Post by casualcollector on Jul 6, 2008 20:09:25 GMT -5
This is one of those projects that I kinda backed into. The few holes left in the Vivitar/Soligor T4 collection have filled themselves with e-buy finds since the first of the year.
At the center, rear is the most recent acquisition a Vivitar 400mm f6.3.
Back row, left to right; Soligor 250/4.5, Vivitar 75-260/4.5, Vivitar 90-230/4.5, Vivitar 300/5.5.
Middle row; Soligor 200/3.5-early, Soligor 200/3.5-late, Vivitar 135/2.8, Soligor 135/3.5, Vivitar 105/2.8, Soligor 55-135/3.5.
Front row; Vivitar 35/2.8, Soligor 21/3.8, Soligor 24/2.8, Vivitar 28/2.8. I'm fairly sure I have an example of each focal length now, though there may be a smaller, lighter 300/5.6 along the lines of the late version 200mm.
Many of these lenses bear a strong resemblance to the Mamiya Sekor TL-DTL series lenses, especially the 35, 135 and 200, though Tokina generally gets the credit for making these. Could be that Tokina had the idea for the interchangeable mount design, then went shopping for someone to manufacture it. I'd sure like to have a chat with someone who was in on this back in the 70s.
I wasn't going to collect the later Vivitar TX line. I bought one of the zooms some years ago just to compare mount details with the T4 series. Then a friend gave me a 135/2.5. Then I stumbled into the later 135/2.8. It went on from there...
'Round the back, left to right; early 135/2.5, 70-150/3.8, 90-230/4.5, 80-200/4, 35-105/3.5, late 135/2.8.
Front, center; early 28/2.5, late 28/2.8.
Sometime after introduction, the line was redesigned to be more compact, following the downsizing trend in cameras. The later lenses have a narrower locking ring for the adapter and new optical designs. The 90-230 and 35-105 zooms seem to belong to the early series, the 70-150 and 80-200 to the late.
The 90-230/4.5 designation was used in the T4 line but the lenses are significantly different. There may also be another variant with the old optical design updated to the TX system.
Out there, somewhere but not yet collected are 24mm and 35mm primes, possibly in two versions ala the 28 and 135. At the tele end, 200/3.5 300mm/5.6 and 400/5.6 primes. Two more zooms, perhaps with variations in lock ring style, a 75-260/4.5 and 100-300/5.6.
With the TX line of lenses, Tokina may have become more its own entity. The 90-230/4.5 lens has a counterpart in the Mamiya 35mm lens line, but other members of the TX family don't seem as similar to the Mamiyas as the earlier T4 series. During the production run of TX lenses Mamiya was losing market share as it progressed through the XTL - DSX - NC and ZE lines of cameras, each with differing mounts. It could be that Tokina gave up on TX about the same time Mamiya gave up on 35mm. Then again, that might just be coincidence. I don't know everything and am always trying to learn more!
If you have any surplus TX lenses or mounts in your collection, please let me know. Once bitten...
Bill
At the center, rear is the most recent acquisition a Vivitar 400mm f6.3.
Back row, left to right; Soligor 250/4.5, Vivitar 75-260/4.5, Vivitar 90-230/4.5, Vivitar 300/5.5.
Middle row; Soligor 200/3.5-early, Soligor 200/3.5-late, Vivitar 135/2.8, Soligor 135/3.5, Vivitar 105/2.8, Soligor 55-135/3.5.
Front row; Vivitar 35/2.8, Soligor 21/3.8, Soligor 24/2.8, Vivitar 28/2.8. I'm fairly sure I have an example of each focal length now, though there may be a smaller, lighter 300/5.6 along the lines of the late version 200mm.
Many of these lenses bear a strong resemblance to the Mamiya Sekor TL-DTL series lenses, especially the 35, 135 and 200, though Tokina generally gets the credit for making these. Could be that Tokina had the idea for the interchangeable mount design, then went shopping for someone to manufacture it. I'd sure like to have a chat with someone who was in on this back in the 70s.
I wasn't going to collect the later Vivitar TX line. I bought one of the zooms some years ago just to compare mount details with the T4 series. Then a friend gave me a 135/2.5. Then I stumbled into the later 135/2.8. It went on from there...
'Round the back, left to right; early 135/2.5, 70-150/3.8, 90-230/4.5, 80-200/4, 35-105/3.5, late 135/2.8.
Front, center; early 28/2.5, late 28/2.8.
Sometime after introduction, the line was redesigned to be more compact, following the downsizing trend in cameras. The later lenses have a narrower locking ring for the adapter and new optical designs. The 90-230 and 35-105 zooms seem to belong to the early series, the 70-150 and 80-200 to the late.
The 90-230/4.5 designation was used in the T4 line but the lenses are significantly different. There may also be another variant with the old optical design updated to the TX system.
Out there, somewhere but not yet collected are 24mm and 35mm primes, possibly in two versions ala the 28 and 135. At the tele end, 200/3.5 300mm/5.6 and 400/5.6 primes. Two more zooms, perhaps with variations in lock ring style, a 75-260/4.5 and 100-300/5.6.
With the TX line of lenses, Tokina may have become more its own entity. The 90-230/4.5 lens has a counterpart in the Mamiya 35mm lens line, but other members of the TX family don't seem as similar to the Mamiyas as the earlier T4 series. During the production run of TX lenses Mamiya was losing market share as it progressed through the XTL - DSX - NC and ZE lines of cameras, each with differing mounts. It could be that Tokina gave up on TX about the same time Mamiya gave up on 35mm. Then again, that might just be coincidence. I don't know everything and am always trying to learn more!
If you have any surplus TX lenses or mounts in your collection, please let me know. Once bitten...
Bill
Roy
