Vivitar V3800N

<p>There were a couple of threads about this camera in the last 2 weeks. I had ordered one on Ebay (impulse click, because it was so darn cheap) and said I'd post something when I got it.</p>

<p>Unfortunately the (used) camera came without a battery cover, while the seller had advertised good working condition. It also had some HP5 loaded that I would have tried to salvage and develop but the rewinder broke the film off. The camera is being returned, so I can only offer very limited comments:</p>

<p>Features:<br>

-Metal vertical shutter up to 1/2000s<br>

-Multi-exposure (hold the button next to the model name on the front of the camera while working the film advance lever)<br>

-Used LR44 batteries<br>

-Hot shoe<br>

-Diagonal split-image focus screen<br>

-Nice full size finder<br>

-Self timer<br>

-DOF preview button<br>

-TTL meter<br>

-Metal mounts<br>

-Takes 52mm filters (like Nikon)<br>

-The slot in the back for inserting a film box cover makes me feel nostalgic</p>

<p>I did test the meter by putting batteries in and holding them with a piece of aluminum foil to complete the circuit. To meter, one presses a button that's where the lens release on an XD-11 is. You see a circle (which is good) or a plus or minus on the side of the finder.</p>

<p>Honestly I would not buy another of these. Maybe I'm spoiled by the almost-perfect XD-11 but this doesn't feel good in my hands. It feels too plasticky - it's actually probably less plasticky than an F75 but it doesn't feel as good because of the shape - and the lens feels stiff and plasticky. The meter readout doesn't indicate how many stops off the exposure is, and there's no view of shutter speed or aperture settings in the finder, so it's .</p>

<p>It's good that you can get this new but these days a much better used Nikon, Minolta, Pentax, etc., camera can be bought for less money in near-mint condition. If I had bought this camera new it would have cost me twice what my XD-11, 50/1.4 Rokkor, replacement leather kit and very good Vivitar zoom lens cost me all together.</p>

<p>It's very good to see Vivitar and some other companies still putting out film products and if the guy from Vivitar who commented on a previous thread is still reading this, I'm a big fan of the older Series 1 lenses and I was very encouraged by the press release a while back about the new lenses, that also mentioned film cameras to be sold under the Kodak brand. But you need to make these just a notch or two better. And send me a sample of the 85mm lens in Nikon mount so I can review it :)</p>

<p>(Update: I just got an email from Gray at US Camera and he has the battery cover for $10 but I'm going to return the camera.)</p>

<p>Like the Nikon FM10 and Yashica FX-3 Super 2000, and Olympus OM-2000, the Vivitar V3800N is made by Cosina. A decent enough camera for the money, but definitely not as rugged as an XD Minolta, Nikon FM, Olympus OM-1, etc. At least one other poster in the Classic Cameras forum has posted some pics with this camera. While not as well made as the Pentax K1000 (the 'darling' of photo class instructors), I'll bet this camera finds its way into many a photography student's camera bag.<br>

If I were in charge of new products at Cosina, I would continue to market this camera since it and the Nikon FM10 are basically the only game in town for a reasonably priced new manual focus camera. I would also offer limited edition versions with "orphaned lens mounts". Wouldn't it be interesting, for example to see a Cosina-made Minolta SRT 2000 or a Miranda Senorex 2000? Just a thought.</p>

<p>I'm familiar with the Cosina line and I know what you're saying - with these available new from Adorama, B&H and Wal-Mart even, surely people are buying them for photography classes, and since those people probably never used an XD, OM-1, FM, SRT, etc., they don't realize what they're missing - and if I had a fully working one of these and wasn't spoiled by vintage cameras I probably wouldn't mind the things about it that seem like shortcomings in comparison. If my previous film camera experience were with a cheap P&S camera a V3800N (and I'm assuming the other Cosinas of this vintage are similar?) would seem excellent. Looking at this and the zoom lens model, and the FM-10, they seem to have a lot of satisfied customers.</p>

<p>But it's for the Photography 101 student crowd, not the Photo.net crowd (where a D90 or an X-700 is too plasticky). The Photo.net crowd buys a used K1000 in good condition with 3 lenses for $100.</p>

<p>I've noticed the FM10 kit sells for quite a bit more than the Vivitar. The fact that the Nikon kit comes with a zoom isn't enough to explain the price difference as these days producing a budget 35-70, 28-70, etc. doesn't cost that much more than making a fast 50mm. In fact, among the camera makers, the fast 50 usually sells for quite a bit more than a budget zoom.<br />You're right about the P.Net crowd in general. Most of us would rather own a quality, all-metal manual camera than a later manual with more plastic. Still, a Vivitar V3800 N with a slim lens (like the Ricoh 45mm f2.8 pancake) would be a nice fit for a jacket pocket without weighing it down too much. Case in point: My Pentax MX with the SMC 40mm f2.8 is more compact than my Yashica FX-3 Super 2000 with Carl Zeiss 45mm f2.8 Tessar, but the Yashica is so much lighter that it finds its way into my jacket pocket more often. In my other pocket I carry a second lens (either a Vivitar 24mm f2.8 or Pheonix 100 f3.5 macro). Still, if I found a lightly used V3800 at a good price I'd be tempted to get one to use with my SMC 40mm for time when I want a light load in my pocket.<br>

FWIW, the Pentax ZX-M is often recommended as a replacement for the K1000, but I find its mirror prism not as much to my liking as the all-glass prisms in the mechanical SLR's.</p>

<p>eh..."plasticky"...that pretty much kills it for me then. I had actually thought of buying one, if I could find it for cheap, just to play around with it. But the only plasticky cameras I have are a couple of little Kodak 110 cameras, and I only bought them on eBay just as "toys" to play around with, and maybe out of nostalgia for the 110 cameras I used as a kid in the 80's and 90's. </p>

<p>All the other cameras I have are all-metal, and I prefer it that way. I <em>might</em> still look for the Vivitar (Cosina?) camera if I can find one for cheap. And the idea of a <em>new</em> 35mm SLR is very intriguing. But the whole plasticky thing keeps coming back. I hate plasticky stuff. On my mp3 player, sure. But on my cameras...not so much. </p>

<p>I think Patrick Mont started the other topic, after he saw the camera at Walmart, of all places.</p>

<p>Thanks for the update, Andrew. </p>