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You read the title correctly. The Vivitar 285HV flash is garbage. Why? It does not fire reliably. There were only two methods that "worked": connecting the flash to the hot shoe of a camera or pressing the test button. The first method goes against the idea of using off-camera flash. The second method isn't a valid way to fire a flash!
I tested the 285HV in every possible way that I could think of. I used the dinky 2" proprietary sync jack-to-PC sync cable that shipped with the flash. I bought the longer version of the cable from FlashZebra. I even cut off the proprietary jack, stripped the two wires inside and soldered it directly to the flash. I connected a hot shoe adaptor to the flash and then ran a cable to my AlienBees remotes and still it wouldn't fire.
When I decided to dissect and modify the flash and cable, I felt optimistic that I could make the flash work properly, so I took a series of photos to document my progress. I wanted this post to be a nifty how-to guide, but alas my modification didn't work. Instead I am posting the pictures to go along with my rants. Here's a step-by-step account of what I did. Please excuse the uneven lighting...I didn't have working flash for god's sake! I also refused to use the built-in flash on my camera. :-)
285HV and crappy proprietary jack:
Exposed the wiring adjacent to the proprietary jack:
With a Dremel tool, I drilled a hole for the cable to exit the hot shoe assembly (it's the bottom one with the plastic flecks around the edges):
The hot shoe assembly plus cable:
The hot shoe assembly plus cable soldered together:
All done:
R.I.P. proprietary jack:
If you're planning on making your own mods to the 285HV, don't use my pictures as a guide, use the ones by Neil Creek and Nathan Kerr instead.
I am very upset, because I wanted to learn off-camera flash techniques without spending too much money. I therefore eschewed the expensive SB-600 and SB-800. The 285HV received great reviews from Strobist and Popular Photography. I drank the Kool-Aid and got burned.
So have I given up on off-camera flash? Nope, I ended up buying the original flash I wanted: the SB-800. I've had it for a day, and it's been great. I will post up my first test photos shortly.
Let me assure you that this post is not an SB-800 puff piece. I truly wanted the Vivitar 285HV to work, because my plan was to buy four of them for the price of one SB-800. It would have been a marvelous setup. Instead, the 285HV ended up costing me over $150 for the flash, the cable from FlashZebra, and the soldering equipment (solder iron + holder, solder, flux, tin, and wire stripper). If Vivitar continues to sell such shoddy equipment, they should get out of the photography business completely.
You read the title correctly. The Vivitar 285HV flash is garbage. Why? It does not fire reliably. There were only two methods that "worked": connecting the flash to the hot shoe of a camera or pressing the test button. The first method goes against the idea of using off-camera flash. The second method isn't a valid way to fire a flash!
I tested the 285HV in every possible way that I could think of. I used the dinky 2" proprietary sync jack-to-PC sync cable that shipped with the flash. I bought the longer version of the cable from FlashZebra. I even cut off the proprietary jack, stripped the two wires inside and soldered it directly to the flash. I connected a hot shoe adaptor to the flash and then ran a cable to my AlienBees remotes and still it wouldn't fire.
When I decided to dissect and modify the flash and cable, I felt optimistic that I could make the flash work properly, so I took a series of photos to document my progress. I wanted this post to be a nifty how-to guide, but alas my modification didn't work. Instead I am posting the pictures to go along with my rants. Here's a step-by-step account of what I did. Please excuse the uneven lighting...I didn't have working flash for god's sake! I also refused to use the built-in flash on my camera. :-)
285HV and crappy proprietary jack:
Exposed the wiring adjacent to the proprietary jack:
With a Dremel tool, I drilled a hole for the cable to exit the hot shoe assembly (it's the bottom one with the plastic flecks around the edges):
The hot shoe assembly plus cable:
The hot shoe assembly plus cable soldered together:
All done:
R.I.P. proprietary jack:
If you're planning on making your own mods to the 285HV, don't use my pictures as a guide, use the ones by Neil Creek and Nathan Kerr instead.
I am very upset, because I wanted to learn off-camera flash techniques without spending too much money. I therefore eschewed the expensive SB-600 and SB-800. The 285HV received great reviews from Strobist and Popular Photography. I drank the Kool-Aid and got burned.
So have I given up on off-camera flash? Nope, I ended up buying the original flash I wanted: the SB-800. I've had it for a day, and it's been great. I will post up my first test photos shortly.
Let me assure you that this post is not an SB-800 puff piece. I truly wanted the Vivitar 285HV to work, because my plan was to buy four of them for the price of one SB-800. It would have been a marvelous setup. Instead, the 285HV ended up costing me over $150 for the flash, the cable from FlashZebra, and the soldering equipment (solder iron + holder, solder, flux, tin, and wire stripper). If Vivitar continues to sell such shoddy equipment, they should get out of the photography business completely.
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1 comment:
I think you'll be much happier with the SB-800. In truth I tend to advise people to get name brand stuff made by your camera manufacturor. I know it's an expensive hobby, but sometimes you can waste more than you save in terms of both dollars and time.
Damien Franco
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