buying a flash for a camera

[rachel_griffiths]

Hi!

 

I'm trying to find a flash that would be suitable to use on my Holga 120N camera and other basic vintage 35mm cameras that I have. I'm

hoping to get a flash that would cover most basic needs but don't know where to start or what the key things are to look for . All the

cameras have a flash connector on the top.

 

Any help would be great. Thank you.

[JAPster]

Some good things to look for in a vintage flash are:

 

a) Automatic flash - that means that the flash has its own 'electronic eye' that measures the light on the scene, and gives out just the right amount of light to achieve a good exposure on the subject.

 

b) diffuser panel - this is an optional little piece of plastic that fits over the top of the clear flash window to scatter and diffuse the flash burst. This makes the light look softer and 'easier' on the subject and can result in nicer looking portraits that if you just just use the flash w/o a diffuser.

 

c) Tilt Head - both Horizontal and Vertical. If the flash has a tilt head, you can change the angle of it and point it up towards the ceiling, and/or towards the side wall, to use a Bounce Flash technique. Again, this serves to diffuse and soften the direct flash burst, and that results in more natural looking light on the subjets.

 

d) Whats the Range of flash? Every flash has its stated 'range limits', which are usually spelled out in the manual or printed on the back of the flash. You want to use the Flash with its stated range limits (Feet and/or Meters), and you want to avoid trying to use the flash on subjects too far away (outside the range). Generally speaking, larger and more modern flashes will have a greate range than smaller older flashes. Keeping the subjects within range of the flash as you take pictures results in better exposure and therefore better pictures.

 

 

A 'typical' vintage 35mm flash would be something like a MINOLTA AUTO 200X . I have 2 of these units, which I acquired in thrift store purchases. A flash like this would likely be compatible with most vintage 35mm film cameras, though I cant speak for the Holga, since that camera, in my opinion, is on a different category altogether. You might be able to find a MINOLTA AUTO 200X pretty cheap on e-bay if you look around a bit.

[james_ollinger]

Old flash units are generally inexpensive because everyone's dumping their old film cameras and accessories. If it were me, I would simply pick up something inexpensive. I'd get a name brand (Sunpak, Vivitar, Metz, etc), and I'd get something that has a sync cord.

 

The old way of dealing with flash units is via guide numbers, which can be a pain while you're learning, but you do learn. The problem with automatic flashes is that you don't necessarily learn how to use them. Like manual vs. automatic exposure: you don't really learn exposure by using the automatic features.

 

Any decent flash will come with a table or a calculator dial that tells you which guide numbers to use, or how to calculate the proper exposure for your circumstances.

 

I'd get something cheap to start out with, and then move up from there into bounce, zoom heads, diffusers, etc.

[tommyinca]

As other said, old flash are not expense so go for the best. I would either look for a light weight Nikon SB-30 or a full feature/kit Vivitar 283. The Nikon-SB30 is small, has auto flash (+- 1/2 stop compensation) plus soem manual flash adjustment (in 2 stops increment). It should also balance well on a light weight Holga. The Vivitar is well built and support full auto, manual and filter kits (look for a completed kit). The Holga deserve the best :-)

[craig_shearman1]

The classic basic flash is the Vivitar 283/285. These were virtually an industry standard for newspaper/wire service work and for many wedding photographers and other uses for 20-25 years. The 285 is still made for about $90 new, and both are available used for next to nothing. They work both manually and in basic automatic mode. Not TTL or other fancy tricks but real photographers dont' need TTL any more than they need autofoucs or autoexposure. :)