Vivitar 100mm f3.5 Macro (Minolta AF/Sony A)
I got this lens on a whim because it was $35, I wasn't expecting much but have been incredibly surprised with the results. It has a cheap plastic body, and without the extension tube (which I didn't get with it) it only does 1:2 rather than a true 1:1 macro, the focus ring is not very smooth either.
This lens however, feels incredibly sharp, like the glass inside seems to have no business being in the cheap, terrible housing it is in. Here are a few photos all of them unedited of course taken on a Sony A57 so APSC (It works great on my A99 and 7000 AF too, it is a full frame lens) at a few different distances:
This lens has a huge focal range being a macro lens, but unlike some of the other macro lenses I have used, it is quick enough to usually focus on birds quickly enough to catch them. I have some dirt on my mirror which is the small smudge in the photo, and my strap the big smudge.
At normal distances it works well enough as a portrait lens, and for a $35 lens I can't complain at it's performance in this application.
Up close I feel this lens really shines, it gets incredibly shallow depth of field and maintains focus far better than my Sony 30mm F2.8 Macro SAM lens does, this may be due to being screw driven rather than the SAM motor. This is ISO 3200 on a camera that is more than 10 years old and there is still so much detail in that cats fur, and the chromatic aberration is very well controlled for such a vintage lens in a very high contrast situation.
According to https://www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/vivitar/100mm-f3.5-af-macro/review/ it is actually a lens made by Cosina in Japan, my copy just says Vivitar Japan on it. It seems I am not the only one who is impressed with it, last I seen other ones were on Keh for $40 which IMO is a steal, far better as a general purpose or macro lens than my other Alpha mount macro (Sony 30mm f2.8 Macro) in fact the only thing the much more expensive Sony lens does better is video performance because this lens is super loud and will overpower the on board mic, and will probably be picked up by any mic in the room.
Thanks for sharing this good find! I love these hidden gems that go unnoticed and can still be had for cheap. And an AF lens at that. I plan to pick up a Minolta/Sony DSLR again (right now downsizing, long story), and when I do I'll have to check it out!
Quote from Hikari2763 on November 18, 2022, 4:12 pmI got this lens on a whim because it was $35, I wasn't expecting much but have been incredibly surprised with the results. It has a cheap plastic body, and without the extension tube (which I didn't get with it) it only does 1:2 rather than a true 1:1 macro, the focus ring is not very smooth either.
This lens however, feels incredibly sharp, like the glass inside seems to have no business being in the cheap, terrible housing it is in. Here are a few photos all of them unedited of course taken on a Sony A57 so APSC (It works great on my A99 and 7000 AF too, it is a full frame lens) at a few different distances:
This lens has a huge focal range being a macro lens, but unlike some of the other macro lenses I have used, it is quick enough to usually focus on birds quickly enough to catch them. I have some dirt on my mirror which is the small smudge in the photo, and my strap the big smudge.
At normal distances it works well enough as a portrait lens, and for a $35 lens I can't complain at it's performance in this application.
Up close I feel this lens really shines, it gets incredibly shallow depth of field and maintains focus far better than my Sony 30mm F2.8 Macro SAM lens does, this may be due to being screw driven rather than the SAM motor. This is ISO 3200 on a camera that is more than 10 years old and there is still so much detail in that cats fur, and the chromatic aberration is very well controlled for such a vintage lens in a very high contrast situation.According to https://www.imaging-resource.com/lenses/vivitar/100mm-f3.5-af-macro/review/ it is actually a lens made by Cosina in Japan, my copy just says Vivitar Japan on it. It seems I am not the only one who is impressed with it, last I seen other ones were on Keh for $40 which IMO is a steal, far better as a general purpose or macro lens than my other Alpha mount macro (Sony 30mm f2.8 Macro) in fact the only thing the much more expensive Sony lens does better is video performance because this lens is super loud and will overpower the on board mic, and will probably be picked up by any mic in the room.
So does it happen to be the Vivitar 100mm F3.5 MC with a 1:1 adapter tube? It's in a ugly black body that's super cheap, I just saw your post, and found a copy in the bargain bin at my LCS for $9. I'm excited to try it out with the 7D.
