Vivitar 285 or Sunpak 383 for on-camera use?

Hi all,

I've read a lot about people using both the Vivitar 285 and the Sunpak 383 flash units for off-camera slave use, but what about on-camera? Are they ok to use? Do they work ok? I'm considering picking one up for my 400D, as I can't see being able to afford a 580EX or even 430EX anytime soon.

Cheers,
Adam

On-camera? Sunpak without hesitation. The Sunpak swivels AND bounces. The Vivitar only bounces. They both work fine operationally, within the limitations of Auto Thyristor (not-ETTL) technology and of course Manual.

cdifoto wrote in post #5918436
On-camera? Sunpak without hesitation. The Sunpak swivels AND bounces. The Vivitar only bounces. They both work fine operationally, within the limitations of Auto Thyristor (not-ETTL) technology and of course Manual.

Thanks for the quick and difinitive answer!

Can you tell me how much difference the ETTL actually makes in practice? (from the perspective of a reasonably experienced shooter but flash noob.)

The previous poster is correct. You will have to set both the camera and the flash manually to achieve the desired amount of light as the camera's light sensing capabilities will not communicate with either of these flashes. One additional caution is to check the trigger voltage of either after you buy to make sure the voltage is compatible with the 400D' voltage limits. With my S5 it is 6.5 volts maximum, but I have no idea what it is for the 400D.

AdamC wrote in post #5918554
Thanks for the quick and difinitive answer!

Can you tell me how much difference the ETTL actually makes in practice? (from the perspective of a reasonably experienced shooter but flash noob.)

In reality, Auto on the Sunpak/Vivitar is highly accurate and reliable. Downside though, is that the sensor on the flash has a defined coverage area and if you're shooting off-center subjects with a focal length equal to or wider than the coverage area of that sensor, and the background is a distance away, you will get overexposed shots and will have to adjust ISO or Aperture on the flash or camera accordingly. I believe the Sunpak is 35mm on the sensor. Not sure about the Vivitars but they're probably about the same.

Vivitar has a zoom head, sunpak doesn't. Like CDI says the Sunpak has other advantages. Either will work I guess, though i've never used auto mode.

Cheers. Might pick one up, depending on the size of my tax return.

Here's another plus for Auto, and not the Sunpak in particular. This Saturday I was doing formals at a wedding. We were officially done so my off-camera flashes were already packed away. Bride says "hey can we get another one real quick?!?" I'm not about to say no! So I tell them "sure thing but these last shots won't have the same quality of light as the others" and they say that's fine. I grab my 580EX and put it back on the camera. It doesn't fire. Instead of standing there and wasting everyone's time by trouble-shooting, I say "hold on a sec guys" and grab one of the Vivitar 283s, mount it to the flash bracket, spin the dial to match ISO and aperture for proper exposure, and fired off my shot. Done. No guesswork needed & they only had to wait a few seconds more for me to do all of the above.

cdifoto wrote in post #5918702
Here's another plus for Auto, and not the Sunpak in particular. This Saturday I was doing formals at a wedding. We were officially done so my off-camera flashes were already packed away. Bride says "hey can we get another one real quick?!?" I'm not about to say no! So I tell them "sure thing but these last shots won't have the same quality of light as the others" and they say that's fine. I grab my 580EX and put it back on the camera. It doesn't fire. Instead of standing there and wasting everyone's time by trouble-shooting, I say "hold on a sec guys" and grab one of the Vivitar 283s, mount it to the flash bracket, spin the dial to match ISO and aperture for proper exposure, and fired off my shot. Done. No guesswork needed & they only had to wait a few seconds more for me to do all of the above.

Nice story. I noted that the Sunpak has a guide number of 37, compared to the 580EX's 58. Not like to be an issue in regular use? Seems unlikely if you're happy using them at weddings, but thought I'd ask.

AdamC wrote in post #5918789
Nice story. I noted that the Sunpak has a guide number of 37, compared to the 580EX's 58. Not like to be an issue in regular use? Seems unlikely if you're happy using them at weddings, but thought I'd ask.

Those guide numbers are calculated at different zoom settings. The Sunpak has a fixed 35mm head. The Canon can zoom to 105mm, and that's where they got that number. Max output is virtually identical. I'm using Vivitar 283s at wedding, but for off-camera. Reason being - they're cheaper and more common on eBay and the Sunpak 383 is almost impossible to find used. 283s have about the same power as well.

cdifoto wrote in post #5918859
Those guide numbers are calculated at different zoom settings. The Sunpak has a fixed 35mm head. The Canon can zoom to 105mm, and that's where they got that number. Max output is virtually identical. I'm using Vivitar 283s at wedding, but for off-camera. Reason being - they're cheaper and more common on eBay and the Sunpak 383 is almost impossible to find used. 283s have about the same power as well.

Hmm, interesting. Thanks!