5 comments about Vivitar Vivicam V3935 5.25MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom.

1. I'm new to digital and wanted an easy camera for quick shots. So far the vivitar 3935 has done well. It takes much better outdoor photos, it appears to need lots of good lighting. The software sent with the camera is very basic but alows you to make some minor editing, resize images, etc. I've been using a 128mb sd card for memory and it has worked very well with no problems. I stored aproximatley 50 pictures on it from one day and had space left for more. In the "fine" quality setting, pictures were about 10mb a picture, so if you want a lot of large photo's you may need a bigger memory card.
   My only concern so far is the poor battery life. It lasted me aprox 45 minutes taking 15 photos-After that it was spent. I purchased a pack of 4 w/charger. They seem to work well for swapping.
   I purchased the camera for $149 and belive that the battery hassle is worth the $1-200 saved compaired to other models.



2. This camera is very easy to operate. Just point and click, or turn the dial to the desired type of picture you wish to take. It is also easy to transfer the pictures to your computer. I know next to nothing about computers, and was able to transfer my pictures. I would recommend this camera to anyone. I bought this camera to sell stuff on e-bay. It took good pictures for that purpose.



3. This is a great little 5mp camera . Will fit in your pocket or on your belt with supplyed carring case. super pics. the zoom is great. would by again.I have a d70 but some time's I don't like to take it to some events at night.



4. Do NOT use AA batteries! Even on the reviews where people have given this camera 5 stars, they've commented on battery life. I repeat, do NOT use AA batteries, not even if they're rechargeable. Instead, take $15 and make an investment in a couple of CRV3 batteries (don't quote me... I'm not 100% positive if that's the right collection of letters and numbers for the type of battery I'm referring to, do your research). The CRV3's are like 2 AAs in one and are Li-ion (Lithium Ion) batteries, unlike your typical alkaline AAs. A two pack of CRV3s will cost you around $15, but are well worth it, especially since you've already or are planning to make a several hundred dollar investment in a digital camera. Not to mention the fact that you will quickly go through $15 worth of AAs if you don't take this advice. But do not get the new rechargeable CRV3's... there have been reports of the batteries having power surges that have damaged cameras. The battery life is infinitely longer on these batteries because these are the batteries built for taking the kind of abuse digital camera's (and other high end equipment) put them through. I've been using my Vivicam V3935 constantly for the past month or so with my first CRV3 battery, and the battery indicator on the camera is still full.
   
   On to the acutal camera: I'm very happy with the purchase. Of course, I was lucky to get it for close to $150 before the price went back up. Still, at $300 it's cheaper than many of the other 5MP cameras available. The quality is more than satisfactory. I'm not very camera savvy, but I've found manual settings that work well for what I use my camera for, and keep it on the manual setting for most of my pictures without adjusting any of the settings. The automatic setting isn't bad... I just prefer to tell my camera what to do rather than the other way around.
   
   There is one automatic seting that I can't live without however, and that is the automatic flash. The camera calculates how much light there is and then determines whether or not flash is necessary. This will save anyone that is rather camera illiterate lots of time and energy when trying to get those "perfect shots".
   
   Another setting I constantly find myself using is the "micro" setting. It disables flash and adjusts other camer settings so that you can acheive spectacular extreme close-ups.
   
   The camera includes your three basic color modes (color, black and white, and sepia), and a host of other customizable settings: Image size and quality (of course), white balance, exposure compensation, ISO speed, saturation and sharpness, f-stop, and I believe one other option (shutter speed seems to come to mind, but I don't have the manual on hand). I haven't done so personally (though I plan to), but at least look up f-stop and the option that I think is shutter speed... I can't really give you any advice, but I can say that if you want to take action photos (sports?) you will need to master the use of these settings... otherwise you'll end up with the dreaded "out of focus" photo. So, if you've ever tried to blame your camera for taking poor actions shots when you know other people can... now you know why they can.
   
   The Vivicam V3935 is slightly larger than most cameras on the market today. In my opinion, that's a good thing... I'm very good at losing things, and the smaller they are the easier they are to lose. Not to mention the fact that I always feel that I'm going to break smaller electronic gadgets because of their size and weight. If you haven't made the switch to a digital camera yet, then this is probably still slightly smaller than what you're using now... and if not, it at least shouldn't be any larger. Another plus is that anything that opens or comes off the camera does so easily... there's never any doubt about whether or not a certain part of the camera is supposed to open or not.
   
   I'm in love with the zoom feature. I've handled cameras before where I could not tell when the the camera had switched between optical and digital zoom. I avoid digital zoom at all costs because of the loss in quality (minor though it may be), and this camera makes it obvious when it's switched to digital zoom. It even "protects" you from digital zoom. You can hold the zoom button while you're doing an optical zoom and it will stop and require you to push the button again before it will do any zooming digitally.
   
   The only thing I can really say bad about this camera is that there IS a certain amount of uncertainty about how your pictures turn out. Once you get them on the computer, you can see that they've turned out excellent... but sometimes it's hard to tell one the LCD whether or not your photos are in focus and a handful of other things. If you aren't in the general vicinity of a computer... I suggest taking too many rather than too few pictures.
   
   In closing... it takes excellent quality photos, almost too good. On the highest settings pictures can easily end up being between 6 and 10MB, depending on color complexity and a whole bunch of other things. I do use this camera to take pictures for online classified ads, and for the sake of people still using dial up (and the bandwith usage on the sites hosting the pictures) I use FastStone Image Viewer (a free program not included with the camera) to easily reduce the size of the photos from the massive 2560x1920 to a much smaller size and reduce the quality slightly... often reducing my pictures from a whopping 6MB to only 20KB. Also useful if you want to send pictures through e-mail or instant messangers. It's a powerful program for doing simple editing and photo managing, but if you plan on using the extra features go with an editing program like photoshop or GIMP (also free and very well made).



5. This little camera does fine in warm/hot temperatures and has great picture quality, but runs through batteries at an unbelievable pace. Also, you're lucky if you can get 3 or more pictures if the ambient temperature is below 40 degrees. Another annoying feature that I wish I had known about is that there is no memory battery, meaning that everytime you change the main batteries (which is quite frequently) the camera totally resets and you have to set the date all over again. This is a pain. All that being said, I took this camera on a trip to Taiwan recently and I was very pleased with the pictures it produced. It's not the best, and could be improved in several ways, but it's not the worst 5MP camera out there either, especially for the price.

5 comments about Vivitar 5386 -5MP -3X Optical 4X Digital Zoom.

1. After buying this camera I was pleased for the most part, as the interface is extremely simple and the picture quality is very good. It's a sleek, smooth design with minimal buttons, thus little confusion. There are 3 things, however, that I'm not happy with. One is that it takes double A batteries, and eats them up REALLY fast. The second thing is that there's no secondary viewfinder, just the LCD screen. The LCD screen is large, which is great.. but this is why the battery life is so low. You can't turn the LCD screen off, so batteries go fast. The third and final thing I dislike about it is that there's no AC adaptor, so whenever you plug your camera into the computer or the TV, not using it to take pictures, you have to run it on batteries. That is, unless you somehow find a compatible 3 volt AC plug, which is neither on the Vivitar website, or anywhere else online that I can find made specifically for this camera. I'm a little upset that it came with no adapter, as that would be SO useful for a camera that eats up batteries. I reccomend rechargibles if you're going to get this camera.



2. Great camera to start off. I didn't get mine on amazon, found it cheaper elsewhere, but anyways my parents have the 5385 so just getting it i knew some stuff ahead of time, like it eats batteries, even rechargables(maybe i got some bad batteries who knows), the best thing i've found to solve this is the energizer e squared batteries, they hold up. And why doesn't it come with a power cord?...and by the way you can turn off the LCD, all you do is press the ok button on the back like 2 or 3 times and it switches through and one of them it turns off. For the most part the only real problem i have with it is the placement of the on/off button i'm afraid it might accidentaly get turned on but i keep it in the case provided to prevent that...so yeah 5 stars!



3. I really like this camera. I especially enjoy the video capture and sound feature. Took it to Kings Island and was very pleased with it's functionality. Picture quality is amazing and it is very user friendly. Very large LCD screen. I do wish it had an optional view finder but I knew that when I purchased it. I would like to find the alternate power cord that it is capable of using. Should have been included in the purchase.



4. I bought this camera in April 2006 and it was great! However, in July it just stopped taking picures; the camera would come one and all the functions worked, but you can't see anything on the LCD screen- it was black. When you tried to take a picture it would flash, but the picture itself was black and it still had the specs & time stamp on the black picture. It was like it taking picutres with a lens cap on- but it doesn't have a lens cap- which makes me think its somesort of an internal shutter problem. Anyway I took it back to the store and exchanged it for the same exact camera. Guess What?!!? The new one only lasted ONE WEEK!!! It had the SAME EXACT PROBLEM~~ What are the chances that this problem happens to me twice? Now, unfortunately I have lost my receipt, I have to mail my two week old camera off to VIVITAR- where hopefully they will fix it or perhaps I can try out another. DON'T waste your time or money there are other cameras that are much much better! The only reason I decided on this camera to begin with, was the large viewing screen, functions, video & it was easy to work.
   Oh.. BTW.. If you use RECHARGEABLE camera batteries you can save money on the regular Double A.. the batteries don't last long!



5. This was kindof an impulse buy. I originally went in to buy a kodak easyshare but it was sold out so I got the next affordable one which was this one and I have to say that I was thinking about taking it back because I hadn't researched it but after trying it out and reading the manual I changed my mind it works perfectly all functions work, the flash is ontime, it's simple and it looks great! I've had it one week so far nothing has gone wrong but we'll see so far I'm in love w/this cam..and not taking it back.

No comments about VIVITAR 1511241 7x50 BINOCULARS.

5 comments about Vivitar 5000 AF Slide Projector.

1. A good basic projector for viewing slides. Works well and have had no trouble with it. It's easy to use. Can't go wrong with Vivitar. The price for this projector was very reasonable. They make good cameras and camera flashes.



2. our old projector died, but the carosel slide holders were still good. they matched the new projecter perfectly.



3. Would have gotten a 5 if it also had a rectangular slide holder to fit into the slot.



4. Order for (hard to find) 35 mm skide projector was filled FAST and at a very reasonable price! Projector works pefectly. I will definitely use Mr Tuli and M Z Photo again !



5. Vivitar 5000 AF Slide Projector First of all the autofocus button didn't even exist on the attached remote. The clarity of slides when projected was poor. The arm on the slide projector kept jamming. I'm sending it back now.

No comments about Vivitar VP1 Vari-Power Adapter for 283 Flash.

5 comments about Vivitar V3800N Manual SLR Camera with 50mm Lens & Case.

1. I bought this camera for a photography class I was taking (I had to drop the class because of problems with the camera). The first camera Vivitar sent to me had a broken light meter, so I contacted the company to send it back and have it replaced. The company (Ace photo and digital) made me pay the postage to send back a camera that came broken, and then sent me a second camera that once again didn't have a functioning light meter. I would send it back a second time, but I think I'll just buy a light meter that works with the money I would have spent on postage.



2. I've bought over a dozen of these cameras for a high school photography class, and I can tell you it is rare to find a fully manual 35mm SLR camera (though the light meter is battery operated with illuminated green and red plus and minus signs. Old people will remember the manually operated circle that you would manipulate over the meter needle with the aperture ring or shutter speed knob). The camera is simple, the user actually understands what's going on with the settings, and it holds up to student use. It reliably exposes film to a prescribed amount of light, and that's what it's all about.



3. This is a great camera that anyone can learn to use. Everything on it works well; I've had no problems with it whatsoever. There are no regrets with this purchase!



4. Ace Photo Digital is the type of company that goes on vacation for almost a week, has no intentions of selling you an item, and blows you off until you call them. They used the bait and switch tech on me saying that the package I bought was a mistake of amazons (which it wasn't) and they wouldn't honor my purchase. Very unprofessional company. Asked for a manager to call me, and never did. They do not care about their customers. It was a $150 camera w/ 2 lenses, tripod, flash, and case. They ended up canceling my order when I told them not to. DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM!



5. So far I have only put 3 rolls of film through this camera and the quality of the prints have been hugely impressive. This is a hell of a lot of camera for small money. The 50mm lens is one of the best primes you can get and is on a par with Pentax 50mm primes except for the plastic aperture ring (which is quite sturdy). This lens is fantastic for portraits if you want to blur the background by using a wide aperture. It really brings your subject into sharp profile. There is an amazing amount of features on this camera, which would have made it a very, very expensive item in the '80's. Features like, depth of field preview, self-timer, multiple exposure and a very accurate metering system. The camera comes with a very nice leatherette case. I leave the lower part of the case on the camera permanently because for me it impropves the ergonomic feel of the camera. The K-Mount means that you can get plenty of second hand high quality Pentax lenses very reasonable. I got a Pentax 135mm f/3.5 lens for 40 bucks. I think every serious photographer should have at least one all manual camera like this one. Even if you have the very latest and greatest "auto everything" there is still much joy, fun and learning to be had with a manual camera like this one. I have a Digital SLR, a Pentax K100D and whilst it takes fantastic images I do not enjoy using it as much as I enjoy using an all manual camera like the Vivitar 3800. I bought this camera to replace my film Pentax K1000 which is getting fairly beat up now. And this brings me to the weaknesses of the Vivitar 3800. Compared to the Pentax K1000 you do begin to realize that the Vivitar 3800 is made out of tin or some such material. Then again for the price of the Vivitar it is not fair to compare it to one of the all time greats. If you already own a classic manual camera like the K1000 don't buy this camera because you wont use it. If you love photography and don't already own an all manual camera, what are you waiting for? This baby is waiting for you! Finally, there is NO BETTER way to learn about the art of photography than using an all manual camera like this one. Finally finally, if you are into fast, fast snap shooting don't buy this camera. Good luck, I hope this helps you make an informed decision

5 comments about Vivitar 2800 Automatic Electronic Flash.

1. A good little inexpensive flash for general use at a good price. It is a vast inprovement over those under powered pop-ups. It works well with digital cameras (Fuji FinePix 6900z). If you are considering a digital camera, an external flash is a must! The improvement in picture quality is stunning.



2. I purchased the Vivitar Auto flash when i ordered my camera last year. It is a great accessory! My pictures come out very clear indoor and at night. I love it!



3. Don't buy this, get a 283/285HV instead. It powers down after 5mins, when you're least expecting it. I've missed so many shots because the flash was not ready when I was. Poor design feature which cannot be overridden.



4. I had this same flash attachment for about 30 years and loved it. The old flash died and I had to look for a new one never guessing that I could still buy the same flash,good things never go out of style. I hope I get 30 years out of this one. I have sold many of my pictures many take with this flash, I am not a professional, but love the extra money. I would recommend this flash to everyone, I sometimes use it with my digital camera, but I like it best with film.



5. Guess what? Some of us still own and use film cameras, often with expensive lenses that outperform our digital snap-shot cameras. Well, if the original strobe is blown out, or gives up the ghost -- Vivitar still makes and Amazon still sells this excellent and versitile and inexpensive electronic flash. My old Vivitar gave, and this new one has stepped right in. Hate tha red-eye? Just tilt it up for ceiling bounce, no shadows, no red-eye, just open up a stop.

5 comments about Vivitar V3800N 35mm SLR Camera w/ 28-70mm Lens.

1. Product delivered as promised and my daughter is
   thrilled! You saved the day and her grade from her
   college professor! THANK YOU



2. This camera is at best a basic unit. It has all that is necessary for the enthusiast that wants to test their true artistic ability. For those that are thinking that the camera is what makes a picture then perhaps they are better buying something that does everything for them like auto focus, speed and aperture.
   
   This camera is completely manual. It requires thought in the composition of the subject, setting speed and aperture to suit the desired result. In the end it is the eyes capacity to take in the factors that make a picture and compensate for them using the cameras features as a tool.
   
   The art of photography is not how smart the camera is but more how thoughtful the photographer is in preparing to take the shot. I bought this camera because I had become too complacent with auto everything and found that the quality of my pictures had degraded from when I took photos with a fully manual camera. Sure there is the option with many automatic cameras to set it to manual but then one is inclined to forget this option and take the easy way out.
   
   Some aspects of the camera appear crude in its construction. It is a little small for my hands, but I am content with it all the same. The weight is slightly unbalanced, feeling heavy and the shutter feels like it is too physical in that if I were to take a photo in poor light the shutter action might jar the camera and cause unwanted blurring. I have not yet found this to be the case but then I have not put it to the test either.
   
   For the price it is adequate and will function even if the batteries go flat. This is its biggest appeal to me as I'm sure that with four days of hiking in the mountains my digital camera's battery will undoubtedly be flat by the end. There is something romantic about film. You don't get the instant gratification that the digital provides but then you become more focused on making sure the shot is right.
   
   While I read that film will never die I am finding that acquiring high resolution ISO is becoming harder to purchase. This is a bit disconcerting. It does seem that most film vendors favour poor resolution film to guarantee the purchaser that all shots will produce something due to the capacity for the 200/400 ISO films coping with poor lighting conditions. The sacrifice is the grainy low resolution images it produces. That's fine if you want arty photo's using grain as a special affect. I want 100 ISO B&W for its fine grain and yet in my town it seems it has long gone. The camera however is a good robust apparatus and great for travelling in rough terrain due to its rugged steel body construction.



3. Ace Photo Digital had no intentions of selling me this camera as described. After blowing me off for a few weeks I finally called Ace. They said that they were sorry for the delay and they'd ship it to me tomorrow. Called the next day, spoke to another person. Said they had no intentions of selling me my camera with the tripod, flash, and zoom lens promised, and I should either cancel my order (already the order was late) or just accept the camera. Asked to speak to a manager, one never called. Canceled my order without my authorization. Amazon should have gotten rid of this company, but decided to delete my review instead. DO NOT BUY FROM ACE PHOTO DIGITAL!



4. The camera case broke the day that it was opened. The metal ring broke in half. This case is now useless. It was a Christmas gift. I was embarrassed.



5. My V3800N was my very first camera purchased so that I could have a fully manual camera for my Photo 1 class. Although I haven't used it in a while, I still love my little Vivitar and have plans to take it back out again. It's solidly made with a great hand-feel. It's an excellent beginner's film camera. At at tasty price point, it's well worth the gamble because I promise it will pay off!

3 comments about Vivitar - Binoculars 4 x 30.

1. These binoculars at the price offered just can't be beat. I purchased them as opera glasses for a trip to the Met. I had a chance to compare them with a pair which cost about 5 times as much and could not tell the difference.



2. I was amazed at how clearly I could see thorough these binoculars, and they are easy to use. I have used them twice for the opera and I love them. I was expecting cheap but I got quality. I highly recommend these binoculars.



3. Quite clear images and good depth of field, lightweight. The focus control does little and there is no individual eyepiece adjustment, but easy to use. Good value.

5 comments about Vivitar 285HV Auto Professional Flash.

1. Well, be warned, there have recently be lots of product defects with this flash (broken cables, blown caps and bulbs). While the product claims a 2 yr warranty good luck getting it honored. This flash is a great off camera flash though. What to do? Easy, go buy a used one. It will be better built, cheaper, and since there really is no warranty on these new flashes you won't be missing out on anything.
   
   2/11/08 UPDATE: After lots of prodding the warranty department finally sent me a replacement for the broken shutter cord. So far both my flashes are still firing and I hope it stays that way! Still, used is probably the route to go - be sure to do your homework though as some of the really old units have sync voltages that are too high for modern cameras.



2. Just got off the phone with Vivitar Service. I described my problem to two people over 30 minutes, then was told that they no longer sell/support this product. They proceeded to give me another number to call that was NOT IN SERVICE.
   
   This producrt supposedly came with a 2 year warranty. I have only had it 8 months and it worked fine for 7. I understand discontinuing something, but to not honor the new warranty for customers sucks. To say this is bad business would be an understatement.
   
   If I can prevent anyone from purchasing their products today, my work is done.
   
   Since this flash failed, I purchased a used Nikon SB-24 from KEH. There is no comparison in the quality of the two and the Nikon is easier to use. I can't speak for the "old Vivitar workhorses" from the past, but anyone that says this one is as good as the 20 year old SB-24 is not really looking at the two. I am not bashing the 285HV because it failed. There is honestly no comparison in build quality.



3. Fantastic product. Works perfectly well with my Pocket Wizard Plus II.
   Perfect marriage with remote flash triggers.



4. I bought 3, loved my old vivitar 285s. Real workhorses. All 3 didn't work when plugged into my quantum turbos. I kept them and am using them with AA NIMHs. However, because I need them to recycle fast (3-4 seconds) I am restricted to only going up to 1/4 power. Very dissapointing to say the least.



5. I looked into purchasing this flash on a recommendation from a friend who is into strobism. At the time, it didn't seem like Amazon carried it (which was unfortunate because I had a gift card to use). Then on a whim a few days later I decided to take a look again and there it was, so I scooped it up right away. I have a Cactus (Gadget Infinity) wireless trigger kit on the way as well, which should be here this week.
   
   I got the flash today and have been playing with it and learning a bit more about it. I was curious if it would work on my Canon Digital Rebel 300D (6V max hot shoe). I did some digging around because I was afraid to damage my camera, and found information on how to check the voltage given off by the flash. Some places said all 285HV flashes are < 6V, and some places say they can be as high as 12V. To be sure, I used a voltmeter to check it a few times (search online for "voltmeter 285HV" to learn how), and it came in at only 4.5V. I tried it on the Rebel and it works GREAT. Based on what I've read online though, if you do buy this, make sure you check it. As low as mine registered, apparently some can be slightly over 6V. I'm not sure I'd be fully comfortable using it on my 300D if it was even slightly over. If I understand correctly, newer models of DSLRs, including the XT and XTi, can accept up to 250V. Make sure you find out and test first!
   
   I have much to learn about using the manual flash, but a few photos into it I was able to get some good pics.
   
   I haven't taken too many shots yet, but so far so good. If it holds up, I've no doubt I'll be very happy with this flash long term. This thing is BRIGHT.
   
   At the price you can get it here at Amazon, it's well worth it. I will likely pick up another soon to upgrade my strobist set.