Vivitar 19/3.8 Information
darg
•
Contributing Member
•
Posts: 504
Re: Vivitar 19/3.8 Serial Numbers
Alan WF wrote:
Anyone know when this lens was introduced by Vivitar and when it was withdrawn, to help me confirm the year of manufacture? The serial number starts "99", which I think means manufactured by Cosina (first 9) in 1979 or 1989 (second 9). Now, 1979 was more or less peak FD, but I guess the changeover to EF wasn't yet complete by 1989. So, while I favor 1979, I can't rule out 1989.
Basically, 99 means it probably doesn't follow Vivitar's older numbering scheme.
My Minolta MD mount copy's serial number is "99102xxx" which could mean "9" Cosina, "9" 1979/1989, "10" for 10th week of manufacture.
I suppose 1979 is most likely. MD started in 1977 and was replaced by AF in 1985, but I can't imagine they were making >2000 per week in 1989.
I've managed to find 13 serial numbers or partial serial numbers for the Vivitar 19/3.8 using, mainly, Google image search. I find:
- All begin with 9. This is widely believed to mean that they are all manufactured by Cosima. No surprise here.
- The second digits are 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 9. From such a small sample, I'd hesitate to use the missing numbers to suggest a limited range of years (e.g., 1979 to 1987 or 1977 to 1985). A larger sample will help here.
- The third and fourth digits are 01, 05, 07, 08, 10, and 11. This looks like a month number rather than a week number. Again, the missing numbers might not be significant in such a small sample. A large sample will help here too.
- The last four digits range from 0038 to 5670. This might be a monthly index number. Twice the mean of the last four numbers (which is an estimate of the upper limit under reasonable assumptions) is 5319. So, I'd guess that Cosina manufactured about 6000 per month or about 200 per day. Is that reasonable?
If you have a Vivitar 19/3.8, please send me a DM with its serial number, mount type, and whether I should keep the serial number private. This will help me to make this interpretation more firm. If you are worried about sharing the full serial number, please just send me the first four digits. Thanks.
Regards,
Alan
Out of my head mine starts with 9903. I can check later the complete number and post it.
mount is Nikon.
Canon PowerShot A80
Olympus E-500
Olympus PEN E-P3
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1
Sony a7 II
+12 more
|
Post
(hide subjects)
|
Posted by
|
When
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2018
|
2 |
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2018
|
1 |
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2018
|
1 |
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2018
|
1 |
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2018
|
1 |
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 28, 2018
|
1 |
|
|
|
Apr 28, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 22, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 23, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
1 |
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
1 |
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
May 1, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 29, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
1 |
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 30, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 21, 2018
|
1 |
|
|
|
Apr 28, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 29, 2018
|
1 |
|
|
|
Apr 29, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 29, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Apr 29, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 24, 2018
|
|
|
|
|
Sep 24, 2018
|
|
Keyboard shortcuts:
FForum
PPrevious
NNext
WNext unread
UUpvote
SSubscribe
RReply
QQuote
BBookmark
MMy threads
Color scheme?
Blue /
Yellow
The Nikon Z30 is the company's latest 'creator' focused mirrorless camera, a 21MP APS-C model made to be more vlogging friendly than ever. Find out what it offers and what we think so far.
Nikon has announced the Z30, an entry-level Z-mount camera aimed at vloggers and other content creators. What are our initial impressions? Better watch to find out.
Now that's it's officially announced, we can share more juicy details about Nikon's latest lens, the 400mm F4.5 VR telephoto.
Sony has just released a trio of impressively small, light, ultrawide lenses for APS-C. These lenses are designed for vloggers, so Chris decided to film himself and find out how they perform.
Holy moly, this thing is tiny! We take the adorable Sigma 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary around Calgary to see how it performs.
What’s the best camera for around $2000? These capable cameras should be solid and well-built, have both speed and focus for capturing fast action and offer professional-level image quality. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing around $2000 and recommended the best.
What's the best camera for shooting landscapes? High resolution, weather-sealed bodies and wide dynamic range are all important. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for shooting landscapes, and recommended the best.
If you're looking for the perfect drone for yourself, or to gift someone special, we've gone through all of the options and selected our favorites.
Most modern cameras will shoot video to one degree or another, but these are the ones we’d look at if you plan to shoot some video alongside your photos. We’ve chosen cameras that can take great photos and make it easy to get great looking video, rather than being the ones you’d choose as a committed videographer.
Although a lot of people only upload images to Instagram from their smartphones, the app is much more than just a mobile photography platform. In this guide we've chosen a selection of cameras that make it easy to shoot compelling lifestyle images, ideal for sharing on social media.
