Vivitar 283

I've just discovered there are LARGE amounts of Vivitar 283's floating around at very decent prices on ebay (yes, feel free to make use of this knowledge)... what's the difference between this and the 285?

I'm thinking that I could pair a couple of them with an affordable radio trigger:
http://cgi.ebay.com …4QQtcZphotoQQcm​dZViewItem

Or the cheaper optical trigger:
http://cgi.ebay.com …4QQtcZphotoQQcm​dZViewItem

Several issues with the 283 for ad hoc studio use.

Older units have tremendious sync Voltages. I have one that has a sync Voltage in excess of 300 Volts. I have measured units in excess of 500 Volts (that belong to friends).

As shipped they only have full power manual.

There was an add on Vivitar device that you can set variable manual power on a 283, but few of these were originally sold, so they are in short supply, so go for a premium, often for more than an actual 283 flash.

But, there are piles of the 283 out there and there is a cornucopia of useful add on accessories, more than for any other hotshoe flash.

Personally, I think a new Sunpak 383 ($80.00) is a far better choice, where the manual power setting is built in and the sync Voltage is intrinsically very low.

A good used Vivitar 283, with a good used manual power level device, would net a cost approaching a new Sunpak 383 (or a new Vivitar 285HV, see the recent thread on this flash).

Unlike the 283, The 285 has built in full, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/16 power levels (no 1/8th). But, older 285 also have tremendous sync Voltages.

Whatever you envisioned dong with a Vivitar 283, just do with a Sunpak 383 or the new Vivitar 285HV (has a low sync Voltage).

Enjoy! Lon

Thanks for the education, I appreciate it

I was thinking that these units could benefit someone but if they only have full power manual or auto thyristor options, then they're not so useful. You have some good points about buying the new Sunpaks or Vivitars.

$90 + $90 + $30 for the triggers..

For me that'd bring the price up enough that I'd probably just pick up a 430EX, because I have an existing ST-E2/430EX system so that is already a 'sunk cost' so to speak.

Lightstream wrote in post #2673479
Thanks for the education, I appreciate it

I was thinking that these units could benefit someone but if they only have full power manual or auto thyristor options, then they're not so useful. You have some good points about buying the new Sunpaks or Vivitars.

$90 + $90 + $30 for the triggers..

For me that'd bring the price up enough that I'd probably just pick up a 430EX, because I have an existing ST-E2/430EX system so that is already a 'sunk cost' so to speak.

Full power only would not be that big of a deal. If you can go with just a bare 283 and full power, it may be worth it.

But, how about one Sunpak 383 with an optical slave, and an inexpensive radio trigger on your 430EX set to manual. That would get you two flash units off camera for about half the cost of a second 430EX ($80.00 -383+ $30.00 radio slave + $5.00 hotshoe adapter + $5.00 Ebay Indian optical slave).

See this thread for full info.

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

Be sure to see my post in this thread for the inexpensive hotshoe to mini-plug adapter for the Canon 430EX.

You could also use an inexpensive Alien Bee sync cord with this setup ($8.00) and negate the radio triggers.

Breaking that very expensive Canon Speedlight habit seems very hard, just say no.

Enjoy! Lon

Lightstream wrote in post #2673393
I've just discovered there are LARGE amounts of Vivitar 283's floating around at very decent prices on ebay

Sure, they are great, but many years old -- and most winning bids on eBay for these are about $40-$60, why not just buy a BRAND NEW 285 for $89 instead?

The main differences between a 283 and a 285 are the built in lens to widen or narrow the flash beam and the current 285HV's lower sync voltage which allows it to be used on modern cameras without worry. A used older 285 may still have a very high sync voltage. I have two 283s that have been absolute work horses. I bought them back when they were the hot deal (1970s?) and have used them ever since. I built battery packs for them and my home made gizmos didn't burn them up or wear them out. In fact, I've worn out two lead-acid gel battery packs and the flashes are still going strong. They have a very secondary use now, but every so often one gets popped as an off camera fill using an optical sensor. There are actually some advantages to using the thyristor sensor rather than TTL and the main one for me is that they seem much less sensitive to reflective point sources such as license tags or reflective stickers on cars. They came standard with an auto-thyristor sensor which could be replaced with a manual dial gizmo. If you remove either of these (they plug into the same hole), they work in full power manual mode. The thyristor sensor has four exposure settings based on ISO read off a little dial on the side of the flash. When one unit wasn't quite as much power as I wanted (large groups in large rooms), I have used two units side-by-side on auto and managed to get this combination to work. They are not as easy to work with as TTL flashes when taking macro photos, especially with macro lenses that do not extend as they focus, but I've shot a gazillion macro photos with 283s on manual. With modern non-extending macro lenses, I wouldn't even try with a 283 unless you want to work out some kind of chart for distance.

My take on it would be if someone gave me a box of 283s, I would gladly accept them. I'm not sure I would spend much money on them, but if they were really cheap, what the heck. I've wasted money on dumber things.