2017
Vivitar 55 f2.8 Auto Macro - 1:1 on a budget
The Vivitar 55mm f2.8 Auto Macro is a true 1:1 macro lens available for all popular SLR mounts (mine is an MD variant). There's little info out there about this lens, but it seems that it was made by Komine, who also made some of the well-regarded Series 1 Vivitar lenses. Although this is not one of those, it is actually a pretty decent lens for the price, and certainly one of the most affordable vintage 1:1 macro lenses on the market. I first saw it briefly reviewed here and liked the look enough to pick up my own copy, which I've been shooting with from time to time for about six months. Is it a keeper? Well....
Vivitar 55mm f2.8 specs:
Build quality/Handling (Very good/decent)
The lens is mostly metal but is surprisingly light. The aperture ring has a nice amount of resistance and clicking through the f-stops is a pleasant experience. The focusing is smooth and is achieved via a wide, nicely textured focus ring. The throw is really short between infinity and 0.5 meters (only 90°), so using this lens in non-macro situations allows for very quick (maybe too quick) focusing. However, in order to get from infinity to 1:1, one has to turn the ring approximately 650° - that's almost two full turns! The super long throw is probably a good thing for macro photography as it gives lots of fine control over focus.
The Vivitar is pretty bulky, so it's not the best choice for a walk-around lens, but because it's fairly light, carrying it around isn't a terrible burden. Once fully extended it's an obscene spectacle, but that's to be expected from most vintage macro lenses. Still, for those looking for a macro that can double up as a standard lens, the Vivitar might be a good pick.
Image Quality (Very good)
The lens does a very good job in most situations and is one of the few lenses I have that looks as sharp on the Sony A7s as it does on the a6500.
Vivitar 55mm f2.8 specs:
- 5 elements in 4 groups
- Weight - 315 grams
- Length - 65 mm (93mm with adapter; 148mm at 1:1)
- Filter size - 61 mm
- Min. focus distance - 22 cm
- Aperture - 6 blades, f2.8 - f4, then to f16 in half stops
Build quality/Handling (Very good/decent)
The lens is mostly metal but is surprisingly light. The aperture ring has a nice amount of resistance and clicking through the f-stops is a pleasant experience. The focusing is smooth and is achieved via a wide, nicely textured focus ring. The throw is really short between infinity and 0.5 meters (only 90°), so using this lens in non-macro situations allows for very quick (maybe too quick) focusing. However, in order to get from infinity to 1:1, one has to turn the ring approximately 650° - that's almost two full turns! The super long throw is probably a good thing for macro photography as it gives lots of fine control over focus.
The Vivitar is pretty bulky, so it's not the best choice for a walk-around lens, but because it's fairly light, carrying it around isn't a terrible burden. Once fully extended it's an obscene spectacle, but that's to be expected from most vintage macro lenses. Still, for those looking for a macro that can double up as a standard lens, the Vivitar might be a good pick.
Image Quality (Very good)
The lens does a very good job in most situations and is one of the few lenses I have that looks as sharp on the Sony A7s as it does on the a6500.
On A7s @ f2.8 (click photo for full resolution)
On A7s @ f2.8 (click photo for full resolution)
On a6500 @f2.8 (click photo for full resolution)
The central sharpness is excellent even at f2.8. Things are not quite as good towards the edges, though.
Taken with a6500 at 1:1 - focus on the flowers in the top-right corner
100% corner crops @ f2.8, f4, f5.6, f8
So, as you can see, corners aren't great until f5.6. And by corners, I don't even mean extreme corners on APS-C, so expect worse performance away from the centre on high-resolution full-frame sensors. On the other hand, I don't think lots of people shoot 1:1 macro at f2.8 or f4, but probably at f8 and smaller. This lens should be plenty sharp on any camera at those apertures. On the other other hand, shooting macro at those apertures with this lens will require lots of light which is likely to be partially shaded by the lens itself as your subject is only a couple of cm away from the front element. Ok, enough!
What about the bokeh?
What about the bokeh?
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Yup, it's pretty sweet - doesn't really matter what you throw at it. Messy foliage with specular highlights? No problem. Large separation between subject and background? Smooth as silk. The only weakness are the hexagonal speculars when stopped down on account of the six straight aperture blades. Unfortunately, those hexagons might appear pretty often when shooting macro work stopped down.
In other news, CA is well-controlled and vignetting is only a thing wide open.
In other news, CA is well-controlled and vignetting is only a thing wide open.
f2.8
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f4
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f5.6
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Unfortunately, flare resistance isn't the best and loads of ghosting appears when shooting into the light. The deeply recessed front lens element helps protect against light outside the angle of view, but vailing flair can still be seen in some situations. On the other hand, the flare produced by this lens can be nice if you're into flare. The contrast retention is pretty good, too.
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Conclusion
Optically, there's little not to like about the Vivitar - mostly sharp, good bokeh, no CA, little vignetting, good-looking flare. Mechanically the lens is quite good with metal construction, smooth focusing, and a nice aperture ring. So what's not to like? Well, for me it was a difficult lens to shoot at 1:1 but mostly due to its focal length. Try shooting a bug that's 2cm away from the front of the lens, trying to get enough light at a small aperture. On the other hand, trying to shoot 1:1 handheld at f2.8 or f4 is a challenge as the dof is so shallow that nailing focus is very difficult. At 1:1, this lens is probably better suited for tripod work shooting static subjects. I must admit, however, that macro photography is not really something I do a lot of, so a more experienced shooter would probably get a lot more out of this lens with a proper macro set up. It certainly is capable of great results.
Related reviews Sample Images
Optically, there's little not to like about the Vivitar - mostly sharp, good bokeh, no CA, little vignetting, good-looking flare. Mechanically the lens is quite good with metal construction, smooth focusing, and a nice aperture ring. So what's not to like? Well, for me it was a difficult lens to shoot at 1:1 but mostly due to its focal length. Try shooting a bug that's 2cm away from the front of the lens, trying to get enough light at a small aperture. On the other hand, trying to shoot 1:1 handheld at f2.8 or f4 is a challenge as the dof is so shallow that nailing focus is very difficult. At 1:1, this lens is probably better suited for tripod work shooting static subjects. I must admit, however, that macro photography is not really something I do a lot of, so a more experienced shooter would probably get a lot more out of this lens with a proper macro set up. It certainly is capable of great results.
Related reviews Sample Images
