This is one of few 24mm lenses I have. This focal length is very good on a 1.3x crop camera like the 1D and 1D Mark II.

The Vivitar 24mm f2.0 lens is an Olympus mount. I have a fondness for old Vivitar lenses. They were well made, and some of the lenses are truly unique. This very fast (by the olden days standard) f2.0 lens does not seem very bright when mounted on my camera. It's very hard to focus a wide angle lens without the help of a split screen.

Overall, the lens has a creamy, low contrast quality that would be very nice for portraiture use. It's almost like putting on a soft filter. Stopped down just a bit, the sharpness and contrast increases markedly. One of the biggest problem with this lens is the flare. Without a hood, this lens could flare every time you point to a light source. A lens hood might help but I have doubts about the degree of usefulness. All the pictures shot here were without a lens shade.

It's not a bad lens for the price. Not as good as the Takumar 24mm, but it doesn't cost as much either.