There is lots of lore and hype built up around this Komine lens, and it is all deserved. This is the sharpest standard focal length vintage macro lens I have ever used.
The Vivitar 55mm f/2.8 macro lens is sharper than the Canon, Nikon, Minolta, and Olympus macro lenses I have tested.
Table of Contents
Vivitar Auto Macro Lens Specifications
| Manufacturer | Komine |
| Made in | Japan |
| Year Released | 19?? |
| Original Price | $139.95 |
| Elements Groups | 5 ele. 4 gr. |
| Aperture | f/2.8-16 |
| # of Aperture Blades | 6 |
| Aperture Control | Manual, Manual/Auto Diaphragm |
| Focus Type | Manual |
| Hard Infinity Stop | Yes |
| Magnification | 1:1 |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 25cm (10”) |
| Working Distance | 5.2cm (2-1/16") |
| Filter Threads | 62mm |
| Weight | 318g (11.2oz) |
| Dimensions | ⌀70mm x 80mm (2.75" x 3.15") |
Price is from a 1985 Competitive Camera Corp catalogue. The macro lens was released earlier than that.
Vivitar serial numbers beginning with 28 are lenses that were manufactured by Komine. This can also be seen on the other excellent macro lens Komine made, the Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 macro.
Used Vivitar Prices on eBay
Prices are all over the place. Most copies sell for $50-$80, but there are several that have gone for well over $100. Check eBay to see what the current market prices are.
Higher priced lenses can be due to their branding or mount. Nikon F, Pentax K, and M42 lenses are the more desirable mounts.
Checking prices on November 27th, 2020, there have been many lenses sold under $100 in the past month. Prices do not seem to have changed over the past 2 years.
I am checking prices on December 1st, 2018. The supply of reasonably priced lenses has been cleared out. Everything that is left is overpriced. If you find yourself in a situation like this, just be patient and check listings a few times a week.
Macro Accessories
I am not aware of any available accessories that were specific to the lens. The front lens element is recessed far enough back so a lens hood will not be needed.
A ring light or flash mounted on a bracket is excellent to use with any macro lens. The best thing about using artificial light is that you can hand-hold the camera and still get photos with a wide depth of field.
Macro Lens Versions
This lens was manufactured by Komine in Japan and branded by distributors for sale around the world. The Vivitar, Spiratone, and Quantaray brands will be more prevalent in North America. Panagor and Elicar are more likely to be found in Europe and Asia. Lenses can be found in all of the common 35mm film mounts.
| Mounts | Brand Names |
|---|---|
| Pentax M42 | Panagor |
| Pentax K | Vivitar |
| Nikon F | Quantaray |
| Canon FD | Elicar |
| Minolta MD | Spiratone |
| Olympus OM | Rokunar |
Mounts are not specific to the brand names. All of the mounts can be found with any of the brandings.
Build Quality, Design, and Sample Variation
Unlike all the other comparable lenses, the Vivitar does not need an extension tube to reach 1:1. This results in a focus throw that is almost 720 degrees. Focusing can take a while.
The helicoid grease in my copy of the lens is drying out. Turning the focus ring is harder than I would prefer. The lens would be better if it was serviced, but that would cost more than the lens is worth. I also have the earlier f/3 version of the lens branded as a Panagor with the same problem.
Construction quality is lower than first party manufactures. My assumption is that this is because competing on price was important. At $139.95, there was significant savings when compared to the other options available:
- Canon $154.95 + $34.95
- Nikon $144.95* + $34.95 (*Rebate from Nikon)
- Olympus $139.95 + $36.95
- Pentax $154.95 + $??.??
Usage & Working Distance
Testing was done using a generic lens adapter on a Sony A7. Focusing was done using the magnification on the camera screen.
The focus ring feels like it turns forever. Changing focusing distances can take several seconds due to the long throw of the focus ring. It is also fairly large which doesn't make it attractive as a walking around lens.
What stands out about the lens is that it is usable at f/5.6. With the exception of the Olympus OM 50mm f/3.5 Macro lens, I would not plan to use any of the other vintage macro lenses I have tested at f/5.6. Stopped down to f/8, the lens was the sharpest I've tested.
I prefer 90-105mm focal lengths for 1:1 magnification because they have more working distance. At 1:1 the working distance is a couple of inches (~5cm), which makes lighting difficult.
At 1:2 or 1:4 magnification, 55mm is great because the subject will still be within arm's reach. You can take a photo, adjust the subject, and quickly taken another photo. This is recommended for photographers that need to shoot a large number of images.
Test Photos Aperture Sharpness Comparison
The Vivitar auto macro is the sharpest vintage macro lens I have tested at f/5.6. Stopping down the lens to f/8 improves the sharpness of pictures.
Keep in mind that all of the comparable lenses do equally as well at f/8 and are sharp. I believe there were only 2 different optical lens designs for standard macros being produced in the 1970s and early 1980s.
| Aperture | Center | Corners |
|---|---|---|
| 2.8 | Meh | Soft |
| 4 | Better | Soft |
| 5.6 | Very Good | Sharp |
| 8 | Sharpest | Sharp |
| 11 | Not as sharp as f/8 | As sharp as the center |
| 16 | Noticeable Diffraction | Soft like the rest of the image |
Flash was used in order to have a fast shutter speed. An effort was also taken to keep the picture frame the same when changing the lens aperture.
Magnification by Extension & Reversal
The Vivitar auto macro performed very well when the lens was reversed. The copy I used has an FD mount, which means either a Canon Macro adapter or mount adapter has to be used so the aperture can be set.
I preferred the mount adapter as it also acts as a lens hood. The only issue I had was seeing what aperture I was setting the lens to.
Comparable Lenses & Conclusion
My review can be summed by saying that this is the best vintage macro. All of the other comparable contemporary lenses are a small step down in sharpness, usability, and availability.
This is the only standard focal length vintage macro lens worth actively tracking down. At under $60, it is an excellent value. Though, I wouldn't recommend paying more than $100.
The only lens that came close to the Vivitar was the Olympus OM 50mm f/3.5 macro lens. The Olympus is not as sharp at f/5.6, only goes to 1:2, but is about half the size of the Vivitar. Other than that, the next step up in terms of image quality will be lenses in the $300+ price bracket.
To learn more about macro, have a look at the Beginner's Guide to Macro Photography.
Sources
Competitive Camera Corp Catalogue No. 25 Fall Supplement 1985, Page 17.
Camera Quest - https://www.cameraquest.com/VivLensManuf.htm
Photo.net Forum - https://www.photo.net/discuss/threads/tell-me-about-komine.456767/
MF Lenses Forum - http://forum.mflenses.com/viewtopic.php?t=42604
@Nathaniel - You also tested the Panagor 55mm f3, I recently posted a comment on that page. I remember reading elsewhere on the internet that this Vivitar and the Panagor may actually be the same lens (they sure do look the same and both are Komine lenses) and the only reason the Panagor was called an f3 instead of F2.8 was just a financial agreement, rather than an actual difference in f values. I kind of recognize this Vivitar review as a review of the Panagor that I own, and I wonder if the Panagor copy that you reviewed may have been assembled in a wrong way. Maybe something like a reversed lens element or a displaced spacer.
I agree with you. With the age of the lens, it is a likely possibility something was wrong with my Panagor version of the lens. In addition to being serviced incorrectly, it could have been dropped or otherwise mistreated.
I have had 2 different Vivitar f/2.8 versions, and they were both noticeably better than the Panagor.
From a more practical perspective, the Vivitar versions are more widely available with better pricing. There are versions of the Vivitar available with Olympus OM and Minolta MD mounts. With the Panagor you're limited to M42, Pentax K, and Nikon F.
Great info. on a superb Macro lens..however i am having problems focusing to infinity, it stops focusing before the subject can be reached in focus.I am using two Pentax DSLRS with PK fitting and it works great for Macro but will not reach infinity.Have you any idea why it can"t focus at infinity?..Thanks Tom
The only time I've come across that problem is when a lens has been disassembled and the helicoid was not aligned properly during reassembly. That's easy to do as the helicoid has lots of threadings and no markings to identify the correct alignment.
The lens could also be badly misaligned or have some other internal problem. Regardless, labor would be more than the lens is worth to have someone take a look at it. The easiest and least expensive option is to sell the lens a buy a replacement. The SMC Pentax 50mm f/4 and SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/4 are going to have similar performance to the Vivitar 55mm, and won't have mount issues.
Labor on a