Vivitar 283

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Nothing special now but the Vivitar 283 was a ground-breaker when new in 1970. However, for decades now its reputation has been largely self-perpetuating.

Fairly powerful (paparazzi liked it once) and electronically reliable, but so big and heavy the plastic foot is prone to break off.

The head can tilt but not side-swivel, so no bouncing flash off ceilings in portrait format. There is only one manual power level (full) unless you buy a separate module (not cheap) but then you lose auto. There is no dedication to particular cameras, and the highest ISO you can dial into the calculator is 400 - the 283 was designed back when ASA/ISO 400 film was still considered amazing.

Worst of all, the trigger voltage on the foot of earlier models is very high (200 volts or more) and can burn out the circuitry of modern cameras. It was designed for mechanical cameras. Later models did have lower voltage, but there is no way of knowing which is which when you buy one. Some people will tell you it is OK on their modern camera but that's just by luck.

Later flash units of the film era improved significantly on the 283, learning to avoid its shortcomings. Even Vivitar's own similar 285HV was an improvement, but some users seem to lose their heads over the 283. It was the most numerous flash unit ever sold, but that does not make it the best any more than the most popular car is the best.

I have owned one of these since the 80s. It's still going strong even though it's traveled all over the world with me, and even after a battery leaked all over the batter compartment. Stronger than anything I can find on the market today, it can be used as bounced off the ceiling for gorgeous soft lighting. You can find these cheap all over the place. Save yourself 300 quid and find a used one, preferably with the module for power variation.

That the Vivitar 283's production run lasted thirty years means that there's something really good about it. Too bad it has been discontinued.

Best none dedicated flash on the market. If you buy one also get the external sensor cord so you can use the flash off camera ie attached to a brolly to give soft light.

The Vivitar 283 is a really good value for money vivitar product. Fast recycle times, remote sensor feature, good battery life.

Cheap very well made very good auto exposure.

Vivitar 283 is perhaps the best non-TTL autoflash available. I have two of these wonderful flashes. They are highly reliable for indoor as well as outdoor flash photography. For some time I was forced to use built-in flash of my first compact SLR, Pentax zx-50. It was a very sad experience. Soon I discovered that this flash is virtually of no use except for use as fill-in flash in daylight. After I got Vivitar 283 the quality of night photography changed dramatically. No more underexposure or sharp, flat light. You can buy a new one below $70.00 from B & H Photovideo or you can pick one from ebay half of that price. But in case you are planning to buy a second-hand Vivitar 283, make sure to check two things: 1. the quality of the foot (which is rather weak and shows the first sign of misuse); 2. the discharge voltage (some old flashes have very high discharge voltage that may burn the electronic circuit of modern camera, I was told). Go to photographyreview.com for more reviews.