Vivitar 85mm f/1.4 Manual

mjmcneese

mjmcneese

Veteran
Anyone have this lens? It's a Vivitar, so I'm not expecting much. But, it's f/1.4, 85mm, and it looks like it has manual aperature, too. Again, probably not the best glass out there, but for video, this might be a decent option?
 
I have never used that lens, But I recently bought a used vivitar 19mm 3.5 fd mount, new in box.( Must have been in a closet for years) And I was impressed. I didn't think it would be anywhere near the quality it produces. The mount is not a snug as Canon, But the optics are decent. If you can get it for a decent price, I would grab it.
 
It's hard to follow the foot fungus guy (LOL!), but changing back to lenses, hopefully without fungus, the 85 f1.4 has probably got decent optics, but old Vivitars can be mechanically poor. If there's anyway to handle it first, that would be good.

Note: Do not soak your lens in Listerine vinegar.
 
steventimothy said:
It's hard to follow the foot fungus guy (LOL!), but changing back to lenses, hopefully without fungus, the 85 f1.4 has probably got decent optics, but old Vivitars can be mechanically poor. If there's anyway to handle it first, that would be good.

Note: Do not soak your lens in Listerine vinegar.
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LMAO, Could be worse I suspect, Crotch fungus! lol.

yeah this is true of old vivitars, I have a Vivitar with a stuck aperature (28mm 2.0) lovely lens, I dont use it often, as Im not one to shoot wide open much. I like to stop down a little just to get it a bit sharper. But they seem to have this issue quite often from the articles I have read. By the way, is there an easy fix for a stuck aperature? One without completely taking the lens apart?
 
Are we talking about the modern manual Vivitar 85 1.4 which is made by Samyang? This lens is also known as Bower, Rokinon etc. All the same.
This is an excellent lens for the money. Sharp from 1.4.

@ maranfilms: Regarding the stuck aperture, an easy fix without taking the lens apart yourself is bringing it to a lens specialist ;). It can be cleaned, but you have to open the lens.
 
Yeah, this one looks a lot like the Bower. Saw it used at a local camera shop. Don't think their "used" price is enough to sell me on it right now - they just got my Tokina 11-16 in for $599, so I think I'll just be happy with that for now.
 
Lens sells for about $300 new. Which is already a bargain if you are looking into this focal length.
What is the "used" price offered by the shop?
 
$260. I'd rather buy new for the extra $40.

I dunno. I mean, I would believe this lens to be an improvement over the Canon $420 85 f/1.8...with the aperture ring and all. I get a couple checks in, I'll buy it.
 
I am not sure it is an improvement.
The Canon has USM autofocus which may be very important for stills. The difference between the two is what? half a stop? Not that much. Both are sharp. The Vivitar has better focus ring for manual focusing and manual aperture. For sure it may be more value for money if you are thinking between the two. But if you already have the Canon I don't know if it is a great deal to buy the Vivitar and dump the Canon.
 
kostas said:
I am not sure it is an improvement.
The Canon has USM autofocus which may be very important for stills. The difference between the two is what? half a stop? Not that much. Both are sharp. The Vivitar has better focus ring for manual focusing and manual aperture. For sure it may be more value for money if you are thinking between the two. But if you already have the Canon I don't know if it is a great deal to buy the Vivitar and dump the Canon.
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Sorry - I'm talking about using this lens for video ONLY. Actually, I will probably use it most on my AF100 (which currently has to aperture control on Canon lenses). And I never use autofocus - even if it were available.

To sum up, for video, the advantages it seems to have over the Canon are: 1/2 stop of exposure, stiff focus, and manual aperture...and it's ~$100 cheaper.
 
I actually almost bought one of these from a friend who works for Vivitar. In the end, the best price he was able to get me was only like 10-20 bucks off retail, so I passed. I guess that's because they are just rebranding Samyang lenses.
 
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