Introduction
Not having a K-mount camera on hand, I ended up testing this Vivitar 19mm F.3.8 with this camera manufactured by Cosina for Vivitar.
A manual focusing analog SLR
Depite being a 1989 camera, the vivitar V6000 does’nt propose an autofocus or a motor to advance the film. The Vivitar V6000 is an entry-level polycarbonate SLR camera with aperture priority mode.
It functions like an old fashion analog SLR, which I prefer personnally.
Avoid using aperture priority mode
The aperture priority mode is rather limited, as the camera does not allow you to lock the exposure.
The exposure seems to be set using spot metering, which I often found less than optimal…
In my opinion, using this mode with this camera is not a thing to do.
Highly appreciated presence of a manual mode
We therefore appreciate the inclusion of a manual mode that allows you to control your exposures as precisely as possible, from bulb mode to 1/1000th of a second.
There are two buttons, which are not very pleasant to use, allowing you to select the shutter speed above the mode selector.
I hadn’t noticed them until reading the manual.
Other features
The camera has a backup speed of 1/125th of a second that can be used without batteries.
Macrophotographers will be sad to read that you cannot raise the mirror manually.
Mediocre handling
The camera’s viewfinder is bright and pleasant.
In addition to the manual speed adjustment buttons issue, I would have liked the shutter release button to be positioned further inward.
The shutter release is also noisy and lacks finesse.
However, it is still very usable.
Robust despite everything
I dragged the camera outside while snow alternated with rain, and it continued to perform its duties admirably.
So we can credit it with a certain robustness.
Not much charm, but some good points
Lightweight because of its polycarbonate construction and suitable for serious tasks thanks to its manual mode, the Vivitar V6000 remains a perfectly usable camera despite its “entry-level” appearance.
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