The Vivitar 285 is back baby!

This may have been already posted, but Vivitar has revived the 285!

For those that use flash off-camera, this is great news. Instead of trying to find and buy used ones off ebay, you can get them for under $100 brand new. No need to buy the close to $400 580EX for off-camera use when only manual settings are to be used.

they need to update that flash. i had one, what a work horse. but E-TTLII is a great invention. at least wireless, or something, lcd screen. haha UPDATE THAT THING VIVITAR!

The only updates requires would be a swivel head and a "standard" 1/8 miniplug sync socket.

In the cagegory of affordable off-camera flash units, the Vivitar 285HV is a worthy contender, along with the Sunpak 383. The Vivitar has a zooming head but no swivel. The Sunpak has swivel but no zoom.

Both units have a specified GN of 120 feet, but I suspect this is measured at full 105mm zoom on the Vivitar, which means the Sunpak most likely packs more punch for shooting into umbrellas or other wide-angle work. Edit: Incorrect assumption corrected by Bill.

... and if you thought the 8.5 second recycle time on the Sunpak was bad, try 10.4 seconds on the Vivitar! (Both will do better with NiMH batteries.)

Now if someone would only make a cheap, dedicated automatic flash with AF assist!

For those that may appreciate the 285HV, here is what Strobist wrote about it:

Return of a Classic

Curtis N wrote in post #2669712
The only updates requires would be a swivel head and a "standard" 1/8 miniplug sync socket.

In the cagegory of affordable off-camera flash units, the Vivitar 285HV is a worthy contender, along with the Sunpak 383. The Vivitar has a zooming head but no swivel. The Sunpak has swivel but no zoom.

Both units have a specified GN of 120 feet, but I suspect this is measured at full 105mm zoom on the Vivitar, which means the Sunpak most likely packs more punch for shooting into umbrellas or other wide-angle work.

... and if you thought the 8.5 second recycle time on the Sunpak was bad, try 10.4 seconds on the Vivitar! (Both will do better with NiMH batteries.)

Now if someone would only make a cheap, dedicated automatic flash with AF assist!

The "old" version of the 285 also had full, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/16 manual power settings (1/8 was missing). Has the new one plugged up the missing 1/8 power hole.

The place that you set the power levels on the 285 was just below the flash head. I found this more difficult to deal with than the Sunpak flash units (Vivitar harder to get at when inside a small softbox, or attached to an umbrella). The 383 has the manual setting on the back of the flash, this is just easier to deal with.

The sync connector on the Vivitar is also a bit more obtuse, so homebrew cable adaptations that make ad hoc studio use easier, are a bit more difficult. Jacks and adapters that will fit in the 383 are available at Radio Shack (but not the Vivitar).

But, the Vivitar is a nice flash, and there is a ton of after market accessories and light modifiers already out there for the flash (far more than for the Sunpak 383).

Enjoy! Lon

Curtis N wrote in post #2669712
.......The Vivitar has a zooming head but no swivel. The Sunpak has swivel but no zoom..............

I have a Vivitar 285 -- it is around 25 to 30 years old. True, the flash does not have a swivel head, but if you have the grip, it has a swivel head.

Curtis N wrote in post #2669712
......... Both units have a specified GN of 120 feet, but I suspect this is measured at full 105mm zoom on the Vivitar.............

According to the circulr slide rule on the side, the GN would be 120 at wide angle and 160 at telephoto.

londuck wrote in post #2670390
The "old" version of the 285 also had full, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/16 manual power settings (1/8 was missing). Has the new one plugged up the missing 1/8 power hole.

Aparently not, according to the Strobist review that Gatorboy linked to.

The nice thing about the HV version is that is has a safe trigger voltage. The older versions shouldn't be connected to a modern camera because of their high trigger voltage.

How do you identify the HV? Does it have the letters HV as part of the model name? My old unit just says "Vivitar zoom thyristor 285". The last time that I used it, it was taking extra long to charge so I suspect that the capacitor was getting leaky. I may get a new capacitor and bring this bad boy back to life if it is worth it.

bill boehme wrote in post #2670533
According to the circulr slide rule on the side, the GN would be 120 at wide angle and 160 at telephoto.

Thanks for that info.

*REALLY* Wow. Now I'm excited.... a couple of these and some pocketwizards, I'm in business! =)

//edit: Okay now I'm getting even *more* excited. PC sync cord to one, wein peanuts to others.. that should work right? Or even the eBay Radio slaves instead of pocketwizards.... (i'd be shooting in studio anyway so i don't need such reliability.)

I saw this flash at B&H when I was between it and the Sunpak. I decided on the Sunpak due to the bounce/swivel head. No way could I go without swivel at this point. Plus it's $10 cheaper for the 383 .

KevC wrote in post #2670599
*REALLY* Wow. Now I'm excited.... a couple of these and some pocketwizards, I'm in business! =)

//edit: Okay now I'm getting even *more* excited. PC sync cord to one, wein peanuts to others.. that should work right? Or even the eBay Radio slaves instead of pocketwizards.... (i'd be shooting in studio anyway so i don't need such reliability.)

Check out the Sunpak 383 also.

And read this great thread (by Lotto) on inexpensive radio slaves and the needed connections:

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=273624

Enjoy! Lon

Curtis N wrote in post #2669712
... and if you thought the 8.5 second recycle time on the Sunpak was bad, try 10.4 seconds on the Vivitar! (Both will do better with NiMH batteries.):

Yes much better with NiMH, with 2500mAh its down to 4 seconds on all my vivitars.