Vivitar Series 1 19-35AF 35mm Zoom
Vivitar Series 1 19-35AF 35mm Zoom
USER REVIEWS
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[Apr 09, 2009]
Vaskhod
Expert
Strength:
Color rendition in natural light.
Weakness:
Poor AF
GBP £20
Customer Service N/A Similar Products Used: Minolta 24-85
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[Dec 31, 2004]
vrosario63
Expert
Strength:
Fast Focus Bang for the buck clarity and color
Weakness:
somewhat flimsy front portion of lens turns with focus I take all types of photos. But never really needed a wide angle lens. So I desided to look forsomething not too expensive. Being I had used the Vivitar series 1 on my film camera. I desided to try the 19-35 AF on my Canon 20D. And to my surprise, the images are clean and clear. Focus was fast.Can't beat it for the money. Customer Service So cheap in price, who cares. Throw it out and buy another... Similar Products Used: Canon 28-135 IS USM Canon 85 USM |
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[Oct 21, 2004]
nspur
Intermediate
Strength:
Good all-round performer of its class. Good value for money. Build quality is good (better than the Vivitar branded version)
Weakness:
Lens ring rotates on focus. AF is a bit noisy and not too quick My copy of this 19-35 zoom lens is badged Cosina and is champagne coloured with a red ring around the focussing ring (like the Canon L lenses). While it is not in the same league as Canon L glass it is a good performer even at 19mm and full aperture. Stopped down to f5.6 it is very crisp and colour balance is good. I had one in Minolta fit for 12 years and currently in Canon fit. It's very useful for landscape and architectural photography and interiors. More for film SLRs than digital with a crop factor of 1.5/1.6 |
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[Jun 19, 2004]
wardy
Intermediate
Strength:
A great lens for the money
Weakness:
Build Quality. Front of lens rotates when focussing so a bit of a pain when using filters. Had this lens for about 7 years and used it loads, mainly landscapes, focus ring very loose however it has'nt got any worse over the years. Auto focus fast but a bit noisey. optics are good when stopped down and flare not much of a problem for this type of lens. Edge sharpness a bit soft at the 19mm end.This lens is more robust than it feels, mine has taken a fair beating over the years and its ok.Excellent Value for money Customer Service Never used Similar Products Used: Sigma 24mm f2.8 fixed, sigma 24-70f2.8ex |
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[May 29, 2004]
SWANNY
Expert
Strength:
Excellent sharpness Excellent color Excellent contrast Fast focusing Light weight Compact
Weakness:
Feels fragile, but mine has never failed despite robust use For the dollar, this is the best lens I've ever owned. I have used it for many years [since it was introduced, almost 20 years ago] on Nikons, and it has always given me knife sharp pictures with excellent color and contrast. It also focuses very quickly, virtually instantly, in AF mode. It is a very light and small lens, so it easily fits into a camera bag. The construction SEEMS flimsy, mostly plastic, but mine has gone around the world with me many times, and survived deserts, swamps, and Arctic cold. It has never failed to perform. Like all wide lenses, it is prone to flare when pointed toward a bright light source, but so are my more expensive wide angle lenses. Anyone looking for a wide angle zoom should take a good look at this lens! [Note: I inadvertantly posted this review under the manul focus ens by mistake. My review is definitely for the AF version!] Must stay aware of flare when shooting toward light source, and control it Sigma 12-24mm Sigma 15-30mm Sigma 15mm nikkor 16mm Mikkor 20mm Customer Service I've never had a problem with this lens. In the late 1960's I had an element come loose on a Vivitar 135mm lens, and they fixed it while I waited. That was some good service! [I live within driving distance to the distributor's headquarters.] Similar Products Used: Sigma 12-24mm Sigma 15-30mm Sigma 15mm nikkor 16mm Mikkor 20mm |
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[Sep 21, 2003]
Professional
Strength:
For this kind of money! Its a gem and truly recomandable.
Weakness:
For this kind of money?? You must be joking! I must admit that this Lens is a true bargain and best buy out there. Whether you use it on a normal SLR og digital you wont be dissaponted,stopped down a few steps into 5,6 for instance you get the sharpest pics you can imagene. I have even tried it with the 28 mm 4,0 focus and got some marvoulous results with an AgfaPan iso 100 BW film.My customers is very satiesfied. I have the old manual version as well and this is even better,but the AF version is very very good too. Vivitar: Could You make a topversion with better glass inside? Like the old Series 1 types? please make it. Customer Service none Similar Products Used: many from nikon canon minolta ex |
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[Sep 21, 2003]
paolopizzi
Expert
Strength:
- Very sharp (when stopped down.) - One of the best (if not THE best) photo-bargains around. - AF is not the fastest around but it ain't bad at all (similar to the Nikkor 18-35 f/3.5-4.5D.)
Weakness:
- Construction (cheap plastic etc.) - Durability (oh well, it's so cheap, if it breaks, you just buy another one...) Because of 1.5 ratio, my Nikon D100 makes all my telephoto lenses 50% longer, and that of course is a real boon (a 200-400 zoom, for example, becomes a very respectable 300-600, without the image degradation typical of teleconverters.) Unfortunately, the trade-off is in the wide-angle range: a typical 28mm becomes a 44mm and a 35mm is boosted to 52mm. To get a simple, no-frill 28mm wide-angle, you'd need a lens that goes below 20mm. Ouch, that's EXPENSIVE!!! Before forking out serious dough for quality glass at that range, I decided to give the Vivitar 19-35 (AF) a try. A brand new one was so cheap on EBay, why the heck not? Naturally, I did not expect anything above mediocre results, but, after all, this was to be only a temporary solution. To my complete surprise, the first pictures I took with this lens were nothing short of amazing. I'm talking results just SLIGHTLY inferior to what you'd get with wide-angle zooms costing 10-12 times as much!! (like the Nikkor 17-35 f/2.8) and very comparable to the Nikkor 18-35 f/3.5-4.5, which still costs 4-5 times the Vivitar. Yeah, I will still buy the Nikkor 20mm for those shots where absolute sharpness is needed, but that doesn't mean I will no longer use this lens. I just love it, it grew on me so much, I can't imagine ever getting rid of it. And yes, I also tried this puppy on my traditional Nikon SLR bodies, and the results were just as amazing. Actually they were even better, because I could fully appreciate the benefit of having REAL 19mm capability. For the price, it's a steal!! Customer Service Not yet used. Similar Products Used: - Nikkor 17-35 f/2.8D (rented) - Nikkor 18-35 f/3.5-4.5D ED (borrowed) |
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[Feb 24, 2003]
hop889
Intermediate
Strength:
SUPER wide angle! Cheap! Fun! Sharp! Colour rendition! (Under the right circumstances and stopped down a few notches...)
Weakness:
Not as good as MUCH more expensive A-brand "peers". Mine is the manual version. I got this thing practically for free, when I bought my used Nikon FM2. I wasn't really interested in this lense, but the seller insisted I took this little marvel in the deal. I'd like to say "Thank you very much" to the seller, wherever she is. I enjoy shooting with this lense very much. Obviously it hasn't the quality (optical or constructionwise) the A-brands have, but they can cost up to 10 times the new price of this little toy. I have gotten very nice results with this lense, but you shouldn't make life too difficult when using this one: yes it will flare, yes it will have dificulty in low light situations. Use it, specifically on bright sunny days (stopped down a few notches), have consideration with its drawbacks and you will enjoy using this little fellar as much as I have. Customer Service None needed Similar Products Used: A variety of Nikkor and B-brand lenses. |
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[Jan 22, 2003]
Levon5
Expert
Strength:
Wide w/good edges when stopped down a little, strong color.
Weakness:
Light construction. This is a plus if you want to take it with you on a hike! Light build and great photos. This one flares if shot into a light source but if you're like me you automatically try to get the sun to your back. Given that provisio; it's a great lens for the money. Customer Service None needed. Similar Products Used: Vivtar 18-28mm (yuck!), Leitz-R 20mm f4 (fabulous-best wide angle I've used), Zenit 16mm fisheye (not too bad!) |
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[Dec 11, 2002]
Christian Maldonado Fisker
Professional
Strength:
Sharp sharp sharp Outstanding colour and rendition Good contrast Good fast AF Light(19-35AF) Middle light (17-28Man) Good range for almost anything! Nice design Affordable price(Good Thinking Vivitar!!)
Weakness:
Light ..not good built(19-35 mm) Manual zoom makes it slow sometimes This Vivitar Zoom is simply outstanding value for money!It currently amaze me regarding the money invested and the pics i get from it!Its truly a best buy,whether you are a pro or amateur.Even the Contrast and colour rendition is good for price value,and i rate it compareble with Canon and Nikkon lenses costing tne times more.They are certainly not ten times better,i use the manual version mainly (17-28)and with a good filter from BW or Nikon You get little flare especially with a HK-7 Lens shadow from Nikon or rubber type.A Truly remarkble lens a really gem for the money. Well,trees dont grow into heaven ..the built construction could be better on the AF version (19-35mm) but the manuel version is better built.What can i say more?Go for it!!!please make a more udated version with ed /ld glass e..q..merry christmas!!5 stars to Vivitar! Customer Service Perfect ..i bought it from a dealer in DK and had a minor prob with it(the front ring element was a little loose) and he corrected it acc to guaranty of 5 years!***** Similar Products Used: Nikkor 17-35 (genius)Sigma 15-30(very good) Nikkor 20-35 (ok)and others from Canon. |