I believe the Phoenix and the Vivitar Series 1 are the same lens. the
Samyang is physically quite different. I read somewhere that the Samyang
was closer to 19 than 18mm on the wide end. I have the Vivitar, but
haven't used it much. I took it on the trip I just took to Yosemite, as
I didn't expect many really WA shots and didn't feel like carrying 3
ultra wide primes. Speed wasn't that big a for me, as my 18 & 21mms are
f3.5 anyway and I had the 28/2 along. I did take the same shot with both
the Viv. and the 28/2 once. I don't get the pics back 'til Mon. or
Tues. With 5 rolls to look at and play with, it may be a while until I
come to any conclusions about the Vivitar, if any; I doubt I took more
than a dozen shots with it (as expected) and a few were risky.
I do hope it turns out to be really good. I like carrying fewer lenses,
making fewer lens changes and using zooms for framing. Assuming it wears
well for a gentle on equipment amateur, the plastic part is a plus
'cause it adds very little weight to the bag. A down side could be the
77mm filter size, but it is the same size as my Tamron SP 80-200/2.8 and
77mm filters can be used with a step up ring on the 18/3.5 (probably a
'good thing' to avoid vignetting with a C-Pol). The cheap plastic lens
hood doesn't look like it will last long.
Further bulletins as information warrants.
Moose
Larry wrote:
The 19-35mm Phoenix looks cheap & plasticky, and is made by Cosina. The
18-28mm is all metal, not cheap looking, and will easily hold up as much
as a zuiko. It's made by Samyang, and is also very sharp.
Brian asked:
I notice that Robert Monaghan speaks fairly highly of
Samyang / Phoenix wide angle zooms.
Who in this group can comment to me on their experience with
them?
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