Vivitar V4000

The Vivitar V4000 is a compact and lightweight 35mm single-lens reflex (SLR) camera from the 1990s. It features TTL (Through-The-Lens) metering at full aperture, allowing the photographer precise control over exposure.

The operation is designed to simplify high-quality photography by indicating correct exposure with a green LED in the viewfinder. Focusing and exposure settings are manual, giving the user full control over the image result.

The camera was built in Japan by the company Cosina for the Vivitar brand. There was also a version with a self-timer called the “Vivitar V4000s”.

Lens

The Vivitar V4000 uses a Pentax “K” type lens mount. This means it is compatible with a wide variety of lenses that utilize this common mount.

An example lens used is a Vivitar 50 mm with a maximum aperture of f/1.9 and a filter thread of 49mm.

Lenses are focused manually using the focusing ring on the lens.

The camera supports focusing through various methods visible in the viewfinder: A split-image indicator in the center of the viewfinder shows two halves of the image that align when correctly focused. Surrounding this central point is a microprism ring that creates a flickering image when out of focus, which becomes clear when focus is achieved. Additionally, focus can be assessed on the entire ground glass of the viewfinder, where the image appears sharpest when correctly adjusted.

An explicit zone focus function is not integrated; however, K-mount lenses typically have a depth-of-field scale and a distance scale. These scales allow the photographer to estimate the depth of field at a specific aperture and focus setting, thus also enabling a form of zone focusing.

The focal length and maximum aperture depend on the lens attached, with the example lens having a standard focal length of 50mm and a fast aperture of f/1.9. The aperture is set using the aperture ring directly on the lens.

Exposure Settings

The Vivitar V4000 features a TTL exposure metering system that measures the brightness of the light passing through the lens at full aperture. The metering pattern is center-weighted, meaning the central area of the frame is given more importance in the measurement.

The light meter is activated by lightly pressing the shutter button, provided the film advance lever is in the ready position (slightly extended).

In the viewfinder, the photographer is shown the metering results via three LEDs: A red ‘+’ LED indicates overexposure, a green ‘O’ LED shows correct exposure (zero method), and a red ‘-‘ LED warns of underexposure. If both the green ‘O’ LED and one of the red LEDs light up simultaneously, it indicates slight over- or underexposure, but the shot is usually still usable.

The recommended metering range of the camera at ISO 100/21° is from EV 2 (corresponds to f/2 at 1 second) to EV 19 (corresponds to f/16 at 1/2000 second).

The camera does not offer automatic exposure modes; settings are made manually, with two priorities conceivable:

In shutter priority, the user first selects the desired shutter speed on the shutter speed dial and then adjusts the aperture on the lens ring until the green ‘O’ LED lights up in the viewfinder.

In aperture priority, the user first selects the desired aperture on the lens and then sets the appropriate shutter speed on the dial until the ‘O’ LED lights up.

The shutter is a mechanical vertical-travel metal blade shutter. It offers shutter speeds from 1 second to 1/2000 second, as well as a “B” (Bulb) setting for long exposures, where the shutter remains open as long as the shutter button is pressed.

Shutter speeds are set via the shutter speed dial on top of the camera. It is important that the dial clicks into one of the marked speeds, as intermediate positions can lead to incorrect exposures. Aperture values are set via the aperture ring on the lens and depend on the lens used (e.g., f/1.9 to f/16 for the example lens).

Flash System

The Vivitar V4000 is equipped with a hot shoe with a center contact (X-contact). This allows direct connection of an external flash unit without an additional sync cable. However, there is also a sync socket, although this is missing on some models.

Flash synchronization occurs at shutter speeds of 1/125 second or slower. Faster shutter speeds cannot be used with flash because the shutter would not be fully open when the flash fires.

To achieve correct exposure with flash, the shutter speed must be set to 1/125 s or a slower speed. The appropriate aperture is set manually on the lens, based on the guide number (G.N.) of the flash unit, the set film speed, and the distance to the subject.

Additional Features

The camera has a standard tripod socket on the bottom for mounting on a tripod, which is particularly recommended when using the “B” setting, long exposure times, or telephoto lenses.

Other features include the aforementioned depth-of-field scale on the lens and a special infrared focus mark (a red dot or line on the depth-of-field scale) for correcting the focus setting when taking infrared photos with an appropriate filter.

The viewfinder is an eye-level finder with a pentaprism with a viewfinder magnification of 0.86x (with a 50mm lens at infinity) and shows 93% of the actual image field horizontally and vertically.

A safety mechanism prevents unintentional double exposures or advancing the film by more than one frame. The shutter button is locked when the film advance lever is folded in to prevent accidental shooting.

A small window (Film Transport Indicator Window) next to the rewind knob shows by rotation whether the film is being transported correctly. The frame counter counts the number of shots taken in ascending order and automatically resets to ‘S’ (Start) when the camera back is opened.

Dimensions and Weight

The dimensions of the Vivitar V4000 are 138 mm (width) x 88 mm (height) x 58 mm (depth). The weight of the camera body alone (without lens and batteries) is 370 grams. These values highlight the compact and lightweight nature of the camera for an SLR in its class.

Power Supply

The Vivitar V4000 requires power for the operation of the exposure metering system. The power supply is provided by two 1.5V button cells. Either LR44 alkaline manganese batteries (eBay / Amazon*) or SR44 silver oxide batteries (eBay / Amazon*) can be used.

The batteries are not included. They are inserted into the battery compartment on the bottom of the camera, ensuring that the positive (+) poles of both batteries face the compartment cover.

The camera itself functions purely mechanically (shutter speeds, film transport) even without batteries; however, exposure metering is then not possible.

The battery status can be checked by moving the film advance lever to the ready position, lightly pressing the shutter button, and looking through the viewfinder. If one of the three LEDs (+, O, -) lights up, the battery voltage is sufficient. If no LED lights up, the batteries need to be replaced or inserted correctly.

Film Recommendations

The Vivitar V4000 uses standard 35mm film (small format film) in the 24 x 36 mm format.

The film speed must be set manually on the camera. This is done via the film speed setting ring located around the rewind knob. The adjustable range is from ISO 25/15° to ISO 3200/36° in 1/3 stops.

The camera does not have automatic DX code recognition; the ISO value of the loaded film must therefore always be set manually using the setting ring according to the information on the film packaging.

A good film for black and white photos is the Ilford Delta 100*. Beautiful color photos can be taken with the Kodak Ektar 100*.

The number of frames per roll of film (typically 24 or 36 exposures) depends on the film purchased and is displayed by the camera’s frame counter.

Quick Guide to Operation

The basic operation of the Vivitar V4000 is as follows:

First, the batteries (2x LR44 or SR44) are inserted correctly, and their condition is checked if necessary.

Then, the 35mm film is loaded: open the back cover (by lifting the rewind knob), insert the film cartridge, thread the film leader into the take-up spool, and ensure that the perforations engage.

After closing the back cover, advance the film to frame number ‘1’ using the film advance lever and shutter button. Now, the film speed (ISO/ASA value) of the loaded film must be set on the setting ring.

For shooting, move the film advance lever to the ready position (slightly extended). Looking through the viewfinder, aim at the subject and focus using the focusing ring on the lens (split image, microprism, or ground glass).

Then, either the desired shutter speed is preselected on the shutter speed dial or the desired aperture is preselected on the lens’s aperture ring. Activate the exposure meter by lightly pressing the shutter button.

Now, adjust the other setting (aperture or speed) until the green ‘O’ LED lights up in the viewfinder.

Once the correct exposure is set and the image is composed, fully press the shutter button to take the photo. For the next shot, operate the film advance lever.

When the film is finished, the film advance becomes stiff. Now, press the rewind button on the bottom of the camera and rewind the film completely into the cartridge using the rewind crank. After that, the back cover can be opened and the film removed. This should always be done in the shade or subdued light.