SunPak 383 vs Vivitar 285 flash unit

Hi Dave, I don't have experience with the SunPak. However, I have 2 Vivitar 285's. I think they are great. Simple yet robust circuit. Easy to repair and calibrate at home in case you ever need. Plenty of info on the web on how to understand the functioning of the electronics behind that flash and how to modify it for special applications like photography of high speed-moving objects. They are cheap on eBay or other used equipment sources. Beyond all the experiments you could do, it is a robust piece of equipment and puts out a reasonable amount of light (around 70W*s). The only exception to its robustness is the hot-shoe that tends to break as it supports all the flash weight and it is made entirely of plastic. The later models (last 5 to 10 years) have low trigger voltages of around 8 to 8.5 volts, i.e. safe to use with most modern SLR's (Canon's may be an exception though). Beware of early 80's models made in Japan as they can have 600V of trigger and fry your modern SLR. Cheers,

They're both great units with proven reliablility records. You can't go wrong with either one. Choose one to suit your need. If you need swivel and want compact unit, go with the 383. If you want zoom head with diffuser, go with the 285. My suggestion? Get both since they're so cheap. One to use, one for backup.

Have fun.

I bought a 383 when my old 285 stopped firing reliably. Now the 383 will not fire from a hot shoe, only with a pc cord. My Vivitar 225 has been going strong for almost 30 years, but will fry most cameras. Yeah, I know, big help.

Hi,

If the hot shoe of 285 break, can I get any part or replacement?

Thx

You can get the foot replacement for the 285 easily. There are few vendors making the metal replacement foot for it. WEIN has the 285 metal foot with the slave built in . It costs around $50 but it is a good piece. There is another manufacture ( I couldn't recall the name) makes a good 285 metal foot with quick locking. It is also expensive. And another "Made in China" metal foot for the 285. This one is cheap. I saw these "china" feet on E*Bay for around $5 - $10. One of the used 285HV I bought has this "china" foot and it's been holding up well over 2 years now.

I have the 383 and the variable power stoped working (4 month old - minimal use). It outputs max at all settings. I did used rechargable NiMH cells on it, but my Nikon SB-15 had no problem with such cells... Someone else on the threads mentioned his variable output having stoped, too. My next unit will be the 285...

Hey, the plastic foot is a feature, not a bug :)

It's plastic so that it will break easier if your flash gets bumped. If you install one of those metal feet, you stand a greater chance of bending or breaking off the hot shoe of your camera.

Hi, I finally get a Vivitar 285 flash unit. It costs me US$83. It is really cheap but a little bit plastic. I try it with my Canon G3 digital camera. It works fine. The image is much much better than the built-in flash. I also use it for my FM2. It works perfectly. I am planning to buy another one.

The Sunpak 383 will fire from a hotshoe. I have used mine on the hotshoe of my ELAN II. The Sunpak 383 has a low voltage compared to older models of the Vivitar 285. If you elect to use auto-trysister flashes as a make shift studio, I recommend using Vivitar 285s (Available on E-Bay or most camera stores for $50 to $100.00) on light stands and a Sunpak 383 on the camera. I realized after some trial and error that I had to put my Elan II in manual mode to use the 383 on the hot shoe. (Of course, I had to choose the settings on both the flash and the camera)

I use a Vivitar 285 HV for my FM2T as well. It works great! It's probably the best hot-shoe mounted flash I ever owned. The swival is very handy for bouncing off the ceiling. I too will probably buy another one.