A bit of help, please!!

wheelygirl · Nov 28, 2007

I got 2 new-to-me lenses, today. One is a Vivitar 28-85mm macro focusing zoom, and the other a Vivitar Series 1 28mm Auto Wide angle.
Now, I am only guessing, but I seem to need an adaptor for both, to attach to my Minolta SRT 101? So, for those good folks "out there" who know about these lenses and/or the Minolta SRT 101 and if they all 'play nice together'--please post info & OPs.

Thanks in advance!!

David H. Bebbington · Nov 29, 2007

wheelygirl said:
I got 2 new-to-me lenses, today. One is a Vivitar 28-85mm macro focusing zoom, and the other a Vivitar Series 1 28mm Auto Wide angle.
Now, I am only guessing, but I seem to need an adaptor for both, to attach to my Minolta SRT 101? So, for those good folks "out there" who know about these lenses and/or the Minolta SRT 101 and if they all 'play nice together'--please post info & OPs.

Thanks in advance!!

I hate to be discouraging, I have owned only 2 Vivitar lenses and it was a long time ago, but, notwithstanding the acknowledged quality of the Series 1 lenses in particular, I believe that Vivitar only made lenses with specific fixed mounts and not with interchangeable adapters (only Tamron did this, IIRC, with their "Adaptall" system). Assuming your lenses are not Minolta fitting, if you could get an adapter to fit the lenses to your Minolta, they would only focus very close!

Regards,

David

Vaughn · Nov 29, 2007

Every major camera company has its own unique lens attachment, or mount, for their cameras. Some camera companies have even changed their mounting system along the way. Basically, a Canon len will fit only Canon cameras, Nikon lenses fit only Nikons, etc. Lens makers like Vivitar, Sigma, etc produce lenses, then at the factory, attach adapters to fit specific camera brands.

I'll have to check the Vivitar lenses we have at the university, but many of these secondary market lens companies put some indication on the adapter as to which brand of camera it goes to. Any markings on yours?

Your "problem" is that if they do not have a Minolta adapter on them, you will have to find someone to remove the aptapter that is on them now and replace it with the one that will fit your camera. I do not know if this is worthwhile to do or not -- cost and time wise. Hopefully someone else here will have some more specific info about changing adapters. I just checked the Vivitar website and it had only digital cameras on it.

So you may be stuck with lenses you can not use.

Vaughn

titrisol · Nov 29, 2007

How does the mounting of the lens look like?
could you post a picture or 2 somewhere?
I guess that if the lenses are in M42 mount (screw) you can find adapters in places like Freestyle or Porteer's camera
If the mount is a bayonet (with flanges) it will be very hard to exchange for a Minolta mount.

As a reference when you bid on eBay check that the lens has aMinolta ount (MD) or ask the question before bidding.

wheelygirl said:
I got 2 new-to-me lenses, today. One is a Vivitar 28-85mm macro focusing zoom, and the other a Vivitar Series 1 28mm Auto Wide angle.
Now, I am only guessing, but I seem to need an adaptor for both, to attach to my Minolta SRT 101? So, for those good folks "out there" who know about these lenses and/or the Minolta SRT 101 and if they all 'play nice together'--please post info & OPs.

Thanks in advance!!

RobC · Nov 29, 2007

I think Vaughn is correct in what he tells you. If both lenses have the exact same type of mount and given the age of an SRT 101, then it would probably be cheaper to buy an old camera body of the make which those two lenses were made to fit.

titrisol · Nov 29, 2007

I knew there was a resource for this
http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-99.html

A minolta mount should look like this:

If it does not, then loook in the page and locate what mount it is

Vaughn · Nov 29, 2007

Wheelygirl,

I just checked two Vivitars we have here -- both are marked. The 35mm has a red "CA" -- it is for Canons, and the 28mm is marked "Ni/F" -- for Nikon F series cameras. Both markings were on the bottom of the mount/lens.

Vaughn

Peter Black · Nov 29, 2007

David H. Bebbington said:
I hate to be discouraging, I have owned only 2 Vivitar lenses and it was a long time ago, but, notwithstanding the acknowledged quality of the Series 1 lenses in particular, I believe that Vivitar only made lenses with specific fixed mounts and not with interchangeable adapters (only Tamron did this, IIRC, with their "Adaptall" system). Assuming your lenses are not Minolta fitting, if you could get an adapter to fit the lenses to your Minolta, they would only focus very close!

Regards,

David

David is on the right lines, but there seems to have been a similar idea with Vivitar called the TX mount which allowed fitting to different cameras. I don't think it was ever greatly popular in the UK, but Google will get you a few adaptors for sale in the US, including Minolta! If you scroll down to the bottom of the page at the link below you'll see one. This still doesn't mean that this is the type of lens you have, but hopefully it helps solve part of the mystery.

http://www.pacificrimcamera.com/catalog/bx31.htm

ricksplace · Nov 29, 2007

I have a Vivitar 100-300 f5 zoom in the TX mount. The mount that came with the lens is a screw mount, but mounts are available in various styles. Unlike the T mount, the TX mount allows for the automatic aperature features to be used.

Lee Shively · Nov 29, 2007

Yep, I had a 55-135 Vivitar zoom in an interchangeable mount for Nikon. That was in the early 1970's. I don't think Vivitar ever made interchangeable mounts in the Series 1 lenses.

DBP · Nov 29, 2007

The current mounts are either TX or some other mount. If they are TX, you need a TX to Minolta MD adapter, either to replace the existing adapter or to fit where there is none. If something else, then you either need an adapter or a different camera. According to Stephen Gandy, http://www.cameraquest.com/adaptslr.htm, the adapters are available for M42 (Universal Screw Mount) and Exakta. Both of those mounts are really easy to recognize. So the first question is, what is the current mount?

Mike Wilde · Nov 29, 2007

My vivitar zoom on srt markings

Mine is a 35-70 from the mid 80's, and on the bottom of the lens barrel opposite the aperture adjusting ring is reads: lens made in japan m/md.

The MD part is actually not used on the SRT, only the x700 to know when the lens was stopped down to minimum aperutre when in P mode. MC mounts, if they were made, will work on an srt just fine.

resummerfield · Nov 29, 2007

ricksplace said:
I have a Vivitar 100-300 f5 zoom in the TX mount. .....mounts are available in various styles. Unlike the T mount, the TX mount allows for the automatic aperature features to be used.

Correct. I've had Vivitar lenses with this mount also (in the mid-70's), but I didn't think the Series 1 came is the TX. It may be easier and cheaper to find Minolta lenses for your camera.

billdele · Nov 29, 2007

28-85mm Vivitar Zoom for Minolta

Just to confirm what can be inferred from earlier posts:

The Vivitar 28-85mm f3.5-f4.5 Macro zoom for Minolta (62mm filter thread) that I have says MC on the front (in white) and M/MD (in red) on the mount face. These two designations indicate a Minolta mount, either of which would be just fine on an SRT.

John Koehrer · Nov 30, 2007

to allay some of the confusion with interchangable mounts. They have been around for years in various forms.
The original T mount was used with Preset lenses Only.
T2 Don't remember but it was there.
T4 was a Vivitar product with auto-aperture
TX was a Vivitar " of improved design.
None of the mounts are interchangable between designs, so a T2 mount won't work with a T4 lens

wheelygirl · Nov 30, 2007

billdele

The Vivitar 28-85mm f3.5-f4.5 Macro zoom for Minolta (62mm filter thread) that I have says MC on the front (in white) and M/MD (in red) on the mount face.

Mine is the same; however, I just noticed om the mount face is : N/AI-S
This, I'm guessing, doesn't designate a Minolta. So, if these 2 lenses aren't not for my Minolta, I guess I'll need to find an adapter for the macro {the one I really would like to have} and sell the other Vivitar lens.

Thanks, so much for everyone's posts!

copake_ham · Dec 1, 2007

wheelygirl said:
billdele

Mine is the same; however, I just noticed om the mount face is : N/AI-S
This, I'm guessing, doesn't designate a Minolta. So, if these 2 lenses aren't not for my Minolta, I guess I'll need to find an adapter for the macro {the one I really would like to have} and sell the other Vivitar lens.

Thanks, so much for everyone's posts!

Wheelygirl,

N/AI-S would definitely indicate that they are Nikon mounts with the later "AI-S" aperture setting system.

I don't know of anyway you can adapt these to fit a Minolta mount.

Back in the day when these were made, the key competitive factor (and still is) between the Japanese camera companies was to have proprietary mounting systems (i.e. so you couldn't buy a Canon body and mount a much superior Nikon lens).

Vivitar had some special licensing arrangements which cut across the lines by letting them offer lesser grade lenses with mounts for each manufacturer's (a.k.a. "original equipment manufacturers" or "OEMs") system.

Vivitar got a toe-hold in the business by being (a) the first to offer 35mm zooms at all; and (b) later on, by continuing to offer cheaper zooms than the OEMs. But all along, they sold them as if they were "proprietary" with specific OEM mounts.

I suggest you either try to return these lenses or re-sell them on eBay and learn a lesson to make sure the next one's fit your gear before you bid.

titrisol · Dec 1, 2007

The N/AIS measn Nikon AIS mount.
Maybe you could get a nikon FE or a FM2 for not much money

wheelygirl said:
billdele

Mine is the same; however, I just noticed om the mount face is : N/AI-S
This, I'm guessing, doesn't designate a Minolta. So, if these 2 lenses aren't not for my Minolta, I guess I'll need to find an adapter for the macro {the one I really would like to have} and sell the other Vivitar lens.

Thanks, so much for everyone's posts!

wheelygirl · Dec 2, 2007

Hi again to one and all!
Just to let y'all know--I did not buy these lenses I mentioned earlier in this thread. I got these as gifts from a wonderful source! And from this same source I received 2 other lenses: a MD Minolta Celtic f/3.5 135mm; a Kenko 2X MX Teleplus MC7. So, needless to say, I'm beginning to "swim" in lenses and good fortune!! This same source also, may be giving me another 'surprise' tomorrow, the 3rd.
I can barely wait to see what happens next, with regards to my camera!!

winger · Dec 2, 2007

So, if you didn't have to buy the lenses, why not buy a camera to fit them? Kidding! Maybe the other surprise will be a camera to fit them.

A bit of help, please!!

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