Shutter speeds and all related gearing was cleaned of lube-tuned-hard-wax and freshly oiled up and run through click-clack boot camp to bring it in sync. Pentaprism had de-silvered and I could see a Milky Way through the viewfinder, but that requried too much work to fix so that had to be left alone for the time being.
CLA took longer than expected, all the lens elements were out of whack and the lens needed an entire reconstruction (with subsequent ground-glass-taped-to-film-plane focus calibration). Self timer, rewind knob, light meter activation switch. Has a “film is loaded” indicator, might be useful for some, especially with multiple old cameras in circulation (wink wink). Not sure about coverage, but I’m guessing around the 90% mark. Viewfinder has a split center and circular prism focusing aids. Knurled knobs and medium stroke winder lever are decently ergonomic, nothing to rant about though. Bulb and cable release are always welcomed. After having handled a few significantly older cameras lately, shutter speeds of 1sec-1/1000sec seemed like a luxury. Marketed as a mid-grade SLR, the package was decidedly minimalistic, save maybe for the light meter. M42 mount, accepts myriads of other lens spanning multiple decades and budgets. Was made by Cosina in Japan, ditto for the lens. Best I could tell, the 220/SL was introduced in the mid 70’s and was in production sometime into the early 80’s. Specsĭue to Vivitar not having exactly the same level of cachet as, say Leica, BMW or Apple, there are very few dedicated resources available online that would shed light on the more delicate historical intricacies of this particular product line. All of these items were know for their great quality at a modest price, sold by the truckloads in department stores from one coast to another. The bodies were made mostly by Cosina of Japan (as far as I could tell). The design and construction of the lens was contracted to different factories at different times across the US, Europe and Japan. Turns out they were of pretty decent quality too. When it came time to expand in the 60’s, they created the brand name Vivitar and started to make first their own lens, then bodies as well. An American company from California, in the late 30’s two partners began importing first German and then later Japanese cameras into the US market. Delving deeper into their history proved there was more than met the eye. A regular in the discount dust bins of used camera stores, I wasn’t expecting much from a body/lens package going for $10. Until this camera I honestly had nearly zero knowledge about Vivitar as a brand, always writing them off as not only a second-rate, but closer to third-rate third-party lens maker from the distant past. This one was going to be a piece of work.
Oh, and the entire lens helicoid assembly, focus ring, front elements and all, rattled back and forth about half an inch. Foam seals were stickier than gorilla glue and there were as many layers of dust on it as layers of family history, with the camera being handed down a couple of generations until it was ultimately phased out by its distant digital cousins.
Viewfinder was dimmer than a dark forest path on a moonless night and the shutter was in no hurry to count the time at speeds of 1/30th and slower. Camera looked and felt like a tactical tool, with a weight of authority to it, oversized controls and chiseled, no-snag tapered lines.įirst impressions aside, second impressions told me that this derelict detective’s sidekick will need quite a lot of CLA to bring it up to spec. Seriously, the thing looks like something Darth Vader would carry around. Quite honestly, the no-nonesense jet black finish of the camera lent it an aura of cool composure much more suited to covert snaps than trying to get the kids to smile. I was told the camera was originally bought for family candids of the grandkids but later also entered active duty in her Grandfather’s business as a Private Investigator, chronicling the daily stream of evidence, clues and suspects. Always on the lookout for vintage cameras to try out, me and Kris (from 43 Stories) stumbled upon by chance on another long-lost closet treasure - her Grandfather’s Vivitar 220/SL, complete with original strap and the Vivitar 50mm f/1.8.
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