[Wheatridger]

Whenever I've used off-camera flash, I rely on optical or radio slave triggers. There's no way they can feed back voltages like a cord. I'd probably get all tangled up in a long cord, anyway.

When I hear about someone using the Vivitar 283, I just shake my head. Those flashes were affordable and widely popular, and made in huge numbers in the '70s and '80s. Maybe even now, though I don't care. It was a terrible flash then, compared to the Euro units from Braun, Metz, Rollei and others. I quickly grew sick of setting blue to red on the front, then looking at the tiny round side dial to translate that to an f-number. What, you mean nobody does that anymore? That was back when exposure settings really mattered.

A better choice in studio flash is the Metz 45. More powerful, more flexible, with excellent controls. I've used them since 1985 as my primary flash. Now mine is connected to my K-1 with a PC cord, with no harm done in thousands of exposures.

[Lord Lucan]

One of the reasons I like the 283 is that it has a guide number of 120 at ISO 100 without any concentrating lens attached. Many modern units overstate their output power IMO by specifying it at the narrowest beam setting.

I'm getting the impression that the Vivitar 283 is the K1000 of the flash gun world. GN 120 : I have to convert that to 36 in metres, so respectable. Otherwise nothing special, and having no swivel head would rule it out for me because I could not take indoor portrait format shots bounced off the ceiling. The "Sold" prices on ebay are mostly £10-20; not as insane as K1000 prices but I've had a minty GN32 unit on Ebay, with swivel, not Vivitar but probably made by the same people, and at only £5; but no-one was interested.

Many modern units overstate their output power IMO by specifying it at the narrowest beam setting. ..... The 283 user manual shows the GN at various ISOs and with its different concentrating and diffusing lenses..... To do a meaningful comparison of the output power of different brands and models you would need a standardized specification for beam angle as well as ISO setting ....

Totally agree about the misleading hype, but most user manuals (at least of that era) will give the GN at different settings - seen after the user has bought it. Not only were flash units once sold on the GN at 100ASA and standard lens angle of view, but it was often part of the name. For example I have a Pentax AF280T (GN 28), a Jessops 300TTL (GN 30), and a Sunpak 4205G (GN 42). Americans using GN in feet might be less aware of this (my Sunpak was called the 544 in the US market for example).

Whenever I've used off-camera flash, I rely on optical or radio slave triggers. There's no way they can feed back voltages like a cord.

They could still fry the slave trigger unit.

When I hear about someone using the Vivitar 283, I just shake my head. ....A better choice in studio flash is the Metz 45. More powerful, more flexible, with excellent controls. I've used them since 1985 as my primary flash. Now mine is connected to my K-1 with a PC cord, with no harm done in thousands of exposures.

I believe that earlier Metz 45s did have a high trigger voltage, for example the 45CT1, and that it was only lowered in a later versions. So be careful.

[stevebrot]

I'm getting the impression that the Vivitar 283 is the K1000 of the flash gun world.

A closer analogy might be the LX. It is a system flash. As for the guide number, that is when used "naked" (i.e. for 35mm lens FOV). The number goes up to 52m (174') when paired with the L Tele flash lens*, making it one of the bigger boys in my flash box. Interestingly, it can easily quench to allow fairly close distance "auto" or ~1/64 with the Varipower module attached. What it brings to my party is high-power "auto" similar to an AF540FGZ, but at a lower price point, even fully accessorized.**


Steve

* 46m (153') with the Tele flash lens (70mm FOV)

** Not counting the wasted YN560III , my total cost was under $55 USD with the flash lens kit and Varipower module.

[Apet-Sure]

having no swivel head would rule it out for me because I could not take indoor portrait format shots bounced off the ceiling.

The Vivitar 283's head swivels and clicks into 5 positions:
0° - straight ahead;
45°, 60°, 75° These positions are specifically for ceiling bounce, and activate the 'BCC' (bounce compensation circuit) which adds extra output power when using the auto thyristor module.
90° - straight up This position is used in conjunction with the attachment that holds a white card at 45° for bouncing straight ahead.

The 283's head does not rotate left or right for wall bounce though.

[Lord Lucan]

The Vivitar 283's head swivels and clicks into 5 positions:0° - straight ahead;45°, 60°, 75° These positions are specifically for ceiling bounce......The 283's head does not rotate left or right for wall bounce though.

It is a matter of terminology. To me, "swivel" means rotating left-to-right when the unit is in its upright position (ie on a camera held in landscape format position), and "tilt" is the term for up-and-down movement of the head. That is also the terminology generally used in flash unit reviews on this forum; for example the Pentax AF 360FGX is described in its review as "Tilt Only" and several reviewers complain of its lack of "swivel" : as in one saying "Downside? No swivel head".

I must admit I cannot be sure I have ever bounced off a wall, but bouncing off a ceiling when taking a full-length photo of someone indoors, camera in portrait mode, is a frequent scenario for me, something the 283, could not be used for, not simply or conveniently anyway. But in that it is in plenty of good company, including that of the AF 360FGX.

[Apet-Sure]

I overlooked your comment about portrait format, sorry. I should have read more carefully.

[Lord Lucan]

That's OK, but as a matter of interest what is the difference between a 283 and a 285? I've looked at the PF reviews and they both look the same, both have GN 120 (36m) and both have four auto settings. One reviewer seemed to think the 285 has a lower trigger voltage than the 283, but according to the Botzilla website Photo Strobe Trigger Voltages and other reviews the older versions of both models had higher voltages, and newer versions were lower.

[stevebrot]

That's OK, but as a matter of interest what is the difference between a 283 and a 285?

Built-in manual adjustment for flash zoom on the 285 is the big difference.


Steve

[Apet-Sure]

One reviewer seemed to think the 285 has a lower trigger voltage than the 283, but according to the Botzilla website Photo Strobe Trigger Voltages and other reviews the older versions of both models had higher voltages, and newer versions were lower.

My original 283 has a trigger voltage of 300+ volts. The one I bought a few years ago is identical in every respect except with a trigger voltage of 8 volts. The only way to do flash zoom or wide angle is with a separate attachment and lens kit with focal length labels.


The Metz 45 may indeed be a better flash, but I almost never did studio work, and the 283 is what I could afford at the time (the '70s).