Question about donated Vivitar 285HV Flashes

[chhall]

I was hoping someone could give me a crash course in using some donated equipment. I'm new to photography, so I've been reading some books, and watching some videos. I'm going to look for some evening classes next month to get some more education as well, but for now, I'm hoping you guys and gals can help me become more familar with the equipment I've aqcuired. I have a Nikon D3000 with an 18-55mm kit lense. I was given a 55-200mm lense and a little bit of a studio setup: Two stands, two white umbrellas, two Vivitar 285HV flashes, remote firing flash controllers with a module that sits in the hot shoe of the camera to control the flashes.

My biggest issue I'm trying to figure out is how to use the flashes. When I received them I was give a quick rundown on the dial on the side of them, but I didn't pick up enough of an understanding at the time and don't really know how to use them. I've looked around the forum to see if there was any description of how they work, and while there are plenty of threads on them, there wasn't really much of a description of how to configure them.

Any help I could get on basics of using these flashes would be greatly appreciated

[venchka]

Get a good light meter that measures flash. Sekonic is popular here and someone will mention the good models.

See if GOOGLE can find a manual for the flash.

[brad]

The dial on the side does NOTHING. It is a reference guide only... they used to put them on all flashes in the days before i/eTTL.

The only dial that does anything is the one on the front of it... as for that, do yourself a favor and don't mess with the auto modes (the colored squares).. they are inconsistent like most automatic flashes... learn to use the manual settings. It has full power (M), 1/2, 1/4, and 1/16 power settings.. (it skips 1/8 for reasons no one understands).

[chhall]

Thanks!

[Some Idiot]

The manual explains the flash very well, I use the crap out of my 285's and LOVE them

Here is a link to the manual

http://www.cameramanuals.org/flashes...itar_285hv.pdf

[lucian]

Outstanding flash. I use mine with my E-20, E-500 and my film cameras.

[StevenGWebb]

First, the Vivitar 285HV has a great reputation for reliablity. The older units are much better built than the latest incarnations. No surprise there. With most electronic devices the older makes are more substaintally built and newer stuff is lighter and more flimsy.

As prevously sated the dial on the side does not control anything. Its a scale. You won't find much use for it when firing the flash off-camera into an umbrella. The scale is made of several dials in fact. By aligning the film speed (ISO) and the aperture the scale will indicate at what distances the automatic exposures will work. The dial has color codes that corrispond with the actual control dial on the front. When your subject is at a certain distance there is a color code. Match the two and there ya go. When used on-camera the auto exposure works really well. Feel free to slip one of the units on your hotshoe and use the auto thyristor with confidence.

Of course for your use in an umbrella or other off-camera set-ups the built in exposure control is useless. You'll want to put the flash in manual mode and select the appropriate power output. If you are using the standard AA batteries, keep in mind that setting higher output will use more battery and will lengthen recycle times on the flash units. Keeping the flash near your subject will soften the light and may allow you to use less than full power to properly expose your images.

These units generally perform very uniformally, meaning the flash output is consistant. You should be pretty pleased with them.

Best wishes

Steve

[Lupe Talamantez]

Have you read up on high trigger voltages common on old-style flashes such as the 285HV damaging today's DSLR's ? I am not sure that I am wording this correctly.

Before you mount this flash on your DSLR, do some more googling. Your DSLR might handle an older 285HV's higher trigger voltage of 240volts for a while. I never mounted mine on my Canon 20D, only the remote triggers.

[KD5NRH]

Strobist: Guide Number: Your Free Flash Meter
Strobist: The Return of a Classic

[brad]

Originally Posted by Lupe Talamantez

Have you read up on high trigger voltages common on old-style flashes such as the 285HV damaging today's DSLR's ? I am not sure that I am wording this correctly.

That would be the old 285.. the 285HV is safe, that's why it has the HV designation.