Vivitar 283

A review and appreciation of a great design

In my opinion, the Vivitar 283 was one of the most versatile flash units available, and is particularly useful for fire and other outdoor photographers. This is not to say that it's the only flash one can use. There are smaller and larger flashes that work well, but this one has a good combination of features and price that recommend it for serious consideration. Its long time in the marketplace is a testimony to its flexibility and value.

With a guide number of 120 (ISO 100, feet), it's powerful enough to work in most night situations. That said, the one feature I sometimes find myself wanting is more power (it is, however, hard to imagine ever having "enough" power at night), but there are tradeoffs: the next significant step up (a Metz 60 series) more than triples the price, and is much larger--and thus, more difficult to move around while working.

Although the 283 lacks the "dedicated" features that often make flash photography easier, it also works on just about any camera you might run across (although take note of potential voltage problems outlined below). With a slave, I can use it with my point and shoot. I can loan it to a friend. And I only have to worry about one contact in the shoe, making it more reliable.

The 283 has been available for many years. This is a blessing: the basic design has not changed. The accessories I have from 1980 still work with the one I bought in 2001. Anyone with a drawer full of stuff that seems to be too good to throw away, but also has no use because it fits nothing in current production, will appreciate this. I can also work with confidence using nearly-reflexive moves. On the other hand, you can all too easily get an older one with problems.

The 283 runs on four AA cells, and alkalines or rechargeables work well. Vivitar sells a battery pack that also works well, but the small hassle of recharging individual ni-cads means that you don't throw the whole thing out if one goes bad--often a problem with packs. The battery holder is available separately, and is a good way to carry extras. The 283 can also run from auxiliary sources, such as the Quantum battery. (As an aside, I'll throw in here that I don't like battery pack designs which don't allow the user to install readily-available cells, either in an emergency or if the original pack is no longer available. Manufacturers love them, of course, but whose interest are you after?)

There are four automatic ranges. Unlike lesser-powered units, the longest range is actually useful. As an accessory, one can get a "vari-power module" which allows variations in the manual output. I haven't had much use for that, as a short range automatic setting also works for fill-in. There's also a cable available that lets you mount either the auto sensor or the vari-power in a remote location, which can be useful if you have a diffuser or other accessory in place, or use the flash off-camera.

It is often desirable to diffuse the light from a flash unit. The 283 was a pioneer in allowing you to angle the flash head, and bounce the light off a ceiling or wall--while the sensor remains pointed forward for accurate readings. Lumi-quest provides a variety of diffusers for the unit (I have used the Pocket Bouncer for a long time). I've recently acquired a Sto-fen Omnibounce. It's a bit more convenient, but sometimes hard to remove.

Nothing's perfect, of course. While the unit has some great design features, the sort of things that deserve to be continued as progress decrees the end of production and the coming of new units, there are some things that could be imporved. These are the hassles that come with a 283:

it uses a color-coded dial to set the power levels. It is rather difficult to see what color you have at night. Sometimes it's difficult even in daylight, as in some kinds of light the colors are too similar to each other. At the same time, compared to some readouts, you can see at a glance just what ranges are available without cycling through all of them.

it is well-known to have a structurally weak hot shoe. Salespeople will tell you this so it will break rather than cause more serious damage to the unit. There's probably some truth to that, but it seems that similar units have stronger shoes and don't suffer damage. In the meantime, aftermarket vendors have had a field day making stronger (usually metal) shoes. As far as I know, none of these shoes maintain the "hot shoe" contact; a few offer a cord connection (although the flash itself already has one). Some of the cord connections use the more common H connection rather than Vivitar's unique, and somewhat troublesome, plug. Installation usually requires a little soldering along with removing and replacing a couple of screws. It seems to me that a support pad, something like a low-tech (and low-cost) shock absorber, one on each side, that could reach down to the camera or bracket, would help.

older units have a high "trigger voltage." This is the voltage that goes through the camera's synchronization contacts when the flash fires. The voltage of older units is high enough to damage some newer cameras. To compound this problem, it's difficult to determine what's safe (even with a new unit), but one thing is for sure: if it causes problems, no one will help you out without the expenditure of a lot of money. If you have a newer camera, it's best to use a voltage-limiting connector, or perhaps use it as an off-camera slave.

Overall, the 283's good-sense design shows in imitation; it seems to be the basis for most shoe-type dedicated units that have followed it. Strong in the market on its own, it also lives on in these variants.

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