Vivitar V3800N Manual SLR Camera with 50mm Lens & Case

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

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!

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!

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.

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.

I intentionally got an all manual film camera to force me to learn the basics of photography. This little beauty performs perfectly with its real pentaprism, DOF preview, and fast 50mm lens.

A brand-new all-mechanical camera is a rare thing these days and I'm glad someone still makes one.

I love this camera. It is one of the only manual cameras still being manufactured. Digital-electronic monstrosities (which are unbelievably expensive) simply cannot produce images like a simple manual camera with a good 50mm lens.

The lens that comes in this kit is multicoated, which what you want. It is also a K-mount, which means that the camera is compatible with the vast hoard of K-mount lenses out there (probably one of the most popular lens mounts ever made, along with the Canon EF mount). This camera is basically the modern equivalent of the venerable Pentax K-1000, a great camera if ever there was one. It is easy to find all sorts of other lenses, if you ever want them. I could shoot 35mm film with a 50mm lens for the rest of my life and be happy, but it is nice to have options.

I like the fact that I can control the speed and aperture with simple, familiar mechanical controls. It has an actual, physical shutter knob, and an actual, physical aperture ring. These things will never fail, if you take care of them.

I cannot believe the price. A camera like this -- simple, but durable, with a timer and a built-in meter -- would have been out of my price-range when I was starting out. This little camera would have been one of the most advanced cameras available, at that time (and I'm not that old!).

Digital technology is fine for internet applications, for newspaper reporters, maybe even for some wedding and event photographers. But digital images just don't look like film. Digital prints are still basically ink jet print-outs -- the image is squirted onto the paper. Plus, to enlarge them much more than an 8x10, you would need more megapixels than most people can afford.

If you want a good, surprisingly inexpensive camera that makes fantastic images on FILM, without being tied to a computer, then get this camera. Get some Tri-X film. Heck, you might even consider getting a basic darkroom kit and setting up a lab in your bathroom (it's not very expensive -- a lot less than the cost of a digital SLR, for example, even including the camera). That way you can have total control over your prints and make images that people love, not just snapshots that get thrown away.

Cosina is a "behind the scenes" Japanese manufacturer of many cameras and lenses, and have made cameras for many branded as high-end and entry level models for decades. If you purchases an SLR, or if you've amassed a collection 3rd party lenses, good chance you have something made by Cosina but didn't know it.

Cosina has been making this camera for Vivitar for the past 15 years that I know of. I know because I purchased this camera's ancestor - pretty much the exact same camera and same lens, 15 years ago around 1990 for around $100 on sale at K-Mart.

I have a digital point and shoot, and I like it. But, I still like film, and there's something to be said for a manual camera, which this is. And, right now there's a TON of high quality used glass in the Pentax K mount that can be had for a song on eBay.

What I like about this camera over digital: 1. produces better images than a point and shoot, and about as good as a $1000 DSLR for less than the cost of the lowest end digital point and shoot; 2. Mine has lasted about 15 years, still going strong. 3. Doesn't need batteries to operate (well the meter does, common watch 1.5's you can get anywhere. They last for years.), 4. doesn't require a computer, photoprinter, or software. I just drop my film off at the local lab, and they're ready in an hour... doubles for about $9.50. No computer required. Give the extra set to whomever, no sitting in front of a PC futzing with images in Photoshop, running out of expensive inks. Been there, done that. Let the "real" photoshop take care of all that.

This camera comes complete with a VERY fast, high-quality 1.7 50mm lens. I got spoiled with this excellent lens because it's about as sharp and as fast a lens as you're likely to find.

So, come join we Luddites who prefer "real" photography with "real" cameras - no EVFs that go dark, no LCDs that wash out, no batteries, SD cards, etc. Let the others have their infernal digital contraptions. Me? I just think manual cameras are TONS more fun, take better pictures, are cheaper, simpler, last longer, require you to think, and require a measure of photographic skill. I also like collecting all those lenses I couldn't afford over the years used now on eBay... also fun.

Will those $600 digicams (that can't shoot beyond iso 200) be around in 2020, like my camera? More likely, they will long since retired to some landfill somewhere.

Think about it.