Talk:Vivitar

Vivitar Lens Families

This list was started with information gathered on the Manual Focus Lens forum. It was expanded with data from the John C. Wolf vivitar book. And about half is from my own research. As families can be referenced and seem complete, they will be moved to the main page.

• P&B example
• P&B Vivitar example
• Vivitar Professional example
• Vivitar
  • Pyramid preset family (date? info?) example example
    • Vivitar Wide-Angle 28mm f/2.5 sn#ss51368
    • Vivitar 28mm f/2.8 sn#63903
  • Vivitar T-Mount Two ring family (18 blade iris, two aperture rings, one to set, one to preview, front barrel extends)
    • 35mm f/2.8 Wide-Angle sn: 74783
    • 85mm f/1.8 (Vivitar Telephoto?)
    • 135mm f/2.8 - I have a copy (Vivitar Telephoto)
    • 180mm f/3.5 (Telephoto)
  • Vivitar T-Mount Two ring family (18 blade iris, two aperture rings, one to set, one to preview, rear barrel extends)
    • 85mm f/1.8 (Tele Vivitar)
    • 135mm f/3.5 (Tele Vivitar) SN:70719
    • 135mm f/2.8 (Tele Vivitar) SN:70942
    • 200mm f/3.5 (Tele Vivitar)
    • 300mm f/5.6 (Tele Vivitar)
    • 500mm f/6.3
    • Vivitar Telephoto 800mm f/8 sn:379000070
  • 2 window preset family (ca 1975?) example
  • Chrome Nose family (ca 1968-70?) example
    • (Chrome Nose lenses have pre-standarized serial numbers but are believed to have been made by Kino)
  • Bright Band family (ca 1970?) example
    • (Bright Band lenses have 22xxx SNs and were made by Kino - these are basically a later model of chrome nose)
  • Dark Band (Ridged Ring)? Same as chrome nose/bright band, but with no silver at all
    • Vivitar 35mm f/1.9 Auto Wide-Angle, sn:28400974, 55mm filter
    • Auto Vivitar Telephoto 135mm f/2.8, sn:2804881
    • Auto Vivitar 135mm f/3.5, sn:4111998
  • Auto T-4 family (ca 1969) 1969 Camera 35 ad for family
    • longitudinally ribbed focus ring with chromed strips at top and bottom
    • has the L <-> O selector at base to swap mount adapters
    • same lenses as Soligor T-4 line (only badging is different)
    • 28mm f/2.8
    • 35mm f/2.8
    • 135mm f/2.8
    • 135mm f/3.5
    • 200mm f/3.5
    • 300mm f/5.5
  • TX Lens 1st Gen family (ca 1976) (lens listing from PopSci May 1976 vivitar ad, page 43)
    • all black with knurled rubber focus ring bands
    • has the L <-> O selector at base to swap mount adapters
    • 28mm f/2.5
    • 35mm f/2.5
    • 135mm f/2.5
    • 200mm f/3.5
    • 300mm f/5.6
    • 400mm f/5.6
    • 75-260mm f/4.5
    • 90-230mm f/4.5
  • TX Lens 2nd Gen Family (ca 1980) (see wolf book)
  • Wolf Fixed Mount Family (ca 1980) named for documentation in wolf book
    • 17mm f/3.5 Auto Wide Angle, 72mm filter
    • 24mm f/2.0
    • 24mm f/2.8
    • 28mm f/2.0
    • 28mm f/2.8
    • 35mm f/2.8
    • 55mm f/2.8 Macro
    • 90mm f/2.8 Macro
    • 135mm f/2.8
    • 200mm f/3.5
    • 300mm f/5.6
    • 400mm f/5.6
    • 35-105mm f/3.5
    • 70-150mm f/3.8
    • 75-205mm f/3.8
    • 80-200mm f/4.5
    • 100-200mm f/4
  • SMS family (all seem to have diagonal diamond pattern on rubber focus ring)
    • Vivitar SMS 28mm f/2.8 Close Focus Wide Angle, 49mm filter, sn 26405205
    • Vivitar SMS 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5 MC Macro Focusing Zoom, 62mm filter
    • Vivitar SMS 70-210mm f/4.5 MC Macro Focusing Zoom, 52mm filter, sn 77317510, 77316676
    • Vivitar SMS 75-210mm f/4.5 MC Macro Focusing Zoom, 52mm filter, sn 77602760 (m/md stock: 0821575)
    • Vivitar SMS 75-300mm f/4.5-5 MC Macro Focusing Zoom, 58mm filter, sn 77502874
    • Vivitar SMS 80-200mm f/4.5 MC Macro Focusing Zoom, 55mm filter, sn 77203775, 77200615
  • 5xxxx preset family (date? info? example?) (pyramid family?)
  • 6xxxx preset family (date? info? example?) (pyramid family?)
• Vivitar Series 1 (ca 1978+) example

Other Lens Types

RL Edition example (common wisdom online suggests RL lenses were identical to non-RL but came with an extended 7 year warranty. So any given lens might come in both a "normal" or RL edition but RL is not a separate family of lenses.

SMS Lenses One claim is that SMS stands for Special Marketing System and SMS series lenses are just extended warranty lenses like the RL labelled lenses. But so far, the evidence suggest the SMS lenses were at least cosmetically different from any other known Vivitar family. Another claim is that SMS stands for "Simultaneous Multiple Surfaces", an optical technique that can simplify lens designs involving air gaps. This claim fits with what is know about Betensky's computer work on the Series 1 lenses which included development and patents on the air gap techniques. See http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/34654-vivitar-28mm-fa31mm-replacement-20.html However, it appears the optical term SMS was not coined until 2004 and not by Betensky. Also Vivitar used the SMS designation on products such as flash units as well as lenses, where air gap lens design was unlikely to be used.

Spotted a "DL" on eBay - what's this:
Vivitar DL 75-205mm f/3.8-4.8 MC Macro Focusing Zoom No.77415114 52mm, Pentax K mount

In the Vivitar book by John C. Wolf. Vivitar themselves divided their lenses into three primary groupings: Series 1, TX, and Fixed Mount.

Misc Vivitar Notes

Vivitar trademark filing

• Serial number: 72228273
• Registration number: 0808478
• Primary Vivitar Trademark
• A declined Vivitar Trademark application

Known facility locations for Vivitar

• Ponder & Best, 814 N. Cole Ave. Hollywood (Los Angeles), Ca US
  • Address when they filed the Vivitar trademark, Sep 21, 1965
• Vivitar Corp. import/export facility post-earthquake: 20480 East Business Parkway, City of Industry, Ca 91789 US

Vivitar held trademark on the TX mount system name (filed in 1975): [1]

Popular Science:

• Review of Vivitar 85-205mm f/3.8 close focusing zoom
• Brief reviews of Several Series 1 lenses
• Story of Series 1 development with release dates for a couple of lenses
• Review of Series 1 200mm auto focus
• review of Series 1 450mm cat with plastic element
• mention of series 1 600mm cat and series 1 35-85mm
• 1973 70-210mm f/3.5 zoom
• 120-600mm f/5.6 zoom
• Vivitar Profession 135mm f/1.5!