vivtar 283 randomly won't turn on

denada · Mar 30, 2017

my flash randomly won't turn on. i of course tried new batteries. it just won't power up. it worked perfectly last time i've used it, and since then it's just sat on a glass shelf. no changes in temp, humidity, no jarring movement, nothing. how can something break without any outside force affecting it? i feel like i have to be doing something wrong; i rarely use it. i have 20x checked that the batteries are inserted correctly. i realize they are cheap and i'm very aware of "buy another one." that's extremely inconvenient and should not be what i have to do. nothing happened to break this flash. it's not even exposed to soft indoor breezes. it sits in a closed glass camera shelf.

this a common problem? anyone know a fix or what i might be doing wrong? i really need it this second, so this is a few steps beyond frustrating.

thanks!

tirediron · Mar 30, 2017

The first thing I'd look at would be the battery contacts: Make sure that they're making good, firm contact with the battery terminals and that they're clean and not corroded. If you're certain the batteries are good, and you've verified that the terminals and contacts are clean and fitting correctly, then it's almost certain to be an internal issue and not something you can do much about unless you're at least moderately familiar with electronics.

Unfortunately, NOT using it for extended periods of time is actually bad for a flash. They rely on a condenser to provide the electric charge that actually fires the flash tube, and allowing it to sit idle on the shelf will allow corrosion to form on the metallic foil that makes up the condenser. That's not a 'won't turn on' issue, just a point to ponder for future reference.

denada · Mar 30, 2017

i appreciate the quick reply. even though the contacts looked fine, i went over them with a brush to be sure. still nothing.

will keep the dormancy is not good for flashes in mind going forward. the shot passed so i'm not freaking out anymore, though very disappointed.

i'm a tinkerer and love me some soldering, but given how little these costs it might just be time to hitup ebay. will take another look tomorrow afternoon and if can't figure it out, i guess that's the answer. frustrating and bewildering that it randomly stopped working.

Derrel · Mar 31, 2017

I've read that the new "Vivitar" flash units are no longer reliable in Quality Control. I read that on The Strobist a couple years ago, that the new ones were NOT like the 1980's flashes they marketed, but just cheap, MIC clones using the name, but not offering the quality the name had become assoicated with.

I dunno. I seem to have had the same fate with an old speedlight I've had for years...it just died in storage...will not power up now, last time I fired it it was okay.

denada · Mar 31, 2017

thing doesn't look very new to me, but i guess that's relative.

ebay is full of as-is 283s that also won't turn on. unless someone has a recommendation for a similar flash that's reliable (i need the little distance/aperture/iso guide on the side like the vivitar), i think i'll buy two in order to avoid last night's frustration. because needing a flash, having a flash, and then it failing to work is not ideal.

pixmedic · Mar 31, 2017

whats your budget?

cant go wrong with an OEM flash for whatever system your using.
ive had good experiences with yongnuo flashes over the years, but when we shot nikon I had an sb600, sb700, and sb800 for us to use for serious shoots like weddings and such.

now i just have fuji cameras. i do have one OEM fuji flash, but the rest are yongnuo and a neewer. i dont worry about getting the newer yongnuo flashes anymore because they wont TTL with my fuji anyway.
you can get the neewer vk750II flash pretty cheap, no HSS but it does support TTL.
the yongnuo 568EX has HSS and TTL. I really liked mine.

you can also pick up older non TTL yongnuos pretty cheap if you dont care about TTL.
lots of flash options now, and ill bet that theres easily half a dozen "made in china" flashes that are all basically the same thing, just rebranded under different names.

Derrel · Mar 31, 2017

A 283 could be 35 to 40 years old, so if one has conked out, it could be death due to old age. Or, it could be a 10-year old "new" 283 Made in China. It's probably just time to get something else to replace it. See the above post for ideas.

The distance/aperture/ISO dial system the Vivitars used was AMAZING--a very,very brilliant piece of analog-style display. Analog display of that type has advantages over digital readouts, but some of the better LCD readouts on today's flashes are pretty good, but not the same as the all-at-a-glance info that an analog system can provide.

Dave442 · Mar 31, 2017

I do remember having a small dial on an old Vivitar flash to manually calculate the f-stop, too bad the new Vivitar is not up to the old standard.

As long as you know the GN and distance you can always work out the aperture and iso pretty quick. A lot of flash units have put the manual calculator in the rear screen, not as easy as the dial. Some of the DOF Apps also have the Flash calculator as part of the app.

denada · Mar 31, 2017

budget is $100

am i correct in that the nikon SB-15 can utilize ttl with my nikon fa but can still be used in *manual mode with other brand cameras?

*edit

vintagesnaps · Mar 31, 2017

Maybe the capacitor's shot or something, and it's a goner. It's supposed to be better to fire a flash occasionally but I should talk, can't say I think to do it. I suppose if you don't do much flash photography it depends if you want to go cheap for something similar, or find something newer that could be a little more of an expense.

You could try Midwest Photo Exchange, or Pittsburgh Camera Exchange (their websites, Amazon listings, or ebay pages) or the KEH Outlet page on ebay. Not sure about the Columbus Camera Group, they were moving last I saw.

Or try the camera swap although there isn't one again til late summer. (Or get on their mailing list and go sometime anyway just for fun if you like to look at old cameras and browse thru boxes of lens caps and darkroom stuff, etc.)
Welcome to Ohio Camera Swap

denada · Mar 31, 2017

yeah, i'm a big fan of used. that SB-15 can be had for $20 including shipping. i'm gonna get one unless someone tells me it's not what i want in the next hour. it has the dial for manual and will ttl with the camera it will primarily be used with.

i appreciate the detailed rundown, pixmedic. most of those flashes have features i will not use, at least for the time being. will look into more advance flashes when my shooting necessitates.

does the neewer vk750II's "i-ttl" also work with older nikons like the FA? everything i can find about it only mention dslrs.

Derrel · Mar 31, 2017

I had an SB-15 for a number of years--a neat, compact flash unit! I gave it and an old 28/2.8 Ai-Nikkor to a young kid just starting out back in 2002. It WILL FIRE on any hotshoe camera in manual mode, and in Auto-thyristor mode, using as I recall, the two Auto- f/stops, which are designed to give you a wide stop and a smaller stop as options for auto-regulated flash pops. As I recall it was f/8 and f/4 with Ektachrome 100 or Gold 100 film; one color was for f/8, the other color-coded f/stop was for f/4. "Prett-y standard stuff, really," as Austin Powers would say!

jcdeboever · Mar 31, 2017

I have one. In auto mode, A2 red band is f/4 and blue band is f/8. See pic. It works good on any camera I have. I use it mostly on my Nikon F as you can see the adapter in the pic. I have even used it with my Airesflex TLR with a PC sync cord.

denada · Mar 31, 2017

awesome. thanks for choice confirming info, Derrel and jcdeboever. ordered. ttl flash, getting real fancy.

and very nice of you giving a gift to foster a young kid's interest in photography, Derrel.