Vivitar V3800N

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The Vivitar V3800N is a Pentax K mount manual-focus 35mm SLR announced by Vivitar beginning in 2001,[1][2] with a relaunch promotional push beginning in 2009.[3] The V3800N remained in production at least into 2012, with list price of $299 USD (w/28-70mm zoom lens) or $239 USD (w/50mm lens). Some remaining stock was available for sale new as late as 2017.[4] The camera was manufactured by Phenix, and is also seen as the Phenix DC303N. It may be related to the Yashica FX-3 Super 2000.

With a PC connector for off-camera flash, and improving on the V3000 by adding multiple-exposure and depth-of-field preview buttons, the V3800N is one of the more full-featured of the Vivitar V series SLRs.

There appear to be two color variants of the camera body: one is all black while the other is black with a grey top housing. The Promaster 2500PK Super and Hikari 2002 appear to be nearly-identical cameras with slightly altered styling.

Specifications

  • Badging: Vivitar
  • Manufacturer: Phenix
  • Lens mount: Pentax K
  • ISO: 25 - 3200
  • Shutter: Vertical travel, electronic metal focal plane shutter
  • Shutter Speeds: 1/2000 to 1 sec, Bulb
  • Flash sync: Hot shoe, X-sync PC connector, 1/125
  • Viewfinder: eye-level pentaprism, 0.91x magnification, LED exposure indicators
  • Focusing: Horizontal split image w/micro-prism collar
  • Meter: TTL, center-weighted averaging (SPD cell)
  • Battery: 1.55v LR44, SR44 or equivalent (x2)
  • Weight:


Photos



Notes

  1. A Shutterbug magazine article reports it appearing at the February 2001 PMA show in Orlando, Florida.
  2. New York retailer Adorama was distributing the camera through the early 2000s. By 2005 prices on the V3800N were a very affordable $140 or $160 USD for the 50/1.7 and 28-70 zoom bundles, respectively; via the Wayback Machine.
  3. This occurred after Sakar acquired the brand out of bankruptcy, noted in a 2009 TechRadar.com posting
  4. In a Facebook post the U.S. retailer Freestyle announced they had finally sold their last V3800N's in March 2017; some of these cameras had been unsold and returned stock from other "Big Box" retail chains.

Links