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Vivitar Corporation was a manufacturer, distributor and marketer of photographic and optical equipment originally based in Oxnard
Oxnard, California

Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County, California, California in terms of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is one of the world's most important agricultural centers, with its distinction as the strawberry and lima bean capital....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
. In November 2006, the corporation was purchased by public company
Public company

A public company usually refers to a company that is permitted to offer its registered Security for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, but also may include companies whose stock is traded Over-the-counter via market makers who use non-exchange quotation services such as the OTCBB and the Pink Sheets....
 Syntax-Brillian Corporation for US $26 million in stock
STOCK

Software for fixed assets management and stock control developed in 2004. Stocktaking process is carried using a hand-held mobile terminal equipped with barcode reader or RFID technology....
 and was operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary
Subsidiary

A subsidiary, in business matters, is an entity that is controlled by a bigger and more powerful entity. The controlled entity is called a company , corporation, or limited liability company, and the controlling entity is called its parent ....
. On August 21 2008, subsequent to its filing for bankruptcy
Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring....
, parent company Syntax-Brillian completed the sale of the Vivitar brand name
Brand

A brand is a collection of symbols, experiences and associations connected with a product, a service, a person or any other artifact or entity....
 and intellectual property
Intellectual property

Intellectual property are law property over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; ideas, discoveries and inventions; and words, phra...
 to privately held
Privately held company

The term privately held company refers to the ownership of a business company in two different ways: first, referring to ownership by non-governmental organizations; and second, referring to ownership of the company's stock by a relatively small number of holders who do not trade the stock publicly on the stock market....
 consumer electronics
Consumer electronics

Consumer electronics include electronic equipment intended for everyday use. Consumer electronics are most often used in entertainment, communications and office productivity....
 maker based in Edison, New Jersey
Edison, New Jersey

Edison Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 97,687, making it at the time the List of municipalities in New Jersey ....
.






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Vivitar Corporation was a manufacturer, distributor and marketer of photographic and optical equipment originally based in Oxnard
Oxnard, California

Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County, California, California in terms of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is one of the world's most important agricultural centers, with its distinction as the strawberry and lima bean capital....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
. In November 2006, the corporation was purchased by public company
Public company

A public company usually refers to a company that is permitted to offer its registered Security for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, but also may include companies whose stock is traded Over-the-counter via market makers who use non-exchange quotation services such as the OTCBB and the Pink Sheets....
 Syntax-Brillian Corporation for US $26 million in stock
STOCK

Software for fixed assets management and stock control developed in 2004. Stocktaking process is carried using a hand-held mobile terminal equipped with barcode reader or RFID technology....
 and was operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary
Subsidiary

A subsidiary, in business matters, is an entity that is controlled by a bigger and more powerful entity. The controlled entity is called a company , corporation, or limited liability company, and the controlling entity is called its parent ....
. On August 21 2008, subsequent to its filing for bankruptcy
Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring....
, parent company Syntax-Brillian completed the sale of the Vivitar brand name
Brand

A brand is a collection of symbols, experiences and associations connected with a product, a service, a person or any other artifact or entity....
 and intellectual property
Intellectual property

Intellectual property are law property over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; ideas, discoveries and inventions; and words, phra...
 to privately held
Privately held company

The term privately held company refers to the ownership of a business company in two different ways: first, referring to ownership by non-governmental organizations; and second, referring to ownership of the company's stock by a relatively small number of holders who do not trade the stock publicly on the stock market....
 consumer electronics
Consumer electronics

Consumer electronics include electronic equipment intended for everyday use. Consumer electronics are most often used in entertainment, communications and office productivity....
 maker based in Edison, New Jersey
Edison, New Jersey

Edison Township is a Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township had a total population of 97,687, making it at the time the List of municipalities in New Jersey ....
. Sakar did not purchase Vivitar’s equipment, facilities or accounts receivable
Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable is one of a series of accounting transactions dealing with the billing of customers who owe money to a person, company or organization for good and Service that have been provided to the customer....
. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Future of the Vivitar brand


Sakar plans to expand its current mass retail digital camera
Digital camera

A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording digital image via an electronics .Many compact digital still cameras can record sound and moving video as well as still photographs....
 offerings which sell in the low-range market of $20 to $100 by using the Vivitar brand on digital cameras priced in the midprice range of $70 to $300. Additional Vivitar-branded products including camera accessories and digital photo frames are planned as well as potential licensing opportunities.

Products

The company's product line has included 35 mm
35 mm film

35 mm film is the basic film gauge most commonly used for both still photography and motion pictures, and remains relatively unchanged since its introduction in 1892 by William Dickson and Thomas Edison, using film stock supplied by George Eastman....
 SLR
Single-lens reflex camera

The single-lens reflex camera uses an automatic moving mirror system which permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to non-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly different from what was captured on film....
 camera
Camera

A camera is a device that records images, either as a still photograph or as moving images known as videos or movies. The term comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism of projecting images where an entire room functioned as a real-time imaging system; the modern camera evolved from the camera obscura....
s, zoom
Zoom lens

A zoom lens is a mechanical assembly of lens with the ability to vary its focal length , as opposed to a fixed focal length lens . They are commonly used with still camera, video camera, motion picture camera cameras, projectors, some binoculars, microscopes, telescopes, telescopic sights, and other optical instruments....
 lenses
Photographic lens

A photographic lens is an optics lens or assembly of lenses used in conjunction with a camera body and mechanism to make images of objects either on photographic film or on other media capable of storing an image chemically or electronically....
, flashes
Flash (photography)

A flash is a device used in photography that produces an instantaneous flash of Lighting light at a color temperature of about 5500 K to help illuminate a scene....
, binoculars
Binoculars

Binocular telescopes, or binoculars , are two identical or mirror-symmetry optical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes when viewing distant objects....
, digital cameras, night vision
Night vision

Night vision is the ability to see in a dark environment. Whether by biological or technological means, night vision is made possible by a combination of two approaches: sufficient spectral range, and sufficient intensity range....
 products, point-and-shoot cameras, tripods
Tripod (photography)

A tripod is a three-legged stand for an instrument, used for stabilisation and support.In astronomy, a tripod is a three legged stand used to support and stabilize a telescope, binoculars, or other optical or recording instrument....
, underwater cameras, and other photographic accessories.

Company history

Founded in 1938, as Ponder and Best by Max Ponder and John Best. Originally an importer of German made photo equipment they began to import cameras and photographic equipment from Japan after WWII. They were instrumental in the introduction of many brands into the US marketplace including Mamiya/Sekor 35mm cameras, Kobina 8mm movie cameras, Sankyo/Komura wide/tele adapter lenses and a full line of photographic darkroom equipment cobbled from many mom and pop manufacturers throughout Japan and later Taiwan. the company has a rich history and reputation in photographic equipment. Cigar smoking and with a heavy German accent, Max was the sales side of the company while John ran the operations side of the company. Together they were a formidable team. In the Early 1960's they created the "Vivitar" brand to compete with the major lens manufactures all of whom used the "ar" ending in their lens names. By carefully positioning their limited quantity of product with key photo retailers, they quickly built a reputation for good quality lenses at modest prices. The retailers found that they could make good margins while giving their customer good value. As their reputation grew many contract lens manufacturer sought them out to carry their products under the Vivitar brand. Ponder and Best were the first to gain acceptance for lenses with interchangeable mounts allowing customers to use the same lens on different manufacturers camera bodies. In the 1980's they introduced the Series I lens line. These computer designed state of the art lenses were well priced and often out performed the optics of most camera manufacturers of the day. In the mid 1960's they private labeled a new type of semi-professional flash unit from National/Panasonic called the Vivitar 260. While acclaimed for its innovative design, its down side was that it used expensive 9 volt batteries which died quickly. Max, recognizing the problem, flew to Japan and met with the manufacturer and offered some improvements based on the feedback he received from customers. The improved flash was introduced in 1970 as the Vivitar 283 and quickly became the number one professional and Enthusiasts flash unit, outselling all its competitors combined and selling 3,000,000 by 1973. This flash unit was in production for over 30 years, revived twice after being discontinued due to customer demand. The early made in Japan units have have a trigger voltage of 250v which can overload some digital cameras,the later made in China and Korea units are fine at 5 to 12 volts. A point of note is the 283 has a removable sensor (as has the 285) and coupled the Optional remote sensor cord, off camera flash is Possible with the gun still in auto mode. the 283 sister flash called the 285 which has a zoom head to cover different focal length lenses. After the deaths of Max and later John, the company lost its edge drifting between different owners.

Vivitar lenses


Manual focus prime lenses
  • Vivitar 17mm f/3.5
  • Vivitar 19mm f/3.8
  • Vivitar 20mm f/3.8
  • Vivitar Auto 21mm f/3.8 T4
  • Vivitar 24mm f/2 (made by Kiron)
  • Vivitar 24mm f/2.8 (made by Tokina)
  • Vivitar Series 1 28mm f/1.9
  • Vivitar 28mm f/2 (49mm filter version made by Komine, 55mm by Kiron)
  • Vivitar 28mm f/2.5
  • Vivitar Close Focus 28mm f/2.8
  • Vivitar Auto 28mm f/2.8
  • Vivitar 35mm f/1.9
  • Vivitar 35mm f/2.8
  • Vivitar 50mm f/1.7
  • Vivitar 50mm f/1.8
  • Vivitar 50mm f/1.9 (Japan)
  • Vivitar 55mm f/2.8 Macro M42 Mount (made by Komine)
  • Tele-Vivitar 85mm f/1.8 T
  • Vivitar Series 1 85mm f/1.4 Asphereical IF (released in 2009, made by Samyang)
  • Vivitar 90mm f/2.5 Macro M42 Mount (made by Komine)
  • Vivitar 90mm f/2.8 Macro M42 Mount and others (made by Komine)
  • Vivitar Series 1 90mm f/2.5 1:2 Macro, 1:1 achieved with dedicated extender, nicknamed the Bokina (made by Tokina)
  • Vivitar 100mm f/2.8 Macro (made by Kiron)
  • Vivitar Series 1 105mm f/2.5 macro (made by Kiron)
  • Vivitar 135mm f/1.5 professional
  • Vivitar Series 1 135mm f/2.3 (made by Komine)
  • Vivitar 135mm f/2.5
  • Vivitar 135mm f/2.8
  • Vivitar 135mm f/2.8 close-focusing 1:2 Macro (made by Komine)
  • Vivitar 200mm f/3.5 M42 Mount and others (made by Komine)
  • Vivitar Series 1 200mm f/3 (made by Komine)
  • Vivitar Series 1 200mm f/3.5 Auto Focus
  • Vivitar 300mm f/5.6 (made by Olympus)
  • Vivitar 400mm f/5.6
  • Vivitar 500mm f/8
  • Vivitar Series 1 500mm f/8 mirror T-mount (released in 2009, made by Samyang)
  • Vivitar 500mm f/6.3 T-mount (not mirror)
  • Vivitar 600mm f/8 T-mount (not mirror)
  • Vivitar Series 1 800mm f/8 mirror T-mount (released in 2009, made by Samyang)
  • Vivitar 800mm f/11 solid cat


Manual focus zoom lenses
  • Vivitar 17-28mm f/4-4.5
  • Vivitar 19-35mm f/3.5-4.5
  • Vivitar Series 1 24-48mm f3.5
  • Vivitar Series 1 28-105mm f2.8-3.8
  • Vivitar 28-200mm f/3.5-f5.3 Macro
  • Vivitar 28-210mm f/3.5-5.6
  • Vivitar 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5
  • Vivitar Series 1 28-90mm f2.8-3.5
  • Vivitar Series 1 35-85mm f2.8 (Variable focus)
  • Vivitar Series 1 35-105 f3.5 (with close focus)
  • Vivitar 35-200mm f/3-f4.5 Macro
  • Vivitar 55-135mm f/3.5 TX
  • Vivitar 70-150mm f/3.8
  • Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/2.8-4
  • Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f/3.5
  • Vivitar 70-210mm f/4.5
  • Vivitar 70-210mm f/4.5 Macro
  • Vivitar 70-210 f/4-5.6
  • Vivitar 75-205 f/3.8
  • Vivitar 85-205 f/3.8
  • Vivitar 90-230mm f/4.5 TX
  • Vivitar 90-180mm F/4.5 Flat Field zoom (made by Kiron)
  • Vivitar 75-300mm f/4.5-5.8
  • Vivitar 100-200mm f/4.0
  • Vivitar Series 1 120-600mm f8


Auto focus lenses
  • Vivitar Series 1 19-35mm f/3.5-4.5
  • Vivitar Series 1 28-70mm f/2.8 (re-labeled Sigma)
  • Vivitar 28-70mm f/3.5-4.8
  • Vivitar 28-80mm f3.5-5.6
  • Vivitar 28-105mm f/2.8-4.0
  • Vivitar Series 1 28-210mm f/4.2-6.5
  • Vivitar 28-300mm f/4-6.3
  • Vivitar 35-70mm f3.5-4.5
  • Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f2.8 (re-labeled Sigma)
  • Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f2.8-4
  • Vivitar 70-210mm f4.5-5.6
  • Vivitar 100mm f3.5 Macro
  • Vivitar 100-300mm f5.6-6.7
  • Vivitar 100-400mm f4.5-6.7


See also

  • List of digital camera brands
    List of digital camera brands

    List of digital camera brands past and present, updated to 2005, but may miss some. With some of the brands, the name used was of an older or bigger company....
  • List of photographic equipment makers
    List of photographic equipment makers

    This list of photographic equipment makers lists companies that manufacture equipment for photography....
  • Kiron Lenses
    Kiron Lenses

    Kiron Lenses were photographic lenses sold by the Kiron Corporation, formally based in Carson, California, USA.The company was set up as a subsidiary of Kino Precision Industries Limited, Tokyo, Japan in 1978?79, in order to market their lenses to the United States....


External links

  • : Enthusiast web site, historical information