Vivitar 283 reviews - Pentax Camera Accessory Review Database (2025)

It has a Guide Number of 36 (metres, standard coverage angle) so at the top end of medium power, leaving the nearest equivalent film era Pentax, the AF280T, significantly behind. It is large and heavy for a hot shoe mounted unit (as are the more powerful units of today). Maybe that is why there are reports of broken feet, but I understand there was (is?) a minor industry supplying replacements. There is no camera dedication or any form of TTL control..

The head can tilt vertically but not swivel laterally. If I were to consider the 283 as my main unit, that would be a deal-breaker because I sometimes take full height portraits in portrait orientation with bounce flash off a ceiling. To be honest, with the reports of broken feet, I would be nervous anyway about the heavy 283 hanging sideways off the hot shoe in portrait mode; I am not going to try it.

It has a plug-in sensor* in the front. This incorporates a knob which allows selection between a single full power manual mode, and four auto modes controlled by the photosensor. This sensor module can be pulled out and put on the camera hot shoe via a "sensor holder"; the sensor holder is then linked to the 283 with a lead and plug, so the 283 can be used separated from the camera. I do not have that holder and lead, but it seems to be for those who want to hold up the flash with their left hand like an old magnesium flash pan, perhaps to overcome the 283's lack of head swivel. Vivitar make a lot of this mode in the manual, and sold a pistol grip for it - somewhat like the Pentax Hot Shoe Grip. Some Sunpak hammerhead units also had this ability to use the sensor separately on the camera hot shoe. For all that, I have never seen a flash used in that way, but perhaps it was common in 1970.

The four auto modes are colour coded yellow, red, blue and purple (actually pastel shades with black lettering over). The maximum recommended range is 13 metres in the yellow mode (indepedent of sensitivity). The maximum sensitivity covered by the calculator on the side is only ISO 400 (this is 1970 tech!), but you can extrapolate to higher values, reducing aperture accordingly. The calculator dial can be illuminated, which is cool

It is possible to plug in a manual controller (the VP-1 "Varipower") in place of the standard sensor. It allows a range of manual levels but without the auto modes. I don't have this either, and they are not particularly cheap on Ebay. There are also accessories such as an external power pack and telephoto/filter adaptor.

Another deal breaker for me would be the high trigger voltage which could damage a modern camera. I measured mine at around 200v. I understand that later models (made outside Japan) had a lower voltage, but Vivitar made no change to the model number so it is a gamble whether you get a safe one, and most Ebay sellers won't have a clue. The high voltage was OK on the mechanical film cameras for which this was designed.

I know that many 283 users extol its virtues. It was ground-breaking when first introduced but it seems to me that its reputation has been somewhat self-perpetuating. I understand it is reliable (except for the foot breakages) and it was used in its day by professionals. While you can overcome some of its shortcomings - by adding a voltage reducer, a swivel bracket, the Varipower manual controller, extrapolating for higher ISO values, and replacing the foot - these add expense, inconvenience and encumbrance, and other equivalent flash units of the film era such as the Vivitar Series 1 600, and the Sunpak 383, obviated by design the need for at least some of those kludges. Even the related Vivitar 285HV was a significant improvement. This was an interesting unit to play with on an old film camera, but I won't normally be using it again. It may be useful as a remote flash in a studio type situation.

* I use Vivitar terminolgy in this review. They call this a sensor but it is also a controller.

Accessories include a cord that allows the thyristor module to be mounted on the hot shoe while the unit is off camera. Also available are wide-angle, telephoto, and colored lens attachments, an AC power adapter, and a standard white/gray card holder for bouncing off the white side of the card.

I own two of these 283s. I bought one in the '70s and one recently on e-bay. The older unit has a trigger voltage of over 300 volts, which would probably fry a modern DSLR camera. I only use it off camera with the Vivitar SL-2 slave trigger, which was designed to work with these voltages. NOTE: even when using the off camera cord mentioned above, the voltage is still transmitted to the hot shoe. My newer unit has a trigger voltage of 8 volts, and I have used it mounted directly on my Pentax K10D.

The mounting foot is plastic and the unit is relatively heavy, so care must be taken not to stress the foot or it will crack. For example, if changing the bounce from 45 to 60 degrees, grab the body of the unit instead of letting the foot take the stress. I've been using my older one for over 30 years and have not had a problem.

For a fraction of the cost of some modern, dedicated flash units you can buy 2 Vivitar 283s with all accessories. Each 283 will have more light output than many of the new flashes on the market. (You have to read and interpret the specs very carefully; many ads are misleading or incomplete regarding output.) I decided to build my flash kit around these venerable, rock-solid reliable units. You give up some of the automatic function of the newer units, but that just means you actually have to know what you are doing when you use these!

The battery life is great as well. It can be powered by an SB-4 power supply so it can be plugged into the wall. This means that there are no worries about the lack of battery power in some picture taking conditions.

After some time I added a second flash tube (salvaged from a Bosch unit), for macro photography, which eventually killed it!

Compared to the Metz AF-1 I now have it wasted batteries, while powerwise they are similar!

This does not have half the functionality of a modern flash like the AF360, but in comparison to a Metz 36 C2 which I used in the past, this is a far more powerful flash. Makes an fantastic popping sound when shot on full manual. The size of a brick. Just brilliant in tandem with an old school manual SLR. Dwarfs the ME.

I've got the Vivitar flash slave and mount the 283 on a tripod to be triggered by the flash and combine it with the 550fd, which puts out less light. This set up is working well with film.

Its worth getting a reasonable multimeter to check the voltage at the foot of the flash, as there are reports of old 283's creating massive (several hundred volts) potential differences which would burn out the flash circuitry in modern digital bodies. Mine is reporting a safe 10V, and works fine on the ist DS.