I have a old Vivitar Series 1 70-210 mm f2.8 - f4.0 VMC Macro Focusing Zoom lens that I'm trying to adapt to a Panasonic GH2. I tried this adapter (Amazon.com: Fotodiox Lens Mount Adapter, Nikon Lens to OM 4/3 (Four Thirds) Camera Adapter, for Olympus E-3, E-5, E30, E-620, E-600, E-520, E-510, E-450, E-420, E-410,E-400,E-300, Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10, L1: Camera & Photo) but it didn't work. If there are any GH2 users who have Vivitar lenses they've successfully adapted for the GH2 I'd love to hear what you used.

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It all depends on what the old Vivtar mount was before. I have a vivitar like you and it was created for the Nikon mount and my Nikon adapter works great....but it is huge and heavy. :-).

Evidently you bought a Nikon adapter but the lens is not a Nikon mount. That lens was made for lots of different camera mounts. It should be marked somewhere on the lens. Do you have a pic or two of the lens and maybe a shot of the bottom part that connects to the camera. Maybe we can figure out what mount that is. It could have been a Canon mount, Nikon mount, Pentax Mount or a number of others.

It all depends on what the old Vivtar mount was before.

True that. I have a Vivitar Series 1 for Canon. Bought the Fotodiox adapter for Canon FD lenses and it works great.

The type of mount is usually printed near or on the rear flange of the lens - F, FD, O/OM are some of the common types.

@Kevin: I don't see anything printed or stamped on the rear flange of the lens. But, read on ...

@Philip: I double checked and the Vivitar lens is a Nikon mount. It came from my wife's old Nikon FG. I found the cam and confirmed it attaches to that lens. Unfortunately I sent the adapter back so quickly that I can't remember whether the problem was with the lens or my GH2. If I had to guess I would guess the problem was at the GH2 end simply because the GH2 is not one of the cams mentioned in the adapter description (see my original post above).

That said, can anyone recommend an adapter for the GH2 that will handle this Vivitar lens? I don't want to spend a fortune on this. I see some $100 and up adapters on the B&H site. That seems a little steep for me.

Oh, and before I go too much farther, is this Vivitar Series 1 zoom lens any good? I also have a Canon EF 80-200 f4.5 - 5.6. I already got an adapter for this but I'm not sure if it's any good either. I haven't shot anything with it yet.

Thanks to all for the info.

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Not sure why the adapter didn't work. My vivitar 70-210 is marked N/F on the bottom and the Nikon adapter I got works fine. Is the Nikon G a dfferent kind of mount than the F. Did Nikon have multiple mounts like Canon does? That could be the problem.

Here's one for G mount lenses.

Amazon.com: RAINBOWIMAGING Nikon G AF-S Lens to Micro 4/3 Four Thirds System Camera Mount Adapter, with aperture control ring, for Olympus PEN E-P1 E-P2 E-PL1, Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1, GH1, G1, G2 G10, (RainbowImaging Adapter, MRSP 26.99): Camera & Photo

Philip,

I don't really know anything about Nikons. This was my wife's cam. I do note it is an "FG". You were opining about a difference between F and G mounts. I do see a "N/AI-S" stamped on the bottom of the lens just behind the aperture ring. I don't know what it means. Is it of any help?

The link you sent mentions a Nikon "G" lens. Is that what I should be looking for? Or should I be looking for "FG"? B&H comes up blank when I search for "Nikon FG adapter". In fact, it asks if I meant "Nikon f adapter"?

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It's hard to know exactly what you have and what adapter you need. If you could take a picture of mount and the bottom of the lens I bet someone around here could tell you what kind of mount it is and then you would know what adapter to buy.

Some of the best simple adapters I've used:
Fotodiox Professional Photography Supplies and Equipment (http://www.fotodiox.com/index.php?cPath=21_101&osCsid=2149aa95ecd87661a273a558f79e6365)

@Philip: Good idea! Why didn't I think of that? I will post a photo or two tomorrow to see if that helps ID this lens and help determine what adapter I need.

@Kevin: Yes, a Fotodiox is what I bought before for this lens. (See my original post for details.) I must have just picked the wrong one. I bought another Fotodiox for my Canon lens and it works fine. Good to know that among all the brands of adapters out there I managed to pick a decent one. Now I just need to find the one I need for my Vivitar.

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OK, here are a few pics of this lens. Any help in which adapter I need would be most welcome. BTW, you can see the "N/AI-S" stamped on the bottom rear of the lens. Is that any clue as to the type of mount? I'm just not familiar with Nikons.

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You know, I FINALLY read the first thread completely and clicked on the link to the adapter you bought.

The problem is not on the lens end (I assume it attaches?), but on the camera end - your adapter is for Nikon to 4/3, not Micro 4/3.

Since your lens has an iris ring, you'll probably want this adapter:
Fotodiox Professional Photography Supplies and Equipment (http://www.fotodiox.com/product_info.php?products_id=476)

That's my best guess, at least.

Kevin,

Many thanks for taking the time to dig into this. I see this adapter for sale at Amazon but not at B&H. Strangely, B&H carries no Fotodiox products.

Anyway, I'm off to Amazon to purchase this adapter.

Thanks to everyone who helped me in this quest.

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You can purchase them directly from Fotodiox

<<is this Vivitar Series 1 zoom lens any good?>>

Older Vivitar Series One lenses were very highly regarded. Great build quality and great glass.

Nikon has always maintained backwards compatibility with their lenses, so I can use my 60's vintage 105mm f2.5 Nikkor with my company's Nikon D7000. Given the Vivitar Series 1's quality and interoperability with newer cameras I would hold on to it.

You can purchase them directly from Fotodiox

Yes, but it's $14.95 at Amazon and $29.95 directly from Fotodiox.

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<<is this Vivitar Series 1 zoom lens any good?>>

Older Vivitar Series One lenses were very highly regarded. Great build quality and great glass.

Nikon has always maintained backwards compatibility with their lenses, so I can use my 60's vintage 105mm f2.5 Nikkor with my company's Nikon D7000. Given the Vivitar Series 1's quality and interoperability with newer cameras I would hold on to it.

Oh, I plan to. That's why the dogged search for the right adapter.

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I have the Canon FD version of this lens and it is great but I hardly ever use it. It weighs a ton on a small and light GH1 and is a bear to use unless you are on a tripod. They are built like a tank but it is a tank I would prefer not to drive to work.

A couple of questions on this lens... I've been toying with the idea of a slightly faster zoom than my Nikon 70-210... however, the thing I LOVE about the Nikon is that it's essentially parfocal and thus a treat to use for stage performances and the like.

The Series 1 I have (28-90 2.8) is a nice enough lens, but absolutely NOT parfocal. Is this the case with their 70-210s as well?

I have the Canon FD version of this lens and it is great but I hardly ever use it. It weighs a ton on a small and light GH1 and is a bear to use unless you are on a tripod. They are built like a tank but it is a tank I would prefer not to drive to work.

Thomas, you are, indeed, correct. This lens easily weighs 2 or 3 time what the GH2 weighs. And funny you should mention this because just today I was wondering if there was some kind of tripod mount one could add to a lens such as this. I cannot see mounting the GH2 on a tripod with this behemoth hanging off the front of it. I shudder to think what it might do to the threads on the GH2 with this much weight hanging down.

I've seen large lenses with built in tripod mounts on them but never have I seen an attachment that could be added to a lens. I imagine you could build some kind of triangular support which could mount on the 'pod and create the right balance point for the camera and lens. But that might interfere with the focus or zoom rings on some lenses. A circular, adjustable device that could be positioned away from the rings on a lens would be nice if it existed. Does anyone know of such a thing? What do you do to support heavy lenses on your GH2 on a tripod?

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