Vivtar Queuries...

[chikubang]

HIHI,

I recently just bought a vivitar ultra slim and wide, and I just processed my films. Is it common that most of the pics Vivitar cam produce are overexposed? Mine is like 20-30% overexposed? Please enlighten me...

[sheree]

in actual fact.. it is more likely that vivitar uws produce underexposed photos. the camera has an aperture of f11 (if im not mistaken) so.. i dont think it's likely for overexposure?

[Expiredyoghurt]

really depends on what film u were using ... i recon u were using iso400 films? try 100 or 200s ...

[michy]

yup.. my vivitar usually gets underexposed shots.. i've been using iso200 films all along.. Maybe you try iso200/100 as well?

[Lumiere]

did u by chance used a asa1600 film

[chikubang]

i use this: expired Fuji Superia 100.

Maybe it;s expired? Some of the shots I take indoor but fully lit leh....

Now i am using BW400CN. Not sure if it can works.

[alternatve]

Indoors, you have to use a ISO 400 speed film and above. ISO 100 is for outdoors and bright sunlight, since the Vivitar has only a single shutter speed and aperture stop.

Samuel

[chikubang]

How abt BW400CN films? Indoor or outdoor?

[alternatve]

Indoors might be a bit dark too. Outdoors is fine.

Samuel

[sheree]

eh but how come 100 iso still 20-30% overexposed? weird..
then it may be due to the nature of the expired film or smth..

[naresh666]

maybe u could try the DIY shutter control?

[chikubang]

DIY shuttter control? what's tt? Pls enlighten me...

[Expiredyoghurt]

Originally Posted by sheree eh but how come 100 iso still 20-30% overexposed? weird.. then it may be due to the nature of the expired film or smth..

maybe the expired film.. cos expired film gives funky results... try a fresh roll of 200/400s .. shoulh turn out fine..

[chikubang]

something that i wanna ask abt vivitar.....

why is it tt vivitar keep producing underexposed pictures even though there's light present?

Please enlighten me.

[michy]

Cos' there's no flash present?

I think it's similar to any cameras. Even for digital camera; if you do not use the flash in not well-lit areas. The pictures will turn out underexposed as well. Moreover, vivitar is just a basic plastic camera, unlike digital cameras with good hardware to adjust the picture tat's shot.

But the vivitar does produce beautiful pictures in well-lit places.

[sheree]

Originally Posted by chikubang something that i wanna ask abt vivitar..... why is it tt vivitar keep producing underexposed pictures even though there's light present? Please enlighten me.

because it's at F11 aperture! hope this helps.

[night86mare]

Originally Posted by chikubang something that i wanna ask abt vivitar..... why is it tt vivitar keep producing underexposed pictures even though there's light present? Please enlighten me.

why have you suddenly changed yoru question to the OTHER way round totally? what the hell is going on?

if the vivitar produces underexposed/overexposed picture, it is the PHOTOGRAPHER's fault, unfortunately, not the poor camera. here there is no excuse cos there is no camera mmetering, no setting to be changed. the camera is FIXED APERTURE, FIXED SHUTTER SPEED, and iso speed you can vary depending on the film you use.

are you acquainted with the basics of photography? if not - pick up a book from the library and do some reading up about iso, aperture and shutter speed.. it will help you understand what is going on.

like others have mentioned, expired film can yield funky results.. depending on how you processed the film - maybe the lab you used anyhow process also. it's happened before to me.. they just autocorrect for you and anyhow autocorrect after they scan. and it could also be that you are aiming yoru camera into the sun, direct sun without clouds and happily snapping away. then any iso rating also overexposed for sure. knowing what sort of conditions and ambient lighting will guide you to when you should use your vivitar. unfortunately it is not a consumer digital camera on auto mode.. the iso cannot change, neither can the shutter speed nor aperture. if all this sounds like gibberish to you, go and read up now.

writing up more about the problem, ie. conditions of shooting and what was done during processing if you have control, or whether you used a lab, and this will help people help you better. cheers.

[chikubang]

Maybe i didnt make myself clear enough...

I have read up abt photography and THANKS for YOUR advise on me reading up...


The vivitar take absolutely great pictures outdoors but the problem is pictures taken indoors practically cannot be used. Mainly because they were underexposed.

I have used the first roll of superia fulji films 100 and when i developed the negatives, I couldnt see pictures I took . And I thought it was overexposed or sth. So when someone commented that it couldnt be overexposed and more likely to be underexposed, then I realised tt those pics tt I have taken are actually indoors. So pardon me if i make a mistake earlier on and dint make myself clear enuff..

So i decided to use BW400Cn, and reviews have shown tt it will give crisp result indoors and I tried taking pics indoors with lights and it's quite bright, it just being underexposed...

So I decided to ask friends who are expert in lomography and he agreed tt vivitar cam isnt great taking pics indoors mainly because they dont have flash. Personally, I dun think it's the flash problem. I took pics in a well lited room and the film went uderexposed. So I decided to ask you guys if u have encountered problems like tt.

Regarding the previous comments like, "it's the PHOTOGRAPHER's FAULT, not the poor cam" Personally, I dont think it's the photographer' fault for having underexposed pics. sheree may be right because of F11 aperture. Maybe tt's the reason for poor images indoors..By using high iso films, you will still worry abit pics will overexpose outdoors unless u wanna one cam for indoors and the other for outdoors.. ahaha
...
I dun think this cam is perfect either, it's good oudoors but not indoors... Cheers...

[night86mare]

it is LOMOGRAPHY

and you still have not gotten my point

the camera is a very simple camera, it is extremely limited

you're trying to make a cow beat a ferrari, that is impossible.. so are you going to say that it's the cow fault that it cannot outrun a ferrari, rather than the misinformed misguided soul flogging it to go faster than it can?

i have gotten good shots from the camera indoors and outdoors. i have gotten overexposed shots and underexposed shots. it's experimentation, and oh well if you insist that the camera is not giving results that you like, get rid of it. personally i know many people who want to get it at a lower price than it is sold for.

personally i doubt you will be taking any of my comments seriously, i do not know the reason, but i think i have explained this as well as i could. if you will insist that the camera is "good outdoors but not indoors" for whatever reasons you have give which make zero sense - i.e. that low iso taken outdoor underexpose photo, high iso taken indoor overexpose photo then you have not internalised any of the concepts i have mentioned, nor do you display any understanding that

it is a less than $100 film camera, no batteries, most basic technology

and you are asking that it takes perfect pictures anytime?

actually, i give up, why am i bothering to reply?

[patch17]

Originally Posted by chikubang Regarding the previous comments like, "it's the PHOTOGRAPHER's FAULT, not the poor cam" Personally, I dont think it's the photographer' fault for having underexposed pics. sheree may be right because of F11 aperture. Maybe tt's the reason for poor images indoors..By using high iso films, you will still worry abit pics will overexpose outdoors unless u wanna one cam for indoors and the other for outdoors.. ahaha ... I dun think this cam is perfect either, it's good oudoors but not indoors... Cheers...

sorry, but i don't agree with this. a camera is like, any mechanical or electronic equipment, is inherently stupid. they can't think for themselves. the results they produce are dependent on the person using them.

if you were shooting indoors and used iso 100 film with a camera that doesn't have a meter, flash, a fixed shutter speed and on top of that a fixed aperture of f11, you're just asking for trouble. underexposed city here i come. (under such situation with such a camera, nothing less than iso 800, 1600 better, in my opinion)

was it the camera's fault? heck no. who loaded the iso100 film? who decided to shoot under such conditions with such equipment? i don't think the camera is capable of such decisions.

overexposed and underexposed results are ALL the photographers fault.

get to know your gear, understand what it can and cannot do, familiarize yourself with the basics of light, film, etc. and you'd be surprised at what you can do with your equipment.

by the way, if you load high iso film in you camera, you can still use it indoors and outdoors, just get a ND filter to reduce the light when you shoot outside, then take it off when you're shooting indoors. (but YOU have to remember to take the filter off.)

i just love toy cameras, they're simple and great fun.