapter attached to the lens, only one scale on the aperture ring should be usable. This depends on the camera mount involved (Nikon and Pentax on the white scale, Canon and Minolta on the green scale, as I remember). Your lens as pictured has a Nikon non-AI adapter installed; it should operate on the white aperture scale, and the metal piece projecting from the mount is for coupling with the meter system on the older non-AI Nikon cameras (Nikon F Photomic, Nikkormat, etc.). Due to the design of the adapters, they will not damage an AI series camera, but they won't couple to the meter either. If the aperture ring rotates through both scales, it may not be coupled to the adapter properly. There is a pin on the adapter that should engage with a slot in a plate on the back of the lens that moves along with the aperture ring. It is the adapter that stops the ring from rotating through both scales, and limits it to the appropriate scale for the particular camera mount.</p>

[monique_richmond]

<p>John,<br>

Wow! Thank-you so much! That picture is my lens, I took it shortly after I acquired it. Now I "get it", so thank-you!</p>

[Matthew Currie]

<p>I have similar (maybe a clone except for details) Soligor 75-260 with the same adapter, and was about to do a detailed response but I see that John has covered it.</p>

<p>Mine, unfortunately, was dropped hard by a previous owner - hard enough that I had to open it up and modify the infinity stop to get it to focus, and I think that has contributed to a bit of chromatic aberration. It's otherwise a very robust and well made lens. I long ago put an eyepiece adapter on it and use it now as a scope, where its faults are inconspicuous.</p>

[juan_c.]

<p>Kinda related: I have a 24mm 2.8 Vivitar lens (Tokina built) that has the same double aperture. Just found out about the removable mount a few hours ago during a hike. Ended up removing the mount and checking the lens out, lol. But, is it possible to buy the mount separately? I have it in Minolta mount, but it would be cool to be able to mount it on my Nikon, though. </p>

[jcofer1]

<p>Matthew,<br>

I also have the Soligor model, they are identical to the Vivitar.</p>

<p>Juan,<br>

Haunt ebay. Note that there are two almost identical systems, T4 and TX, with TX being the newer. While a TX adapter will usually fit a T4 lens it may or may not operate properly; that is, you may be able to mount the adapter, but the aperture ring will not move. I know this because I bought a "Minolta MD" TX adapter and tried it on my 75-260mm Soligor T4 and 300mm f5.5 Vivitar T4 and that was what happened.</p>

<p>I don't know if the TX lenses are labeled as such, the T4 lenses have no identifying marks. The T4 adapters likewise are not marked, but the TX ones have a "TX" label on the side facing the lens, and at least with the Nikon non-AI adapters I have, the T4 one is marked on the mount face with the mount type in orange, while the TX adapter is marked in white. Check the Minolta adapter you have and try to find a Nikon adapter of the same type. There never was a Nikon AI T4 adapter; the reason for the TX system was to allow for newer mount systems that didn't exist when the T4 mount was designed.</p>

[User_502260]

<p>There is a Fixed Mount version of this lens which has the later rubber covering on the focusing and zooming rings. It was made at the same time as the TX model, which looks like the Fixed Mount. This is a large, heavy and slow lens. If you use it on a tripod and stop it down a little it's not too bad. These sell for so little they must be the most lens you can get for the money, at least based on weight. There were some very early TX lenses like the 400/6.3 which had the old T4 cosmetics. I have many T4 and TX lenses. Most are Vivitar and some are Soligor. If I remember correctly, you can use a newer TX lens with an older T4 adapter but not the other way around. I'm pretty sure I saw a photo of a Nikon AI TX adapter but these are very rare. The TX lines added mount adapters for Konica Autoreflex, Olympus OM, Nikon AI, Minolta MD, Yachica/Contax, Canon FD and Pentax ES (SMC) if I remember all of them. </p>

[profhlynnjones]

<p>Tokina made these for Vivitar, the first showed up in my camera store in around 1973 or 54. As someone guessed when you changed the camera adapter, it stopped down according the the camera. I still have one that I used until I realized that it was not the sharpest zoom lens around. That was the largest zoom ratio around at that time, thank goodness these zooms got better after a time.</p>

<p>Lynn</p>