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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> vivitar flash question
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 11/18/2005 01:53:53 AM · #1
I have a Vivitar Zoom Thyristor 285 flash (well, actually, it's my husband's, but since the majority of the photos he takes are astrophotos which obviously don't need flash, I have kind of... long-term borrowed it from him). We don't have the manual, and so I am kind of scratching my head trying to figure out exactly how to use the calculator dial on the side. Does anyone happen to have one of these who could give me a few pointers? I think I kind of know what to do but it's a bit confusing. Thanks.
 11/18/2005 03:08:37 AM · #2
Try here. You can download a manual, which may help.
 11/18/2005 03:57:58 AM · #3
I don't have the manual, but I do have the flash... :-).

Put your camera in Apeture priority mode (for fill) or manual (for photos 'in the dark').

Set your ISO to whatever you want it to be (Not Auto-ISO).

Dial the outside of the calulator so that the white arrow points to the ISO/ASA you've picked..

Righty.. (Half way there)

If you're wanting to shoot using the sensor on the front of the flash you put the 'varipower' dial to one of the coloured sections (Red, for example).

With the 'inside' bit of the calculator dialed around to point at FULL on the ouside of the dial you can see that the yellow 'block' under the FT/M numbers lines up with F/4 or there abouts. The red block and stripe extends from 9M (max range) down to 1.5m or there abouts..

So this tells us that in the 'Red' setting at F/4.0 ISO100 you can use the flash between 9m and 1.5m from your subject (This is with the head pushed back to the 'wide' setting, BTW.

Seems like a lot of fiddling, but you get used to this type of flash pretty quickly, and It'll be far better than your inbuilt one, and the 285 has enough power to bounce well off fairly high ceilings.

Let me know if that all made no sense, and I'll take photos to go with the words. :-).

Cheers, Me.
 11/18/2005 01:03:50 PM · #4
Thank you both! Chris, your instructions were excellent. All the instructions I could find online were for a slightly different flash and the calculator was not quite the same. I've been using the flash, but mostly through experimentation -- getting some good results, especially with bouncing, but wasting a lot of batteries and time trying to figure everything out.

A couple questions: When do I use the fractions, and what is the M on the varipower dial? Also, is there a way to calculate which setting to use when I'm bouncing or angling the flash?
 11/18/2005 01:07:17 PM · #5
I have three of these =) they are a great flash for the cost.

it's hard to calculate when bouncing, that's why light meters are good.

i still gotta get one of those, its trial and error for me.

I've founc bouncing straighy up at full power (at like an 8-10 ft ceiling) gives u a pretty good exposure for a subject about 10 ft away. That's not very precise but it's all I got for ya now haha.
 11/18/2005 02:13:52 PM · #6
'M 1/4, 1/2 and 1/16 are the' manual power settings. M is 'full'.

Basically if you set the flash to, say, 1/2, you dial the black pointer to '1/2' and then read the F stop / distance combinations off the face, so at 1/2 ISO 100 F/8 is around 10feet, etc...

For bounce flash, it is hard to calculate things, so You're best of sticking with one of the 'auto' modes, or chimping. :-).

I've got two of these, and still use them for 'studio' setups, and for my light tent. When I had the powershot G5 they were my only external flash and I used one on-camera quite a bit, with great results.

Cheers, Me.

edit: They will eat through the batteries quite quickly, get yourself some 2000mAh rechargables... They'll pay for themselves pretty quickly when using a powerful flash..

Message edited by author 2005-11-18 14:14:58.
 11/18/2005 02:50:08 PM · #7
Thank you all. It's awesome to come here with a question that's been nagging at me for a few months, and clear it up in a couple of hours. :) I have not felt so much at home as a newbie in a set of forums in years.
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