Non dedicated flash needed

[cameramike]

I am thinking about not wasting my money on yet another 430 exii that I need to purchase in order to get my setup going with location lighting. I do not need TTL capability, I just want a good, reliable, powerful flash. I'd rather not go "cheap and crappy" I am not looking to replace these every other year. I am only familiar with dedicated name brand flashes (canon, nikon). I do have a sunpak and have of course played with the ever so popular vivitar 283, I need something more intelligent though something that still offers a screen and some options when it comes to flash such as control over power and an easy way to do it.

Thanks guys

 

[2WheelPhoto]

My Vivitar 285s have been OCF workhorses. I use monolights too but when I'm traveling such as this past weekend and have my "just in case stuff" one vivitar in the travel bag with a pocket wizard always pulls through.

This is Jayne and she likes the vivitar" heh, we were on top floor of a parking garage up in Columbia SC this weekend. It was superbright and the high GN vivitar came to the rescue for a "spur of the moment" flash. And believe me my vivitars are my throw around flashes and they take the whooping =)

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[Mach0]

I love my vivitar 285s but you can also look at the older Nikon sb's. Sb24, 28, 80(80 is more expensive though.) I have a couple of 285s, sb24,Sb28 for manual flashes. They work good with some nimh batteries, relatively strong, and easy to use. Check KEH camera out.

 

[Mike_E]

Look at the Metz 45 CL4. extra battery packs are cheap and the guide number is 45 meters as opposed to say the SB900 @36 meters.The auto thyristor is pretty amazing too. As you'll probably get one used (if you decide to) you just check to see if it's up or down however much. if you set it to f5.6 and it's right on the money it will throw f5.6 at anything you care to light so long as it's in range. (if it's up or down it will stay consistent through out the range of the flash both setting wise and as far as it's rang in distance).It also has manual power settings if you'd rather. -backgrounds and what not.

 

[KmH]

+1 on the Vivitar 285HV Auto Professional Flash .

At $85 each, it doesn't matter if one only lasts you a year or so. At one point I had 14 of them for on location use.
The 285HV has a independent semi-auto controls, and a GN calculator too. - see the picture in this link, and David Hobby also mentions the 285HV specifically: Strobist: Guide Number: Your Free Flash Meter

 

[Mike_E]

As far as Metz go, if you wanted a two light setup here's a little known fact: The Metz 60CT-4 has it's own capacitor.

What does this mean? If you have two of them you can run them both off of the same battery pack and control them independently- 7 stops worth (1/1-1/256)and they still have the Metz thrystor as well.

Also, if you have a 60 CT1 you can use it at either full power or thrystor controlled and still have the 60 CT4 independantly controlled. So you can push the CT1/4 through a softbox or whatever you like and use the CT4 as fill.

It does take 6 or 7 seconds to recycle on a full power pop but these will effectively compete against a 300 ws strobe as far as power goes and there is no modeling light but two flash heads, a power pack and an extra battery (6V) can easily fit into a medium sized camera bag.