Vivitar 283 electronic flash system

[SteveinAlaska]

This was one of those surprises that I did not expect to find/receive at all! A friend of mine has been cleaning out their home (retiring) and called to say they had some old photo equipment that they wanted to pass on to me. He at some point in his government career had been involved in photography.
So this set complete with paperwork is now in my possession- 2 283 flashs, 2 285HV flashs,AC adapters,diffusers, remote sensors, stands, etc. You get the picture.
So,question to the group- it is used equipment,although stored properly, have already been advised to use AA batteries and not use the nicads. Are there other issues that I should be aware of in the use of this stuff?
Many thanks and a tip of the hat for the help.

 

[Anscojohn]

If you have the AC adapters, put them on AC and flash them repeatedly, then leave them cycled and ready to go for a while. Should make for less battery drain if you start forming the capacitors using batteries. I sold the 283 and 285 for many years in the retail camera biz, and never heard of problems using nicads for those particular strobles.

 

[Konical]

Good Morning, Steve,

Since you have the AC adapters, I'd hook them up and see if the flash units work as they should; it shouldn't take long to check the recycle times and get an idea if the flash outputs are about as they should be at the various settings. If everything seems OK with AC, then you should be good to go with batteries. I've found that rechargeable Nickel Metal Hydride batteries work fine in my 285's.

Konical

 

[fschifano]

I have a few 285HV's and one deceased 283. I'm not complaining about the 283. Nothing else would have survived the abusive treatment that thing has seen by my hand. They are fine strobes and worth every cent if bought new. I regularly use mine with NiMH batteries and have no problems at all. Consider them with an appropriate charger if you need batteries. Over time they will pay for themselves many times over.

 

[MattKing]

I've lots of experience with the 283s, but none with the 285.

The 283s were/are very flexible with respect to power sources. I certainly used a Vivitar quick charge nicad unit with mine.

One caution though - the trigger voltage with these flashes varied over time. I would be careful using any of the flashes with any modern film (or dig***l) cameras that use electronics rather than mechanical switches to trigger the flash. I wouldn't for instance, use one on my Mamiya 645 Super or Pro without having either some protective circuitry (Wein?) or checking the trigger voltages first.trigger voltages.

They are good and very flexible and dependable flashes.

Matt

 

[Richard Wasserman]

I use a 283 with a voltage reducing cord from Paramount just to be safe. http://www.paramountcords.com/

Richard Wasserman

 

[SteveinAlaska]

I've lots of experience with the 283s, but none with the 285.

The 283s were/are very flexible with respect to power sources. I certainly used a Vivitar quick charge nicad unit with mine.

One caution though - the trigger voltage with these flashes varied over time. I would be careful using any of the flashes with any modern film (or dig***l) cameras that use electronics rather than mechanical switches to trigger the flash. I wouldn't for instance, use one on my Mamiya 645 Super or Pro without having either some protective circuitry (Wein?) or checking the trigger voltages first.trigger voltages.

They are good and very flexible and dependable flashes.

Matt

Ah,in my haste to post before going to work, I failed to mention the cameras. I am using Minolta SRT 101s & an XD5. Am I going to be able to use this setup with my Leica M3 with an adapter? Thanks again for the help here.

 

[Anscojohn]

Ah,in my haste to post before going to work, I failed to mention the cameras. I am using Minolta SRT 101s & an XD5. Am I going to be able to use this setup with my Leica M3 with an adapter? Thanks again for the help here.

*****
Yes, if you mean the old "leica tips" for the pc cords. My M-6 handles a standard pc cord.

And, btw, never use a strobe like a 283 or a 285 mounted on the hot shoe on a camera prism. There is far too much stress placed on that part of the camera because of the combination of weight (not much) and leverage from the height of the strobe. Use an off camera flash mount of some sort. The foot on the strobes also tended to be "tender" when a neophile is trying to balance all that mass on top of a camera.

 

[dpurdy]

I have 283s and a 285 and trust them completely using them for weddings. The only problem I ever had was once a battery leaked and filled the battery compartment with corrosion. You have to keep a couple spare Vivitar cords around. I got the 285 in a garage sale for 5 dollars. I have put a lot of miles on it. The guy who sold it to me had bought it just for flashing his glow in the dark fishing bobbers for night fishing.

 

[Marc Akemann]

I've used the Vivitar 283 and 285 models since the early 1980's and still use them for my older cameras. I used to use 283's for weddings with Nikon FA cameras. Never had a problem.

Just yesterday I found a Vivitar 283 Flash Filter Kit that contained UV, 85B, ND4, red, blue and yellow filters along with a Vivitar 283 Variable Angle Lens Kit that contained 4 flash lenses: XWA 24mm, WA 28mm, TELE 70mm and LONG TELE 135mm. Each of these filters and lenses fit into the 283 lens/filter adapter I've had for years and thought I'd never use. Got everything for $2 and they appear to never have been used.

The kits look like small black notebooks (3"x5") and say either 'Filter Kit' or 'Lens Kit' with the Vivitar name underneath and can easily go unnoticed at garage sales or used camera shows, etc.

As others have said, ni-cads are no problem. When I used them for weddings in the 90's, I powered my 283s with a Quantum Battery 1+. I've gotten over 500 flashes per charge with some juice left in the tank. I had the flash and camera mounted on a Stroboframe product (Stroboflip). Anscojohn's right! If you can, try not using the camera's hot shoe to mount your Vivitar flash onto. If you're careful it'll work, though.

Have fun with it all!

Marc

 

[SteveinAlaska]

I've used the Vivitar 283 and 285 models since the early 1980's and still use them for my older cameras. I used to use 283's for weddings with Nikon FA cameras. Never had a problem.

Just yesterday I found a Vivitar 283 Flash Filter Kit that contained UV, 85B, ND4, red, blue and yellow filters along with a Vivitar 283 Variable Angle Lens Kit that contained 4 flash lenses: XWA 24mm, WA 28mm, TELE 70mm and LONG TELE 135mm. Each of these filters and lenses fit into the 283 lens/filter adapter I've had for years and thought I'd never use. Got everything for $2 and they appear to never have been used.

The kits look like small black notebooks (3"x5") and say either 'Filter Kit' or 'Lens Kit' with the Vivitar name underneath and can easily go unnoticed at garage sales or used camera shows, etc.

As others have said, ni-cads are no problem. When I used them for weddings in the 90's, I powered my 283s with a Quantum Battery 1+. I've gotten over 500 flashes per charge with some juice left in the tank. I had the flash and camera mounted on a Stroboframe product (Stroboflip). Anscojohn's right! If you can, try not using the camera's hot shoe to mount your Vivitar flash onto. If you're careful it'll work, though.

Have fun with it all!

Marc

These were also part of the package(filter kits& batteries)! So it appears that I have acquired a rather complete kit. I have 2 nicad battery packs & 2 chargers. I am assuming from the replies that these batteries are still available. If not,then suitable replacements are. Sooo, my holiday weekend will be spent playing with my new toys!

 

[Marc Akemann]

These were also part of the package(filter kits& batteries)! So it appears that I have acquired a rather complete kit. I have 2 nicad battery packs & 2 chargers. I am assuming from the replies that these batteries are still available. If not,then suitable replacements are. Sooo, my holiday weekend will be spent playing with my new toys!

Me too. Long exposures with fireworks in the skies using my Minolta SRT102 and radioactive 28/2.5 MC Rokkor while popping colored flashes in the foreground. Just for fun.

Hope you have fun with your new toys!



Marc

 

[Iwagoshi]

Are there other issues that I should be aware of in the use of this stuff?

Steve, I had a blast with my rig. No complaints.

Terry

 

[mgb74]

I still have and use my 283 and 285. Remains a great source of reliable light without a lot of complexity. I don't have to reread the manual when using one for the first time in a while.

Some useful info on the 283 and 285:
http://strobist.blogspot.com/search?q=283
http://www.aljacobs.com/ultimate_vivitar_285hv_page.htm

As always, YMMV.