Question about zoom lense for Minolta

[iasoa]

I'm looking on ebay for a vivitar zoom lens 70-210mm for my Minolta X-700. A lot of the listing say the lens is for a Minolta MD. Is this compatable for my camera?

 

[David Brown]

I'm looking on ebay for a vivitar zoom lens 70-210mm for my Minolta X-700. A lot of the listing say the lens is for a Minolta MD. Is this compatable for my camera?

Yes. The X-700 is the MD mount. It will also use MC mount lenses, but you will not get full automation out of the X-700 body.

 

[Christopher Walrath]

No automation for MC lenses but with MD lenses that are automated, no problem. And there are also 28-200 macro zooms available on eBay for about $75.00 USD. Picked up two last month.

 

[Russ - SVP]

I'm looking on ebay for a vivitar zoom lens 70-210mm for my Minolta X-700. A lot of the listing say the lens is for a Minolta MD. Is this compatable for my camera?

Hello. I'm fairly knowledgeable on the Kiron lenses. If you want any information on a specific lens, drop me an E-mail or message, and I'll comment on it. Here's a brief review that I put together on the Vivitar Series 1, 70-210 lenses.

Regarding Viv S-1 glass. There are numerous (8) Series 1, 70-210 lenses. However, for the sake of discussion, we will deal with the first three. The following editions are nothing to seriously consider, so we will concentrate on the first three editions, which are the good one's. The 4th & 5th editions are also 2.8-4 variable aperture model's, but lacking in construction quality (Cosina built). Due to the fact that the third one is a variable aperture lens, (2.8-4) it will be somewhat sharper than a fixed aperture lenses. It is much easier to design and build a quality variable aperture lens. The first edition was designed by Vivitar (Ellis Betensky, of NASA optics fame had a hand in it) and built by Kiron. (67mm filter) It is a professional caliber lens, with a 1:2 macro feature built into it. It was the first zoom, designed with the aid of computers, that truly rivaled the OEM lenses of the time. That was in "76."

The second edition (my personal favorite) was built by Tokina, per, Vivitars specs. It too, is a fixed 3.5 aperture, but smaller, lighter and sharper. (62mm filter size). I really like it because of the fixed 3.5 aperture which is nice for focusing in dim light and long range flash work. However, not a true macro, 1:4 life size.

The third edition was made by Komine, and like the first two, is very well built. It is a 2.8-4 variable aperture lens, and the sharpest of the bunch. It has 1:2.5 life size macro from 100-210mm's, with a working distance of about two feet. Which can be quite useful. Can you see a discernible difference in slides taken with either one of them? No! Don't get caught up in bench tests. Any of the first three editions will give you professional-publishable images. I really like this lens, and in time may become my favorite.

Personally, I recommend the second or third edition of the line. I have and use all three of the first editions, and can highly recommend any one of them. Superb optics and construction.

Also, the Kiron 70-210 f/4 with zoom-lock, is a superb performer.

If you have anymore questions about the Vivitar or Kiron lenses, or want more detailed information on a particular lens, please don't hesitate to ask. Are you aware of the Viv S-1 28-90 or the Kiron 28-85, Kiron 28-105 and the phenomenal Kiron 105 macro lens? As for Kiron glass, well that's another discussion.........