Photo of the Day

Nikon D200, Vivitar (Kiron 22xxxxxx) 28mm f/2.5

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Nikon D200, Vivitar (Kiron 22xxxxxx) 28mm f/2.5

Cameras and Lenses: Image making with a legacy Vivitar 28mm f/2.5 wide-angle, a lens well-quoted for its many iterations of the same nomenclature.

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

The Vivitar 28mm f/2.5, a lens from the late 1960s/early 1970s, is well known for its compact and solid metal build, providing a highly favoured field-of-view equivalent of a 42mm lens on an APS-C digital SLR camera with 1.5x crop sensors, or 44.8mm on Canon APS-C DSLRs. The lens is well regarded as a “hidden gem” manual‑focus wide‑angle lens for vintage SLRs.

Lenses with serial numbers starting "22xxxxxx" were manufactured by Kiron, which distinguishes itself from versions by Tokina or others.

The 40 to 45mm focal range, or near equivalents, are very versatile and are often favoured for their natural, eye-like perspective. The focal length is ideal for capturing authentic scenes without the distortion of wider-angle lenses, just wide enough to include the surroundings while being tight enough to bring focus to subjects.

The focal range is equally adaptable for street and travel photography for natural views of authentic scenes without the distortion of wide-angle lenses, general purpose and everyday shooting for capturing life as it happens, for flattering, classic portraits, close-up and product photography for excellent, high-magnification shots for flowers, jewelry, or other small items.

As for the lens itself, it already has excellent center sharpness even at f/2.5, which goes on to be razor-sharp by f/5.6. Images, as in this case, enhanced by the 10.2MP CCD sensor of the Nikon D200, have the tendency to be raunchy, with rich colors, and a 3D pop effect.

Bokeh is smooth with minimal fringing by f/4, though corners are soft with noticeable vignetting when wide open. Chromatic aberration is well-controlled, with flare being the weak point. The lens is prone to veiling or rainbow patterns against bright light, but contrast holds up decently, though.

As a value collectible, the solid all-metal and glass manual focus with automatic diaphragm is an 8-element in 7 groups lens, with 6 to 8 aperture blades (varies by source/batch), and a 0.3 meters minimum focusing distance. The lens is praised for its joy-to-use ergonomics for vintage glass, ideal and easily adaptable to modern digital SLR cameras.

Nikon D200, Vivitar (Kiron 22xxxxxx) 28mm f/2.5

The Nikon D200, a prosumer DSLR launched in November 2005, features a 10.2MP Nikon DX‑format CCD sensor with a weather‑sealed magnesium‑alloy body. While the CCD sensor is praised for its gentle, analog‑like tonality and smooth color rendition, especially in daylight and studio settings, the D200 remains a Nikon-centric classic with an optical viewfinder and comprehensive manual controls, with neither video nor Wi‑Fi.

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Photo of the Day

Olympus E-500, Zuiko Digital 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Photo of the Day

Olympus E-500, Zuiko Digital 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Photo of the Day

Olympus E-500, Zuiko Digital 40-150mm f/3.5-4.5

<< Click on image for enlarged Lightbox display >>

Vintage Camera Marketplace by ImagingPixel

Malaysia's Online Marketplace for Vintage Film and Digital Cameras, Lenses,
and Camera Accessories. Follow ImagingPixel on Facebook, Pinterest, and X.