A Cheap Telezoom Gets Pro Results!
A Cheap Telezoom Gets Pro Results – The Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm F3.5 lens.
Take a look at the photo above. The man is in sharp focus, while the background has a smooth blur (bokeh). That subtle quality is what often sets pro lenses apart from the typical cheap zoom lens telephoto lenses marketed to consumers. You will notice this effect in professionally shot photos seen in sports and fashion magazines. Also, wedding photographers prize well designed, large aperture lenses that can produce this smooth background blur (along with a sharp foreground) for portraits. A good discussion of the prized “bokeh” effect can be found on wikipedia.com.
That background blur is what most often sets pro lenses apart from their cheaper, consumer oriented zoom telephotos. Pro lenses have wider maximum apertures that require larger, heavier glass (they can take in more light). They will often have more aperture leaves, affecting greatly the smoothness and “roundness” of background blur. That wider aperture reduces depth of field, allowing the subject to be sharp while blurring the background. For example, consumer level 50-200mm zoom telephoto lenses that cost between $200-$300, generally have a widest maximum aperture of F:4-5.6. That means that at 200mm, the widest aperture available is F:5.6. That comparatively small aperture insures that the background will be much sharper, not having that “creamy” blur. However, to find a new telephoto zoom lens that will give a wider maximum aperture (F3.5 and wider) throughout its range, means spending at least $1,000.00 or more. These pro lenses tend to be heavier both due to better construction, and heavier, larger glass elements.
Well, if you’re like me, you want that smooth background blur without spending so much money. Here’s the good news: There is an alternative for frugal photographers like myself who want to get the best value. The used photography market has one such gem. In fact, the lens used for the examples on this page only cost me $70.00 in mint condition at a reputable New York City camera store! That lens is the Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm F3.5 telephoto zoom lens. These lenses, typically thirty years old (or more), were designed by Vivitar to be competitive with the best telephoto zoom lenses made by first tier manufacturers like Canon and Nikon. They were also one of the first zoom lenses to offer macro capabilities. They were made for Vivitar by several manufacturers, and have slight differences. I highly recommend the two earliest versions built by Kiron and Tokina for Vivitar that have a constant F:3.5 maximum aperture through the full zoom range. I used the first version, built by Kiron for these photos. I shot with the lens fully zoomed to 200mm at at maximum aperture in all of these photos (all were shot handheld). Here is a guide to Vivitar Series 1 that describe the various versions of this beautifully constructed and designed classic lens.
This lens produces beautiful results as can be seen in these photos. The Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm lenses from the early ’70′s can typically be found used for well under $100.00 in a variety of camera mounts. However, there are drawbacks to using these bargain beauties. These are fully manual lenses. You will need to set the aperture and focus manually (most DSLR camera can meter automatically in aperture mode with these lenses). Focusing manually will be the greatest challenge. It takes time and practice to consistently get sharp results using a manual lens, especially with a moving subject. However, if you are willing to master these minor challenges, you will be rewarded with beautiful images that look every bit as good as results achieved with expensive pro telezooms.
A note of caution: This name Series 1 was applied by Vivitar to other lenses made at a later date that are not worth buying. Only the Vivitar Series 1 lenses made from roughly 1975 to 1988 should be considered.
All photos by Donald Peterson, Affordable Web Design. Visit my online portfolio!
