Customer Reviews: Great Flash by VivitarNovember 18, 2009 W. F. Lehman(Philadelphia, PA USA) 26 out of 26 found this review helpful
I was really struggling to justify over $400 for a Canon Speedlite when I came across the Vivitar DF283 shoe mounted flash at Amazon. Having owned a Vivitar flash before, I was aware of the quality of their products. As soon as I received it I put it to the test. It functioned perfectly. It has 4 zoom positions from 28-85mm. It swivels and tilts for bounce flash. It comes with a diffuser, a bounce card, cleaning kit and 4 batteries. I am quite pleased with this flash and it's capabilities. It is well worth the investment and I still have enough for a new lense.
Vivitar DF283 FlashJanuary 30, 2010 nickel-black(kentucky) 4 out of 4 found this review helpful
We have not used this flash extensively yet but so far it has performed as most
reviews said it would. Amazed at how it fills in the dark spots in photos we had
not realized were there before. Easy to use, bought for my wife who is an amatuer
photographer. She just slid it on and started shooting. Good flash at a good price
as we had been told, you won't be sorry. Maybe a more soficticated flash in the
future might be in order but this one will certainly do the job as long as i can see.
Pleased, but not satisfied.May 3, 2010 Scott Burns(Kentucky) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
The flash works well, but the recycle time is way longer than it should be. I can't remember how long it took, but it was over 5 seconds. I didn't get the batteries or the cleaning kit, didn't care. I have a cleaning kit, and I use rechargables only. Had I done a little more research, I'd probably waited until I could afford a better flash. This one does the job, but it will end up being a secondary flash in the next few months.
Two Flashes Two DudsMay 22, 2010 M. Schwartz 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I wish I could give an accurate account on the capabilities of this flash. However, the first flash I purchased worked twice then failed to work again. Vivatar had no problem with sending me a replacement but they sent me one that doesn't work at all. They are in the process of sending another as I write this review. I'm starting to think that there may be some quality issues with this product after two duds. This has given me some doubt as to the longevity of this product.
A good flash, but it could have been a great one...July 5, 2010 M. Carlos III(Bay Area) I bought this flash over the counter.
The power of this flash is surprising. Used with my Rebel 350D, I can get properly exposed pics at ISO 100 from 20 yards with a 1/60 shutter speed or faster, 18mm & F3.5. Although this is well within the power of a flash with a Guide Number of 42m, it is nevertheless quite good at this price point.
In the flexibility department, this flash can twist and bounce with the best of them. However, that "power zoom" feature is in this case very literal. You can zoom the power of the flash to one of four positions, but you must do it manually by pulling the sliding zoom head forward or backward to the desired zoom level. Also, it can't act as a slave flash (triggered by the flash of another unit), something that is so simple a feature that it should be standard on all flashes. The diffuser is a small lens that you connect manually (and will probably lose quickly), while the bounce card is a white reflector that you stick into a slot on the flash (I suppose this makes it easy to replace if lost, say by cutting up one of the aces in a deck of cards.)
Note: it's very easy to overexpose with this flash, and the flash cannot fire with a lower power, unlike more expensive flashes.
Considering the price of this flash, it gets 4 stars in the Value for Money attribute. A good strong flash with some very serious deficiencies, but well worth the money.
For me, I wish I had gotten the 285HV for 8 bucks ... less?!? Now I really wish I had gotten the 285HV. :)
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Vivitar DF283 Digital TTL Shoe Mount Power Zoom /Swivel /Bounce Auto-Focus Flash, Guide Number 42m (137') + (4) AA Batteries + Deluxe Cleaning Kit Canon Rebel XT, XTi, XS, XSi, T1i, 50D, 40D, 5D SLR Digital Cameras: Canon Flashes: Canon Rebel T1i on Sale - Best Deals Canon T1i Buy Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR. Cheap & Discount Canon Rebel T1i Kit
