Pekka Buttler, 11/2024
Specifications
The table below summarizes the lens’ key specifications (measurements based on pictured, last version of the lens):
| Brand: | Vivitar Series 1 | Lens name | 28MM 1:1.9 VMC auto wide angle |
| Focal length(s)1 | 28 mm | Angle-of-view2 | 75 ° |
| Maximum Aperture | f/1.9 | In Production | unclear3 |
| Lens mount (this lens) | Olympus OM | Other lens mounts | multiple4 |
| Length5 | 60,6 mm | Diameter6 | 65,5 mm |
| Filter ring diameter | 58 mm | Weight | 353 grams |
| Lens element count | 8 | Lens group count | 8 |
| Aperture blades (S/R/C)7 | 8 S | Focus throw | 190 ° |
| Minimum focusing distance | 0,3 m | Maximum magnification | ≈1:7,5 |
| Has manual aperture ring | YES | Has Manual focus ring | YES |
| Aperture mechanism type | Auto | Aperture click stops8 | 1.9•2.8•4•5.6•8•11-16 |
Further notes:
• This lens is art of Vivitar’s premium ‘Series 1’ lineup. In fact, it is one of the first half dozen lenses that were specifically designed by Vivitar to combine affordability with quality.
• The combination of a 28 mm focal length and a maximum aperture of faster than f/2 made this lens exceptional9 in its era.
• This lens was manufactured by Tokina
• Somewhat unusually for a 1970s wide-angle prime lens, this lens features a Rear-focusing system (the rear part of the lens takes care of focusing), which means that the lens does not change size/shape while focusing.
Right: Vivitar Series 1 28 mm f/1.9 lens focused at MFD
• Somewhat less impressive is that the whole front-part of the lens (including filter threads) rotate while focusing.
Versions and variations
While Vivitar was no stranger to fast 28 mm lenses, this 28 mm f/1.9 lens was (at least on paper) Vivitar”s fastest ever 28 mm lens. While it is available in a range of different mounts, this lens seems to be somewhat rarer than many earlier fast wide-angles from Vivitar (such as the only mildly slower 28 mm f/2 (Kino precision) version [data sheet])
History of Vivitar
Vivitar initially was the trade name used by Ponder & Best Inc. until Ponder & Best changed its name to Vivitar Corp. From the 1960s to the early 2000s the company contracted various (mostly Japanese) optical and electronics manufacturers to manufacture photographic gear to be branded as Vivitar.
You can read more details in the Vivitar company profile.
Adapting
n.B! The following applies to all Olympus OM mount lenses.
This lens cannot be used natively on any current SLR or dSLRs. To use it in its native environment, you will need an Olympus OM film body. Luckily there are a lot of those available, as they remained in production into the 2000s.
Thanks to being a fully manual lens (manual aperture, manual focus), the lens can be adapted to all mirrorless cameras using a suitable adapter. Moreover, a simple ‘dumb adapter’ will do the job perfectly. While the OM mount has been popular, special adapters are not easily available, but one can choose to daisy-chain adapters (e.g. OM->Canon EF; Canon EF –> mirrorless) which also opens up a wide range of special adapters (speed boosters, helicoid adapters, tilt/shift adapters).
Using Olympus OM lenses on dSLRs can also be an easy option, depending on which dSLR.
• Canon EF has the shortest flange focal distance among full-frame dSLR’s and Canon’s wide range of dSLRs are able to Mount Olympus OM lenses perfectly using a simple adapter ring.
• Sony/Minolta A, Pentax K and Nikon F dSLRs are able to use Olympus OM lenses using an adapter that uses corrective optics to allow infinity focus.
Footnotes
- Focal length is (unless stated otherwise) given in absolute terms, and not in Full-frame equivalent. For an understanding of whether the lens is wide/tele, see ‘Angle-of-view’. ↩︎
- Picture angle is given in degrees (based on manufacturers’ specs) and concerns the diagonal picture angle. Rule of thumb:
> 90 ° ==> Ultra-wide-angle
70–90 ° ==> Wide-angle
50–70 ° ==> Moderate wide-angle
40–50 ° ==> ‘Standard’ or ‘normal’ lens
20–40 ° ==> Short tele lens
10-20 ° ==> Tele lens
5-10 ° ==> Long tele lens
< 5 ° ==> Ultra-tele lens ↩︎ - Existing information is conflicting, likely introduced 1970s. ↩︎
- Including: Canon FD, Contax/Yashica, Konica AR, M42, Minolta SR, Nikon F, Olympus OM and Pentax K ↩︎
- Length is given from the mount flange to the front of lens at infinity. ↩︎
- Diameter excludes protrusions such as rabbit ears or stop-down levers. ↩︎
- S=straight; R=rounded; C=(almost)circular at all apertures. ↩︎
- Numbers equal aperture values on aperture ring; • intermediate click; – no intermediate click. ↩︎
- Exceptional but not quite unique as some 28 mm focal length lenses were even faster. ↩︎