This is a secret that I've never told my photographer friends. They think I'm using the super-expensive Tamrons or Nikon superwide to wide teles. But I'm actually using a Vivitar Series 1 19 to 35mm lens.

This lens is sharp at all FL and even at close-ups. Image brightness is commendably even ; even at full apperture! Distortion is hardly noticable. I've used this lens for some architectural work - no problem.

It's light, sharp, focuses closer than the Canon 20-35mm F2.8!

I think Vivitar made an error in pricing!

What a lens!

Color rendition is not too neutral, somewhat warmer than usual.
Plastic construction might not be suitable for the heavy professional.
Filter collar rotates during focusing making the use of polarizers difficult.

A fine, well designed and sharp lens! A bargain for its performance.
If you want to fool your friends in thinking that you use and own a Nikkor 17-35 F2.8, buy and use this lens ! You'll convince them.

Customer Service

None required!

Similar Products Used:

Canon 20-35mm F2.8
Sigma 18-35mm

Very light. Fast and quiet focus. Much cheaper than comparable Minolta or Sigma products.

Images get pretty spherous at 19mm. For one who cannot take advantage of it, this is no general purpose lens for sure. A red dot is on the mount, not on the lens barrel. It makes changing the lense not as obvious as it might seem.

Good, reliable lens that takes some skill to use it properly. Not very fast, but this is not a lens for action photography or shooting birds anyway. Excellent low-budget solution.

Customer Service

Did not need so far

Similar Products Used:

Minolta 28-105 AF-MZ

Super Wide angle, coverage of almost 100 degress. lightweight and small, with great image quality. Very close focusing.

Plastic construction is somewhat cheap and the focusing ring feels qritty, but that's what you get in a $190 lens.

WOW! This lens is incredible. Although it may not be as fast or quite as wide as the Canon 17-35 it delivers excellent image quality throughout the whole zoom range and all apertures. The plastic construction is a tradeoff, but well worth it for a cost 1/10th that of the Canon competitor.

Customer Service

none needed

Similar Products Used:

only down to 28mm
28mm Vivitar f/2.5

Focal lengths, price and light weight

Large filter size (77 m)
Could be sharper at the edge

This zoom has just the right zoom range. The performance is acceptable, especially taking into account the price.

Similar Products Used:

Vivitar 28 - 135
Vivitar 28

Lightweight, cheap, great quality optics

None

For the price unbeatable. Excellent results with well over 20 rolls of film shot with it.

Similar Products Used:

None

Cheap. Indoor images are decent. Distortion is small across zoom range. Focus is fast.

This lens has more flare than the New York City Fireworks. I couldn't even face this lens south without it suffering horribly. Outdoors the light bouncing around inside this thing, like a ping pong ball, reduced the contrast unacceptably. It seemed less sharp outside when examing fine detail in shots. The lens hood was nearly worthless.

Too much flare. Not sharp enough. OK, if you never venture outside and you are very tight for cash.

Customer Service

Didn't need.

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4

currently at around £125 mail order in UK-
as far as I can tell the optics are well acceptable for non pro use. Same lens dia as my sigma 28-70 EX so can share filters etc.
compared same shots between the two no significant difference

plastic, red line up dot is hard to find at times.

This is the only other manufacturers lens I have allowed into my exclusive Sigma EX and Minolta arsenal. Why because it is competent and cheap, and buying the sigma EX example will not get anywhere near the ££ per performance increase. Same lens is also marketed as the Cosina brand in the uk (£160) and I also suspect the Tamron offering (£200+) comes out of the same factory doors (albeit heavily disguised !!!) ;) buy the vivitar and slap yourself on the back for a good purchase.

Customer Service

not tried

Similar Products Used:

none

no bad, so far so good. good for landscape shooting, fast focusing for Canon EOS(outdoor)

plastic, noise AF

Good price, good for non-profesional,

Customer Service

never tried

Similar Products Used:

Tamron 28-200mm
Cosina 28-105mm
Canon 75-300mm USM
Canon 28-135 IS USM
Canon 50mm 1.8

Price
Price
Price

Flares (Is that REALLY a lens shade?)
Rather slow in apperture
Build Quality

If you don't have a wide/superwide lens GET ONE, FAST.
There's something you can never beat this Superwide Zoom with, and that's is performance/value ratio; it's remarkably good for what you pay!
Don't set your hopes too high, ofcourse; it can not compare with higher priced Super Wide Zooms (The Canon 20-35, Sigma 17-35EX ~450$ a piece), or pro glass (Canon 17/20-35L).. BUT who really does care? most of these list for 3 to 12 times as much, they are not (REPEAT, NOT) 3 to 12 times better.
It focuses fine, for what a wide angle lens is expected to focus at. The build is plastic and rubber, and the zoom ring jitters as you turn it. it flares like hell, maybe even worst; The added shade has no compensating effect whatsoever, and it didn't even make it to my photo bag.
77mm filter sizes generally indicate that you may be spending more on filters than on the lens itself. Wierd, but very true.
It distorts the image a bit at 19mm, and when open wide, the corners suffer.
Overall verdict? If you want to go to Super wide, either buy this one, and experiment; OR, get a superwide prime (20mm) which STILL would cost you twice as much (but would fare better on the image side).
What the heck, get one anyway. It's cheap, and it is built cheap, yet it does the job!

Customer Service

No need.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 20-35L

Price
Price
Price

Flares (Is that REALLY a lens shade?)
Rather slow in apperture
Build Quality

If you don't have a wide/superwide lens GET ONE, FAST.
There's something you can never beat this Superwide Zoom with, and that's is performance/value ratio; it's remarkably good for what you pay!
Don't set your hopes too high, ofcourse; it can not compare with higher priced Super Wide Zooms (The Canon 20-35, Sigma 17-35EX ~450$ a piece), or pro glass (Canon 17/20-35L).. BUT who really does care? most of these list for 3 to 12 times as much, they are not (REPEAT, NOT) 3 to 12 times better.
It focuses fine, for what a wide angle lens is expected to focus at. The build is plastic and rubber, and the zoom ring jitters as you turn it. it flares like hell, maybe even worst; The added shade has no compensating effect whatsoever, and it didn't even make it to my photo bag.
77mm filter sizes generally indicate that you may be spending more on filters than on the lens itself. Wierd, but very true.
It distorts the image a bit at 19mm, and when open wide, the corners suffer.
Overall verdict? If you want to go to Super wide, either buy this one, and experiment; OR, get a superwide prime (20mm) which STILL would cost you twice as much (but would fare better on the image side).
What the heck, get one anyway. It's cheap, and it is built cheap, yet it does the job!

Customer Service

No need.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 20-35L