Vivitar 28-85mm f/2.8-3.8 MC Auto. If you’re looking to purchase this lens I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. It helps me if you purchase it through one of these links here in this review. When you purchase through these links it financially enables me to devote time to develop this site further. Thanks for the help! -Todd

 

Barrel
Metal.

Weight
24.2 oz (684g).

Focus Type
Manual Focus.

Focus Ring
Rubber on Metal.

Close Focus
1.0 feet (0.45 meters).

Filter Threads
67mm, Metal.

Aperture Ring
Metal.

Diaphragm
6 blades stopping down to f/22.

Mount
Mine came in Pentax K Metal Mount.

Made in
Japan.

 

 

 

Sharpness

28mm:
f/2.8: Decently sharp with some chromatic aberration and spherical aberration reducing contrast.
f/3.5: Quite sharp with better contrast but still chromatic aberration.
f/4: Sharp all over with nice contrast and a hint of chromatic aberration.
f/8: Sharp with some diffusion reducing contrast.

50mm:
f/3.3: Decently sharp with a tiny bit of chromatic aberration and spherical aberration reducing contrast.
f/4: Sharp all over with nice contrast.
f/8: Sharp with a tiny bit of diffusion.

85mm:
f/3.8: Decently sharp but with heavy spherical aberration reducing contrast and hazing the sharpness.

f/4: Sharp all over with great contrast.
f/8: Sharp with a tiny bit of diffusion.

Vignetting
28mm: Heavy vignette at f/2.8 but clears around f/8.
50mm: A bit of vignette at f/3.3 and clears around f/8.
50mm: A little vignette at f/4.5 and almost gone by f/8.
85mm: A little vignette at f/4.5 and almost gone by f/8.

Distortion
28mm: Average barrel distortion for a 28mm.
50mm: A little bit of pincushion distortion.
85mm: A fair bit of pincushion distortion.

Recommendations
On MF Camera
Optics:          ★ ★ ★
Mechanics:   ★ ★ ★ ★
Ergonomics: ★ ★ ★
Usefulness:   ★ ★ ★ ★
Availability:    ★ ★
Overall:          ★ ★ ★

On AF Camera
Ergonomics:  ★ ★ ★
Overall:          ★ ★ ★
Out of 5

This is a really nice mid range manual focus zoom lens and a bargain today. This is a really long mid range zoom heavy build all metal lens. With the variable focusing feature it can either make the lens difficult to get use to but once you understand how to use it the lens becomes a dream. Just keep in mind not to fight with the focus but while staying gentle you rotate the focus ring and it will naturally slide up for you.

Optically this lens is good and pretty sharp but lacks a little contrast and at 85mm wide open the lens gets a bit soft from spherical aberration but stopping down a touch really cleans the lens up nicely. The bokeh isn’t the greatest but produces some nice color and sharp images.

If you find a good deal it is definitely a lens worth considering and gives amazing photos for the price today.

 

Did this review help?
My hopes are to take the time to continue developing this website with more test photo based reviews. If you are ever interested in purchasing this lens or other photography equipment please do so through these links here in this review. I always check Adorama and Ebay for good deals. This helps support my family and allows me to take more time for the site. The best part is this site is free for you and I link good deals I find!

Sometimes these links will actually give you better deals then typical retail prices! I personally buy from the links I have listed whether looking for new gear or fun old stuff. I can personally attest to their good & safe service from years of experience. Thanks again to you, our readers, for supporting us! -Todd