Vivitar Series 1 50th Anniversary Lens Set
The Vivitar Series 1 50th Anniversary lens set is a rare, gold-plated set of lens made by Cosina.
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| Vivitar 50th Anniversary set image by Art and Cameras (Image rights) |
Contents
Description
To celebrate their 50th anniversary in 1988, Vivitar commissioned a limited edition set of two Series 1 zoom lenses. The lenses, a 28-105mm f/2.8 zoom and 70-210mm f/2.8-4.0 zoom, were manufactured by Cosina, made of gold-plated brass, and delivered in custom-made wood cases lined with black velvet. A total of 200 sets were made; 50 sets each for the four major countries in which Vivitar operated at the time. In the United States, the sets were marked 'Vivitar Corporation', in France they were marked 'Hanimex-Vivitar France', in Germany they were marked 'Hanimex-Vivitar Deutschland Gmbh', and in the UK they were marked 'Vivitar United Kingdom Ltd'. The lenses in each set are numbered (e.g. 3 of 50) on the outer edge of the lens barrel and the serial number on the front badge is the number of the set (e.g. No.3). They were never sold to the public but given to Vivitar officials and select dealers. Over the years, some sets have passed from their original owners into the used market where they command high prices from collectors.
Sets containing lenses with Nikon AIS mount, Minolta MD mount, and Pentax K mount have been documented. It is not known if other mounts existed.
Known Sets
- Vivitar Corporation (US) - set 29 of 50 - Nikon AIS mount[1]
- Vivitar Corporation (US) - set 36 of 50 - Nikon AIS mount[2]
- Vivitar Corporation (US) - set 37 of 50 - Nikon AIS mount[3]
- Vivitar United Kingdom Ltd. (UK) - set 4 of 50 - Pentax K mount[4]
- Vivitar United Kingdom Ltd. (UK) - set 31 of 50 - Pentax K mount[5]
- Vivitar United Kingdom Ltd. (UK) - set 38 of 50 - Pentax K mount[6]
- Hanimex-Vivitar Deutschland GMBH (Germany) - set 1 of 50 - Pentax K mount[7]
- Hanimex-Vivitar France - set 23 of 50 - Minolta MD mount[8]
Photos
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| 50th Anniversary set image by Art and Cameras (Image rights) |
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| 50th Anniversary set image by Art and Cameras (Image rights) |
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| 50th Anniversary set image by Art and Cameras (Image rights) |
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| 50th Anniversary set image by Art and Cameras (Image rights) |
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| 50th Anniversary set image by Art and Cameras (Image rights) |
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| 50th Anniversary set image by Art and Cameras (Image rights) |
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| 50th Anniversary set image by Art and Cameras (Image rights) |
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| 50th Anniversary set image by Art and Cameras (Image rights) |
References
- ↑ eBay auction, igorcamera, January 2012
- ↑ eBay auction, Kevin Cameras, September 2012
- ↑ Cameraquest: Vivitar Gold 50tth Anniversary Lenses
- ↑ Rocky Cameras: Gold Vivitar Series 1 50th Anniversary Pentax PKA
- ↑ Flickr set by user camerawiki: Vivitar 50th Anniversary Set
- ↑ eBay auction, lisapink09, September 2012
- ↑ eBay auction, fq123, September 2012
- ↑ Christie's auctions: Vivitar 50th Anniversary lens ste
