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Vivitar 80200 45 How does it compare to CZ

G

Guest

A budget alternative to the CZ 80-200 zoom
is the Vivitar 80-200 4.5 which is very cheap
(about 150 Euro/Dollars)

Has anyone tried one ?
Is it even remotely comparable to the CZ zoom ?

/Per
 
if you have zeiss you need not compare to any other lens. its the best! dont compare bottles with diamonds.
 
I would not recommend the new Vivitars, which do not have the reputation of the older Vivitar Series I lenses. For years, I used a Vivitar Series I 70-210 on my Olympus OMs, and when I finally got a Zuiko equivalent, I found it no better than the Vivitar. I would suggest that you look for one of the old Series I lenses,which I have seen going for less than 200 US in excellent-plus condition, or get a Tamron Adaptall. I have Tamron zooms, including the 28-80 SP and the 35-135, which I use on my Arias when I don't find the Zeiss primes convenient (not often enough to justify paying Zeiss prices) and I have serious doubts that you could find a MAJOR difference in image quality compared to a Zeiss zoom. Note that I said MAJOR.
 
Thanks Barry.
How old are the Series I lenses ?
The one in question for me is about 8-10 years
old (but unused).
 
The original Series I lenses dated from the period of 10-20 years ago; the one you mentioned in your initial post is not a Series I unless it is so marked. The Series I one I had was purchased in about 1990, new, and had a variable maximum aperture of f2.8-4.0, a maximum magnification of 1:2.5X and cost (I still have the box, but sold the lens when I got out of the OM system in favor of Canon autofocus) $259.95. I hope this helps. Incidentally, don't ignore the older Tamron Adaptalls I mentioned. If you want a new lens,they still make an excellent one, the 70-210 f3.5 macro, which is sold at the larger houses such as B&H in New York City, for about $375.I have never had a bad Tamron lens, which is more than I can say for any other independent brand...
 
Oh, Per, I found a Kodachrome slide I took with the Series I during a trip to New Mexico in February, 1990. The shot is from Acoma (Sky City), a pueblo located high atop a mesa, toward the mesa where tribal legend says they originally lived until a lightning storm brought down the only route up.
57535.jpg
 
You will notice that the scan is imperfect; I have yet to be able to scan Kodachrome and achieve anything close to the original without a great deal of trouble (and luck). Must have something to do with the nature of Kodachrome, which has, I believe, several layers of light-sensitive materials and is in fact a black-and-white process with the color added during processing, if memory serves (and these days, it increaslingly doesn't). Anyway, the original is still vibrant and is a testimony to the quality of the old Vivitars.
 
> I'd say the Tamron SP70-210 f3.5 is the one to go for. It's a very good and sharp lens. I wouldn't give mine up.
 
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