LENS-DB.COM

Specification

Source of data

• Manufacturer's technical data.

Manufacturer description

From the Vivitar ad (year unknown):

OVER ACHIEVERS

(Now for Konica too)

We put our computer to work on a difficult problem:

Design a line of lenses to fit the full EE meter coupling of the Konica Autoreflex T & A cameras.

The computer produced four new lenses, a 20mm f3.8, a 28mm f2.5, a 135mm f2.8 and a 200mm f3.5.

But it over-achieved. Three of the new lenses focus closer than original equipment and three of the four are faster lenses. The quality (of course) is superb.

From the Camera 35 magazine (April/May 1970)

This 20mm super-wideangle lens is the latest addition to the Vivitar lens line. Introduced at Photo Expo '69, it drew much favorable comments and attention. As with most extreme wideangle lenses, there is some spatial distortion at the corners and edges of the negative, particularly when the camera is held off axis in relation to the subject, but it has been kept to an agreeble minimum. Some flare at maximum aperture caused a slight loss of resolution, but the flare all but disappeared by the time the lens was closed down to f/5.6. Optimum performance was reached at f/8, and held through f/16. Some residual astigmatism caused a slight loss of resolution throughout; however, with a lens of such wide coverage this is not unusual.

Notes

• Independent-brand lenses were made for 35mm film SLR cameras by companies that competed with the camera manufacturers. Some came from factories that made lenses under their own brand names (Angenieux, Kiron, Sigma, Tamron, Tokina). Many others were national and international marketing organizations (Kalimar, Panagor, Rokunar, Soligor, Starblitz) that bought lenses from anonymous manufacturers. One firm — Vivitar — actually designed its own lenses and accessories, which were then subcontracted to manufacturing firms. Still others were private labels, sold only by specific photo specialty shops (Cambron, Quantaray, Spiratone).
• The actual manufacturer of a Vivitar lens can be identified by the first digits of the serial number: 09 - Cosina, 13 - Schneider-Kreuznach, 19 - Sigma, 22 - Kino Precision Industries, 25 - Ozone Optical, 28 - Komine, 32 - Makina Optical, 33 - Asanuma, 37 - Tokina, 42 - Eugen Bauer, 44 - Perkin Elmer, 47 - Chinon, 51 - Tokyo Trading, 56 - Kyoe Shoji, 61 - Samyang, 6x - Olympus, 75 - Hoya, 77 - Kobori, 81 - Polar, 9x - Cosina. This numbering system, however, was used by Vivitar only between 1969 and 1991 (approx.).
• This Vivitar lens has s/n 22xxxxxx, therefore it was produced by Kino Precision Industries.

Lenses with similar focal length