Customer Reviews

Vivitar 5000 AF Slide Projector

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Since old-fashioned slides seem to be going the way of the dinosaur, it isn't so easy to find a satisfactory slide projector at a reasonable price. This projector was inexpensive and we have found it to be adequate for our needs. I would not hesitate to recommend it to the average user. However, it is true that it has some problems that might annoy a more discerning user. (1) I have some old slides whose quality is not so great and sometimes they drive the autofocus mechanism insane---i.e., the projector keeps zooming in and out forever, trying to find the (nonexistent) perfect setting. We have not been able to figure out how to disable the autofocus. (2) Some of my old slides are physically too thick to fit into the carousel (this might not be a problem for a linear instead of a circular carousel, but I haven't tried that). (3) The manual that was included did not exactly match the model we had, so we wasted time figuring out how to operate the machine. (4) If you stop a show and remove the carousel to adjust a slide, there does not seem to be any easy way to make sure that you restore the carousel to exactly the same position (you might have to flip backwards or forwards a few slides to find your place). (5) The "remote" is not a true wireless remote but is attached by a cord. Overall, though, these are minor annoyances and we still feel that it was a good buy.

I purchased this Vivatar 5000 with 5 Rotary slide trays about a month ago. I have had trouble with it ever since I started using it. The slide changing arm doesn't go all the way in and hangs. I recently showed some slides to my company and the slide change button ceased to function. I have only run about 500 slides thru the projector. I am very dissatified with it.

I used a Bell & Howell slide cube projector for many years; lots of problems, but very compact. It gave up the ghost. I like slides which puts me in the minority but I can think of no better way to show pictures with vibrant details. This projector does an adequate job. The 85mm lens quickly fills a screen and it would be easy to set the projector back too far. It may not be the smoothest of an operating projector, but at a very reasonable cost is worth it. After all, you are not likely to show slides all that often, so it makes no sense to pour a lot of money into a high priced projector that is only used a few times a year. Even at work, slides are out, and Powerpoint is in. A major drawback perhaps would be that it is not easy to set the reel for a particular slide. Black raised numbers on a black plastic does not make for an easy alignment. And yes, it is a pain in the behind to load a reel; but I have used stackloaders on other projectors only to find corners of the mounts shredded or bent. This is a case of you get what you pay for, but also pay for what you need for your needs.

Thinking it was a great way to save a few bucks, I opted for the Vivitar 5000 AF over some more expensive models. Having been frustrated for over a year now, I am currently looking for something better. The lense that comes with the unit is not clear from edge to edge, showing distortion (even when focused) at all edges. The autofocus works at times and at other times becomes an auto-out-of-focus. Please look elsewhere if you value your images.

Over the course of the past 30 yrs. we have kept a record of our life in slides. This is the fourth projector that we have bought, and just couldn't be more pleased. Sincerely, Barbara & Lanny.

Flatness of field of the lens is very poor. I have to keep
focusing by hand to get either the edges or the center in sharp
focus. Autofocus mechanism is also poor - have to fine
tune foucs for nearly every slide, much to the annoyance of
the viewers. For about 160 bucks I think its adequate.

I think this is a fine projector, at an equally fine price. It takes a bit of figuring out, in terms of operation, but then all things do. I've shown many slides on it, and everything projects great.

Flatness of field of the lens is very poor. I have to keep
focusing by hand to get either the edges or the center in sharp
focus. Autofocus mechanism is also poor - have to fine
tune foucs for nearly every slide, much to the annoyance of
the viewers. For about 160 bucks I think its adequate.

When I received this product, it was a big disappointment to find out the lense came with the projector wasn't the right one for this model. I was lucky to get my full refund but I would suggest not buying it on line. Sorry to say.

Buying this machine is a mistake. There are several Kodak Ektagraphic III Models for sale here on Amazon. Unlike this Vivitar the Ektagraphic models are professional quality that were built with metal gears which do not get brittle over the years. The gears in this projector are plastic and will eventually get brittle and fail even if the projector is not used, just like the plastic gears in the Kodak Carousel models). The Kodak Ektagraphic III model I would recommend was the best selling pro model Kodak sold by far:

Ektagraphic III AMT Slide Projector - without Lens, 1475565,

You can read my "Mini Buyers Guide" for the Kodak slide projectors in the reviews in the AMT listing (it details the Kodak slide projector models, features, advantages, etc).

In short, unless you have a whole lot of Vivitar slide trays and do not want to convert them to Kodak) there is no reason to buy this slide projector when a comparable Kodak Ektagraphic III machine can be had at the same price. This machine is lower quality, auto focus only works sometimes, the image it projects is not as bright or sharp, it is much less dependable, etc.