Is the vivitar cable reliable? (the pointed metal end) [Archive]

bad karma

21st of October 2008 (Tue), 19:57

I am not a fan of the way the input for the vivitar PC cable is. Here is a picture

http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/00C/00CySZ-24809084.jpg

The pointed end is inserted into the vivitar. Is this connection stable? Or can it not fire if you don't push it in frequently? Because it doesn't ever "snap" into place, it just sort of stays there. And you feel as though it may not be connected very well. Often I put a rubber band around it just in case. I wish vivitar simply had a PC cable opening instead so I could get a screwlock for the vivitar end.

Has anyone had any issues with it?

Sometimes when I try to push it a little more in when it's in, the flash fires off, does that happen to any of you?

transcend

24th of October 2008 (Fri), 01:02

Going on 4 years with one cable for one of my remotes, and i treat the flash and the cable like crap. They have shot in snowstorms, monsoon like conditions, dust storms and literally 10" of mud. Mine always click in and are a pain in the ass to get out in fact.

Pretty damn reliable in my experience (much more so than a standard PC connector).

bad karma

24th of October 2008 (Fri), 01:07

Thank you so much! That's very relieving to know :)

FlashZebra

24th of October 2008 (Fri), 10:28

With good quality cords the Vivitar connector is reliable.

It feels vague, but works fine.

It is much more reliabe than a standard PC connector.

But, beware poor quality cords that will not stay engaged correctly in the Vivitar port.

The groove near the end of the Vivitar connector needs to have sharp corners. Many poor quality cords have grooves with corners that are not sharp, so they pop out on a whim.

Enjoy! Lon

bad karma

24th of October 2008 (Fri), 21:58

With good quality cords the Vivitar connector is reliable.

It feels vague, but works fine.

It is much more reliabe than a standard PC connector.

But, beware poor quality cords that will not stay engaged correctly in the Vivitar port.

The groove near the end of the Vivitar connector needs to have sharp corners. Many poor quality cords have grooves with corners that are not sharp, so they pop out on a whim.

Enjoy! Lon
You are so helpful and informative, many thanks!