VIVITAR
Founded in Hollywood, Calif., in 1938 by two German immigrants, Max Ponder and John Best, Vivitar is a famous Los Angeles photo marketing firm that competed with the big boys as major 35mm SLR lens makers from about the mid 1970's to the late 1980's with their Series 1 lenses. Any mechanical engineering product with a german touch will definitely have that classy feel.Vivitar products were widely used by both professionals & serious hobbyist .
Founded in Hollywood, Calif., in 1938 by two German immigrants, Max Ponder and John Best, Vivitar is a famous Los Angeles photo marketing firm that competed with the big boys as major 35mm SLR lens makers from about the mid 1970's to the late 1980's with their Series 1 lenses. Any mechanical engineering product with a german touch will definitely have that classy feel.Vivitar products were widely used by both professionals & serious hobbyist .
Vivitar has grown from a regional distributor of
photographic products to an international imaging technology leader. Originally
known as Ponder and Best, the company became Vivitar in 1979, with its own
brand name and an impressive list of patents and technological innovations. No,
Vivitar did NOT own their own lens factory. Instead Vivitar hired
the best lens designers they could find (using then state of the art computers
in the USA) to make the best lenses they could under the premium
"Vivitar Series 1" brand name. Super lens
designs were produced, some which had never been seen before.
Series 1 lenses of this period were very good lenses indeed, often as good or
even better than major lens manufacturers. . Vivitar accomplished
this with innovative Series 1 lens designs from great lens designers,
demanding quality control, and having independent lens manufacturers bid to
make those lenses to Vivitar's specifications. Interestingly, a particular lens could be made by one
lens maker one year, and by another winning bidder lens maker to the same specs
the next year. Contrary to popular opinion, you will soon realize
when checking serial number codes that all Series 1 lenses were not made by a
single manufacturer. In fact, many lens makers produced classic Series 1
lenses.
Special Thanks to
my friend Suchismita Biswas for allowing me to shoot in their home , this
camera actually belongs to her father
who himself is an avid photographer , while having conversation with
him regarding this camera I told uncle
that you own history .
Smart phone generation
people who are obsessed with megapixel
will find it hard to believe that such a state of art mechanical
engineering product with fine
aesthetics ever existed .
