Vivitar history question

Mine loosened to the point of falling apart ! I believe the Series One
lenses were almost as good as most OEM lenses though. Or so I'm told.
Mike.

"EDGY01" wrote

Mine was pretty beat up when I bought it. Had a dent in the side that
looked like someone shot it with a BB gun. I was 18 at the time and knew
zero about cameras and lenses, but got lucky on this one. It did "loosen"
up physically over time, but continued to take exceptional pictures.

"LEDMRVM" wrote

That helps a little bit. My basic question still goes unanswered. Were
they of better quality 20 years ago, relative to other "name" brands, than
they are today?

<< I understand and accept
that current Vivitar products should be avoided, but were they always this
low quality? My experience suggests that Vivitar used to make decent
lenses.
I used to have their 28mm f/2.5 lens for Nikon F and it was a wonderfully sharp
lens! The only real problem with it was durability. In my time with Nikons, I
originally bought two lenses,--both Vivitar (back in the early 70s). When I
could finally afford Nikkor lenses I never went back. The durability issue was
important to me. The Vivitars loosened up with amateur use, while the Nikkor
lenses have NEVER been a problem,--working hard for 25 years before requiring
some tightening up.

Dan Lindsay
santa Barbara

Vivitar is NOT a manufacturer. It is a marketing name originated by the Berkey
Marketing Corporation.The name may be currently owned by Cosina. All Vivitar
products were made by real manufacturers and badged for Vivitar. Many of the
Vivitar items including SLR's and lenses have been made by Cosina.

Regards,
Ed M.

Regards,
Ed M.