F-1 and aftermarket flash

[gregory_nicholson]

I want to get a better flash for my old F-1, the CAT flash can only

be used with the 35 and 50mm lenses, so I picked up a flash coupler

F. I'd like to get a modern flash with bounce and swivel with a GN at

least 80 or better, or more power than 199A. I don't know much about

the Vivitar and Sunpak shoe mounted flashes and question the advise

of my local camera shop. I guess if I was to buy one now I'd get the

Vivitar 285, but was wondering if there's something that's better. I

really don't want to use a 199A, I'll have to set the f/stop and

speed manually anyway. I've only used fully dedicated flashes where

you just work within its range, focus and shoot. any advise would be

helpful, and appreciated...

[casualcollector]

Greg,

 

Don't own either but the Vivitar 283 and 285 are good choices. The 283, especially, as there are some good aftermarket accessories for it. There must be an equivalent Sunpak but I don't know the model.

 

Bill

[._._z]

My Vivitar 285 (around $80) has a GN of 120, I think.

 

http://www.photographyreview.com/PRD_84019_3121crx.aspx

 

It tilts but doesn't swivel, which is fine for me because I hold it off-axis with an off-shoe cord (so my hand does the that work). The flash sensor is removable, so it still can sit on top of my hotshoe when the flash moved feet away, which helps maintain proper flash. I chose it over the 283 because the 285 lets you manually dial down to 1/16 power.

[gregory_nicholson]

I looked at a photography review and there's a lot of like towards the 285. A better feature than swivel , off camera, with the sensor on the camera, more accurate than 199A with a syncro cord A, plus zoom and 1/16 power. I guess I posted the question because I thought there would be more choices, but it looks like 383 Sunpak or the 283, 285 Vivitar are it. unless Metz makes shoe mounts, I only found Metz handle mounted flashes. Quantaray? they had one that's $26 and one that's $585. Hey thanks for the response....

[._._z]

"it looks like 383 Sunpak or the 283, 285 Vivitar are it."

 

The 383 is Sunpak's equivalent of the Vivitar 285. The reason I went with the Vivitar is because I knew I would be using the flash off-camera, and that the 285's removable sensor was preferable for that reason.

 

"unless Metz makes shoe mounts"

 

Sure they do, but they're more expensive:

 

http://www.bogenphoto.com/product/itemlist.php3?manufid=3&sectionid=31

 

http://www.bogenphoto.com/shoemount.htm

[david_goldfarb]

Metz make nice flashes. The quality of the light is excellent, and they are powerful, and are available with dedicated modules.

[GerrySiegel]

Probably the most bang for the buck is the Vivitar 285. If you see yourself going into EOS someday, you may want to consider a pricier Metz with modules that can accept more dedication. The 285 is very easy to use, has a hefty amount of power and is still a good seller and still has accessories for basic needs. Vivitar quality control I don't know about,heard some stinky talk, unverified about their latest sources,probably idle rumor, because they are not manufacturers and not great communicators as distributors either from my experience. I own 2 285 over 10 years old and still functional. Except for kind of weak high voltage two pin connectors they work OK for me. And easy to set once you get the simple idea of how these auto flashes work and set your own shutter speed. My guess is its still a deal for the non TTL camera you are using. And it comes with an easy to understand manual(I assume it still does). Wish Metz had better translators from Deutsch for my one dinky Metz btw, I must say:-)My two kopeks. If you lust for the very best, you could look at the website for the Quantum Instruments Q flashes,but you can't afford them I will wager...power to spare, and features galore.

[gregory_nicholson]

Gerry your exactly right, no wagering needed. I might get the 285 with bounce reflectors/soft diffusers and colored filters. I do have other cameras with their own flashes, some with TTL and some not, so a professional flash with tons of featues is not necessary. I just wanted a well built duarable flash that would match the strength and quality of the F-1. Let's say that you've purchased one of the best built most advanced manual focus cameras, what kind of flash would a Leica R8 or Contax RTSIII owner buy? I didn't include the T-90 because it's a no brainer you get the 300TL. any thoughts?

[david godfrey]

Vivitar no longer make the coloured filters and diffusers for the 285. They can't take the ones for the 283, as they're too big, but you could cut them down, and they'd fit. According to Vivitar these were discontinued about 7 years ago.

 

AE-1 & 285- very happy with the results. I definitly recommend this flashgun. Only downside I've found - mounted on the hotshoe its very uncomfortable for portrait shots.

As for the 300TL & T90- I don't like the fact it gives me no real manual control. Its great as a point & shoot, but if I switch out of program it assumes I want fill-in flash (I don't!), and in manual mode I need to keep referring to the manual and thinking too much. With the 285 I at least have the dials on the side to refer to and can happily adjust the settings to what I want. And I've got power controls.

[._._z]

"Vivitar no longer make the coloured filters and diffusers for the 285.... According to Vivitar these were discontinued about 7 years ago."

 

Funny, as recently as last year B&H had them. I just did a search at bhphotovideo.com and saw that they still sell, but are currently out of stock on, two differenct Vivitar flash filter kits. I'm not sure whether wither of these fit the model 285 but B&H sells the "FK-1 Flash Filter Kit" and the "WFK-1 Flash Filter Kit"

 

I never bothered with any of that, because I use my flash with a 24mm lens, and in order to get coverage for that lens I needed a diffuser that went beyond Vivitar's, which only claimed to accomodate 28mm lenses. (I use an OmniBounce.) As for colored filters, one can easily and affordably purchase gels and tape them over the flash.

[danimal]

<blockquote>Gregory,</blockquote>since you are looking at third-party strobes, why don't you take the opportunity to go to a handle-mount unit? The F-1 has what I have always felt is an weak and awkward shoe adapter. I bought a Sunpak 544 handle mount strobe and it is <b>great</b>. The thing has all the tilt and swivel you can ask for, a guide number of 160 at ASA100 and variable power settings down to 1/64. I use the thing a lot, since I can dial in a little fill light in daylight, or use just the right power setting for mixed-light indoors. Covers 35mm, and the filter kit includes diffusers for 28mm and 20mm lenses. And, once I got used to carrying my F-1 by the strobe in my left hand, it just feels right; a solid camera and strobe combination. I think I paid US$90 on ebay for a like new specimen, in the box with the filter kit.<blockquote><blockquote> Dan </blockquote> </blockquote>

[gregory_nicholson]

Well, Saturday I went to an out-of-town camera shop. They had a new Vivitar 285HV, after mounting it on my camera, my first reaction was this flash needs a metal not plastic mount, but then my camera would be the weak point, plus it's big, awkward and weird. I didn't like it. They also had a 577G that I immediately became infatuated with, and it had the 20mm diffuser and a green panel, just what I want. $200, a good deal. But no available repair parts or accessories and it's as-is, no one year guarantee. I don't know. Now I'm thinking I'm going to scrap the shoe mount idea and look for a handle mount, maybe that sunpak 544 or something Metz, a big ass handle mounted flash GN160. I've been trying for a while to duplicate the the picture on page 21, example of the 24f/1.4-Canon Interchangeable Lenses-the light brown booklet that came with cameras (1979 or so). I think I need a bigger flash, I'm just not getting that dark green in the picture, 1/4sec. @ f/8. I want to thank everyone who has responded to my question and helped me explore the/more options. Greg....

[._._z]

"Now I'm thinking I'm going to scrap the shoe mount idea and look for a handle mount"

 

You'll get more power, and another way to hold your camera, but the (serious) downside is that it becomes considerably bulkier and heavier, making it difficult to fit into a camera bag, and reducing the possibility that you'll *use* your camera.

 

I found that for me, handle-mount flashes were "too" -- too much, too costly, too heavy, too ungainly, too much of a pain in the *ss to lug around for a day.

 

I have the 285HV and the off-camera cord. The flash sits in my bag (or a jacket pocket) until needed, while I keep the sensor on the shoe mount. When I need to use flash, I simply focus then take out my flash, connect it with the cord, and hold the flash in my left hand.

 

There are several advantages to this. One, no possibility of damaging the flash's plastic shoe mount, since you're not using it. Two, your hand acts as the world's most advanced bounce/swivel. Three, by keeping the flash off-axis you eliminate the possibility of red-eye. Four, it's lighter than a handle-mount setup, which gets heavy after a few minutes around your neck. Five, with this setup you can also more take advantage of the flash for macro and amateur portraits, using a cheap umbrella setup, as shown here:

 

http://www.lanset.com/rcochran/flash/equipment.html

[gregory_nicholson]

Bailey, That is a great web site, tons of good ideas, that everyone should visit. I have a Minolta X-700 and a Power Grip II that works in the same fashion as the Vivitar off camera. The bonus with the PG II is that you can fire the camera from the flash grip, on or off the camera. Plus it holds six AA's giving you a total of ten and with Ni-Cads and MD-1 drive you can do 3.5 frames/second full power and TTL, for up to 20 or more shots depending on light demand. Plus controlling the flash/shutter with the Multifunction Back is possible, it will turn on the flash-warm it up-shoot all your film whatever interval you choose, all while you sleep, even turns everything off when done. The 360 PX flash it uses is much like a 285 has a GN120 and bounce. Nice unit but rarely used, only used it for night blooming flowers on cactus. After thinking this all through I have desided my needs are to get an after market handle mount with tons of power and a small well built shoe mount, something like a 155A but nice-nice, with better quaility like the Metz.

[malcolm_peake]

Regarding the Vivitar filter kits for the 285 flash:

The FK-2 is the standard filter kit containing 6 filters in a pouch

The WFK-2 is the wide angle version of the filter kit for up to 28mm lenses, I believe.

The FK-1 & WFK-1 are probably for the Vivitar 283

I have recently seen a new (old stock) FK-1 kit being cleared out from a local camera store cheap & in Canadian currency to boot!

Shop around & you should be able to come up with a FK-2 or WFK-2 kit.

Good luck!