Vivitar 250mm f/4.5 Preset

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The Vivitar 250mm f/4.5 Preset lens was marketed by Ponder & Best (later Vivitar) in the 1970s. Very little definitive information is known about this lens, leaving primarily speculation and guesses. The lens was sold in both T Mount and M42 mount versions. The lens is unique among Vivitar lenses in several ways. It is the only Vivitar lens believed to be manufactured by Norita Kogaku, it is the only Vivitar preset lens known to be sold with an M42 mount, the design is unlike all other Vivitar lenses. Visually, the lens looks identical to the Norita Noritar 250mm f/4.5 with the exception of the Vivitar brand stamp on the front. The design has two windows through which the aperture and focus markings are seen, leading some Vivitar collectors to refer to this as the "Vivitar two window preset lens". A likely hypothesis is that Norita had more lenses of this model than they could sell and offered the surplus to Vivitar at a discounted price. Norita only made a few 35mm SLR lens and usually in small quantities. This would explain why the Vivitar 250mm f/4.5 is relatively rare. To date, no Ponder & Best advertising materials for the lens have been found, also suggesting it was not considered a long-term product by P & B. While Vivitar normally bought only entire lens families, they are known to have occasionally made exceptions to that rule in order to buy up a lens that would otherwise have been sold to a competitor such as Soligor.

Specifications

  • Badging: Vivitar
  • Manufacturer: Norita Kogaku
  • Manufacture Date: ca 1975?
  • Focal Length: 250mm
  • Aperture Range: f/4.5 - f/22
  • Diaphragm Type: Preset
  • Diaphragm Blades: 12
  • Filter Diameter: 67mm
  • Minimum Focus: 3 m (10 ft)
  • Mounts: T Mount, M42
  • Elements: unknown
  • Groups: unknown
  • Weight: unknown
  • Accessories: Screw-on plastic lens cap, tripod mount ring
  • Example Serial Numbers: 68527 (M42), 69075 (T), 69285 (T), 69465 (T)
  • Original Stock Number(s): unknown



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