Vivitar Professional 135mm f/1.5
The Vivitar Professional 135mm f/1.5 lens is a rare telephoto lens marketed by Ponder & Best.
Vivitar Professional 135mm f/1.5 lens image by Vilhelm Sjostrom (Image rights) |
Description
"Vivitar Professional" was a name applied to only a few, rare lenses marketed by Ponder & Best (aka Vivitar). This badge follows the "P&B Vivitar" badged lenses and precedes the more common "Vivitar" branding. The Vivitar Professional 135mm f/1.5 lens is highly sought after by collectors and generally fetches a very high price in auctions due to its rarity. Reviews of the quality of the lens vary. The identity of the manufacturer is unknown; however, the lens is marked "Made in Japan". It is not known exactly how many were produced. Second-hand accounts of total production numbers vary from under 100 to the low hundreds. The known serial numbers suggest that at least 197 were produced in 1967, less than 100 in each of 1969 and 1970. Only a handful of surviving examples are known (see serial number list below).
The lens was first produced in 1967-1968, originally for NASA. It retailed for just under $600 USD. According to a review published in a 1967 issue of Camera 35 magazine, the lens intentionally sacrifices resolving power to gain the extra two stops over an f/2.8 lens but the result is better than that from shooting at f/2.8 and pushing development by two stops. A quote from the article:
This is no general purpose lens. First, It's huge - five inches long, four inches wide, weighing a hefty four pounds, eight ounces. Second, it's pre-set. But this should present no problem, since you'd be foolish to use (and pay the price for) a lens specifically designed for speed at any but its widest apertures. A lens with this much glass area gives less than optimum performance under a bright sun, due to inevitable flare. Even inside use a lens hood. Mechanically, this Vivitar is superb. But this is to be expected, since the lens was originally made for NASA, to rigid government specifications.[1]
Modern users of the lens confirm that the result is soft when the lens is wide open, but the lens is now primarily a collectors' item and rarely used.
Specifications
- Badging: Vivitar Professional
- Manufacturer: unknown
- Manufacture Date: 1967
- Focal Length: 135mm
- Aperture Range: f/1.5 - f/22 w/half-stops
- Diaphragm Type: preset
- Diaphragm Blades: 16
- Filter Diameter: 95mm
- Minimum Focus: 1.65 meters (5 feet, 5 inches)
- Mounts: T-mount
- Elements: 7
- Groups: 6
- Weight: 1,970g (2,170g with hood, tripod collar, and caps)
- Accessories: tripod mounting ring, and detachable metal hood
- Example Serial Numbers: 1967197, 19671001, 196811,197001
- Original Stock Number(s): unknown
Known examples
- 19671001 - Photos of this example may be seen on this page. Additional photos were posted on the Nikonians forum[2]. In 2009, Andrej Korencc, the current owner, said it was purchased with a Nikon F T mount adapter and was in very bad condition with scratches, dust, and fungus on the glass. He had it disassembled, cleaned, and the some elements polished by Fotomehanika camera services in Slovenia. After reconditioning, Korencc reported that the lens functioned very well and he subsequently sold it. The current owner is unknown. This example does not have the usual "Vivitar Professional" badging, tripod ring, lens hood, or lens cap. It has an unusual serial number, suggesting it may be a prototype that preceded the first production run. [3]
- 196767 - This example shows significant wear and was described as having fungus on rear elements. Tripod mount and lens hood are missing. Lens cap is included but due to wear and damage, does not fit properly. Sold on eBay 17 Feb, 2012 by lostintheozarks[4] of Joplin, MO.[5]
- 1967197 - This example lacks the tripod ring, lens hood, and lens cap. Sold on eBay 8 Jan, 2012 for $888.88 USD by phytorx[6] of Tucson, AZ.[7]
- 196811 - This example is mentioned in a Yahoo lens forum in 2005 but no details of condition were given.[8]. In December 2011, it was reported sold on eBay.
- 196819 - This example is said to be in good condition. Includes tripod ring and lens hood but lens cap is missing. Sold on eBay 12 Feb 2012 by phytorx[9] of Tucson, AZ.[10]
- 197001 - This lens was sold on eBay in August 2011 by Reed Drummond, who granted Camera-wiki.org permission to use his auction photos here. This copy is missing the lens hood. It includes the tripod ring and lens caps. A previous owner has engraved some numbers and letter on the outside of the barrel near the front of the lens. At the time of the auction, glass looked clean with a slight amount of internal dust visible.
- 197012 - Photos of this example were posted to the Manual Focus lens forum in September of 2009 by user taunusreiter. The lens hood and cap are not shown and may be missing. The tripod ring is present. The lens barrel appears in remarkably new condition and the glass appears clean and clear.[11]
Photos
image by Vilhelm Sjostrom (Image rights) |
image by Vilhelm Sjostrom (Image rights) |
Vivitar 135mm f/1.5 ad image by Nesster (Image rights) |
image by Reed Drummond (Image rights) |
image by Reed Drummond (Image rights) |
image by Reed Drummond (Image rights) |
image by Reed Drummond (Image rights) |
image by Reed Drummond (Image rights) |
References
- ↑ Camera 35, Aug/Sep 1967, page 57.
- ↑ Nikonian forum: Photos of Vivitar Professional 135mm f/1.5 sn 19671001
- ↑ Fred Miranda Forum: Vivitar 135mm f/1.5 sn 19671001
- ↑ eBay seller lostintheozarks
- ↑ eBay listing (not visible to public after 90 days)
- ↑ eBay seller phytorx
- ↑ eBay listing (not visible to public after 90 days)
- ↑ Yahoo! forum ManualMinoltaFree: That's a lens!
- ↑ eBay seller phytorx
- ↑ eBay listing (not visible to public after 90 days)
- ↑ Manual Focus Lens Forum: Vivitar 135mm f/1.5 sn 197012
Links
- Vivitar Professional 135mm f/1.5 lens, Fred Miranda forum. Photos of the lens and taken with the lens.
- Vivitar Professional 135mm f/1.5 lens, Nikonians forum.
- Rangefinderforum.com: Vivitar Professional 135mm f/1.5 lens.
- Photo.net: Vivitar Professional 135mm f/1.5 lens.
- Manual Focus Lens Forum: Vivitar Professional 135mm f/1.5 lens - bad boy
- Manual Focus Lens Forum: Vivitar 200mm f/3.5 18 blade -- how old is (several posts discuss the 135mm f/1.5)