Vivitar

by Janette
(Edinburgh)

Small and compact which was great at the time but when you compare the pictures take by it and my current Nikon D40x there really is no competition.

Time certainly has improved the art of photography!

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Vivitar were, until quite recently, better known for their lenses.

A few decades ago the majority of lenses sold for film SLR cameras were manufactured by the camera makers themselves. So for example Nikon made the lenses for Nikon cameras, Canon made the lenses for Canon cameras ... and so on.

Then a couple of chaps came up with the idea of producing lenses that would fit Nikon and Canon cameras but that were cheaper - and the company became Vivitar.

The lenses were good quality and were definitely cheaper than own-brand lenses. And for many years that's what Vivitar became known for.

Then they started to produce flash guns for SLR cameras - same idea as with the lenses; produce a good quality flash gun compatible with known camera brands at a cheaper price.

And then they started to produce cameras themselves. And when digital photography took off they started to produce digital cameras too.

In terms of reputation I would say that they are seen the same way as the lenses and flashes that went before - good quality at a reasonable price.

I'm not sure what model Janette owned but compared to her Nikon D40X (a digital SLR) I would guess the Vivitar was never going to keep up!

Thanks for the submission,

Darrell.

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