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01-25-2014, 07:11 PM   #1
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Is This Flash Compatible With My Minolta Camera

I just recently bought a Minolta XG-M 35mm SLR camera with some accessories. Included were two flash units (Vivitar 550FD M/P/O and Focal DA-2000 Multi Dedicated). In the manual for the 550FD, it states that it will work with a Pentax K1000 so I am assuming that it will work with my Pentax K1000SE (correct me if I am wrong). Does anyone know if it will work with the XG-M? It does not list that particular camera in the instruction manual which got me kind of curious about why the person that I bought this stuff from would include it with the camera and other stuff if it is not supposed to be used on the Minolta. I assume that this person used it on the XG-M but I do not really want to risk anything until I know for certain. I was trying to find the flash voltages that were allowed by both the K1000SE and the XG-M and I was also trying to find the flash voltage output (I hope that is the right way to say that) of the 550FD. So far, I have not found anything. Another question just popped into my head. In the Pentax K1000 section in the instruction manual, it states that the flash can only be used in A1 or A2 mode. I was just wondering why it couldn't be used in manual mode.

01-25-2014, 07:39 PM   #2
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The "M/P/O" part of your flash's model name indicates dedicated pin compatibility with Minolta, Pentax, and Olympus cameras of the same vintage as the flash (mid-1980s) and would include your XG-M. The other variants of the Vivitar 550FD were "N" (Nikon) and "C/R" (Canon/Ricoh). I would have to spend some time with the XG-M manual, but I believe that the flash should provide flash ready light in the viewfinder and may provide automatic switching to the X-sync speed (1/60s).

As far as your K 1000 SE is concerned. The hot shoe on that camera is generic and should work fine in both auto-thyristor modes as well as manual. Flash trigger voltage was not quite as big an issue back-in-the-day as it is now, so I would not be too concerned about that for either camera.


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Last edited by stevebrot; 01-25-2014 at 07:49 PM.
01-25-2014, 07:57 PM   #3
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Since the 550FD is a dedicated flash for Minolta/Pentax/Olympus, it should also work fine with the XG-M. By 'dedicated', that just means there's a pin that tells the camera that the flash is ready. That's all. I'm not familiar with the XG-M, but I don't think it supports the TTL mode. Just use M, A1, or A2 modes. The section of the manual marked "Minolta XD Series" is probably pretty close.

The trigger voltage was 4 volts on every 550FD or relative that I checked (the 550FD is basically the same as the Vivitar 2800-D family). It will be safe with any camera of that era - they used a metal contact for the flash sync in those days.

The 550FD should work with any Pentax SLR. On a K1000, the flash can be used in M, A1, or A2 modes. 'M' will be full power only and you will have to figure out your settings manually. Vivitar just forgot to include a "for manual use" section for the K1000.
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