20 Most Recent Vivitar V3800N Zoom 35mm SLR Camera Questions & Answers

From the instruction manual. This camera (as do most Vivitar cameras) takes two button batteries (LR44) at the bottom via the large screw off battery case. Make sure the batteries are placed in the correct way. The + of the batteries are the FLAT side of the battery, the bump is the - side. There should be a + or - pressed into the metal of the battery contacts. http://www.butkus.org/chinon/cosina/cosina_cs-2/cs-2-splash.htm

Some of the SRL camera have a dial on them to "adjust" the eyepiece so you don't have to use glasses. Either that or you bounced the internal focusing glass back into focus.

If your viewfinder is black, the mirror on the film camera is up. That usually means the shutter system is out of whack... Repair would be too expensive. You can by a used Vivitar, Pentax body as a replacement as they use the same non AF K-mount lenses for pretty cheap. But again, they would be old cameras.

That is one old film camera. There is a screw under the glued on button on the film advance. If you can't advance, you can't fire the shutter. If that is all the problem, then it should work for awhile.

You don't. The camera uses 3 AA batteries. You can use rechargeable batteries, but they must be charged using a separate battery charger.

One source is http://uscamera.com/ycp065930USC.htm

You may download the manual from http://butkus.org/chinon/vivitar_cameras/vivitar_v3800n/vivitar_v3800n.htm

I removed the advance lever cover as suggested and tightened the screw. This did not solve the issue. However, I then realized the film rewind button on the bottom of the camera was stuck on the "in" position. I could not get it to release which meant I could not advance the film lever to free up the shutter. To solve this issue I removed the bottom cover from the camera (taking out the 3 small screws) and then pulled the advance lever button all the way to the right. This released the button that had been stuck in and allowed me to advance the film lever properly again and take more pictures. Hope this helps!

Sorry, I'm new to this forum and failed to see the header

What brand & model is your camera?

skye-skye,
is the light meter working ? if not replace the batteries

it can fixed only camera fixera company,better if you fix it according to camera company because your problem also be facced to me,i take it to a ordinary camera fixer and then my camera fully get damaged because who fixed my camera they fall acid in battery placce.

Lift up on the film rewind knob and the back will pop open.If you need a manual, you may download a copy here. Film loading instructions begin on page 2.

rcv7,

this camera has at least two different names that i know of (phoenix, vivitar ) .The battery covers are the same.
most camera repair shops have repair manuals with part numbers from the manufacturer. the only other way is to take a cover to a machine shop and have them make some from aluminum. we had this done for the pentax spotmatic when parts were no longer available.

get seting timer check back

If the knob on the left hand side of the top plate (as viewed from behind) does not rotate when you operate the film advance lever, then the film has not been loaded properly and has failed to engage onto the take up spool. It's a very common fault and even experienced photographers sometimes make the same error. The frame counter will advance every time the lever is wound on, it only counts the number of full lever actuations, not the actual amount of film which has been wound on. The rewind crank is the only reliable way of knowing that the film is actually advancing.

Open the back of the camera and re-thread the film leader onto the take up spool. Close the back and wind one frame with the lever, and then open the back again to check that you got it right. This may potentially waste one shot but it will reassure you that you got it right. Once you're familiar with your camera you won't have to do this any more as you'll be able to feel and hear when the film is loaded properly or not.

If this does not solve your problem then please add a comment and I'll offer further assistance. If I have solved your problem then please take a moment to rate my answer.

That is the aperture ring, and the markings are for f-stops, i.e. F/22, f/16 and so on. You'll want to leave it at f/22 (which will be used in automatic mode) unless you have the camera in manual mode and want to control the aperture yourself.
Aperture is the size of the circular opening within the lens that dictates how much light comes into the camera (along with shutter speed and ISO sensitivity of course).

The ISO settings are designed to be very clear. Place the dot exactly over the top of the ISO you want.

pull up the rewind nobe it is on left side

You can download a copy of the manual from
http://butkus.org/chinon/vivitar_cameras/vivitar_v3800n/vivitar_v3800n.htm

The film-loading instructions begin on page 2.