Vivitar 100-400mm lens

[mnisbett]

Has anyone tried this lens? It's pretty inexpensive for 400mm lenses, so I'm skepticle about buying it.

I have the New Digital Rebel and I'm trying to build up my lenses. I currently have a 70-200mm canon, the new digital 18-55mm canon, and a 35-80mm canon.

Any thoughts?

[CyberDyneSystems]

Since you ask,. I would avoid the Vivitars,.. and Pheonix lenses alltogether.

Other than Canon lenses as the obvious choice,.. I would stick to the big three Non-oem manufacturers,. namely Sigma Tokina and Tamron.

[Belmondo]

CyberDyneSystems wrote:
Since you ask,. I would avoid the Vivitars

I know this is a widely held opinion about Vivitar, and it's a real shame. There was a time when their lenses were top-notch. In fact, I had an assortment of Canon and Vivitar lenses for my FD mount cameras, and the Vivitar Series I 70-210 (as I recall) was the best of them all. It was heavy, smooth, and took pictures of amazing quality. I know this isn't really relevant to the subject, but once in a while we elderly guys just have to reminisce about the 'good old days.'

[CyberDyneSystems]

Was it the advent of autofocus that took the old Vivitar down a few pegs?

I too remember when Vivitar was really the only other game in town (other than your OEM lenses) it seems evryone that had a telphoto had a Vivitar!

[RichardtheSane]

My experience of vivitar with the Canon AF lenses it not great.
Sure the lens does it's job, but you get exactly what you pay for.
The lens in question is a Cosina (rebadged vivitar) 19-35. The images from it are average, and the lens itself feels shoddy. It was also a quarter of the price I have paid for it's replacement - the EF17-40 F4 L (still waiting for them to come into stock!)
Not the vivitar I remember from the days when I used M42 mount cameras!
Save your money, or like me you'l be replacing it in a few months anyway!