Low Cost manual Flash

ohjin22

ohjin22

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Name
Owen
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Can someone recommend a low priced manual flash. I intend to use it as a 2nd flash with an optical slave trigger. Ive been looking at flashes like the miranda 700cd, but am unsure about its ability to control power output.

So I'm looking for some recommendations as to old school flashes that I can change the power output of.

Thanks in advance
Owen
 
I would get a YN460ii plenty power and cheap at £30 ish.
 
ding76uk said:
Vivitar 285 or 285 Hv.

If you ever intend to mount on camera make sure you get the Hv as old school vivitars can fry modern cameras
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Great, I'll keep my open for one.

ukcyberboy said:
I would get a YN460ii plenty power and cheap at £30 ish.
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I already have a YN 460II as my main flash, and they are great, but I just want something cheap as fill/rim lights. Something around the £5/10 mark off ebay.
 
£5-10 sounds to me like the "useless because it will break" category. They probably won't have an optical trigger at that price-point.

YN560II go for £42 full-filled by Amazon. A very decent flash. The mk3 version goes for an extra tenner and has a radio trigger build in. It is fairly hard to beat that price.
 
Cistron said:
£5-10 sounds to me like the "useless because it will break" category. They probably won't have an optical trigger at that price-point.

YN560II go for £42 full-filled by Amazon. A very decent flash. The mk3 version goes for an extra tenner and has a radio trigger build in. It is fairly hard to beat that price.
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I understand your reservation, but there are tonnes of 1980/90's flashes that go for under a tenner. And they still work fine. I already have a optical trigger which was only a few £££s. So now I just want a cheap flash that I can experiment with, that has manual power output, like the Vivitar 285.
 
I see. Unfortunately, ever since Hobby and Arias advertised a lot of decent old flashes, their prices have remained somewhat high. With postage the absolute bargains then reach about £20. Good luck! :)
 
Have you got a ttl flash?
I started with the 460ii and now have a 467 and in the throws of buying from another TP here. Would recommend getting TTL as you will build from there.
 
cosmicma said:
cobra 700 af where popular in there day and can be picked up for not a lot of money i think they had a G/N of around 30

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They were TTL only though, and despite that aren't compatible with any digital cameras.
 
cosmicma said:
yes but the op is going to use it with a cheap optical trigger and the 700 af can be used manually and has variable output



cheap n cheerful is what he wants :)
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I was given a Cobra 700AF a few months back and I didn't think you could vary the output manually, unless I'm missing something?
 
ding76uk said:
If you ever intend to mount on camera make sure you get the Hv as old school vivitars can fry modern cameras
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Mythology. The HV designation just means that it has a connector for a high voltage power supply for faster recycle times it has nothing to do with trigger voltage. I have two non HV 285s which measure 5.6 volts at the contacts.

And most cameras now are rated at 250 volts trigger voltage. Some Sonys, 400 volts.


Steve.
 
Steve Smith said:
Mythology. The HV designation just means that it has a connector for a high voltage power supply for faster recycle times it has nothing to do with trigger voltage. I have two non HV 285s which measure 5.6 volts at the contacts.

And most cameras now are rated at 250 volts trigger voltage. Some Sonys, 400 volts.


Steve.
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Fair enough thanks for clearing up, just what I heard and read on some forums etc., wasn't worth risking it, no point in putting one on a hotshoe anyways really.
 
cosmicma said:
yes but the op is going to use it with a cheap optical trigger and the 700 af can be used manually and has variable output



cheap n cheerful is what he wants :)
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There's no variable output. The sliders on the back tell you what aperture you need based on ISO and zoom.
 
ding76uk said:
just what I heard and read on some forums etc.
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It's quite a common thing. The problem is, people read it and repeat it and everyone ends up believing it.

I think the distinction between the high and low voltage 285s is if they were made in Japan or elsewhere. Unfortunately, I can't remember if the Japanese models are high or low voltage!


Steve.
 
Phil V said:
There's no variable output. The sliders on the back tell you what aperture you need based on ISO and zoom.
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i just dragged one out of the cupboard and your absolutely right you can't vary the power which surprised me i was pretty convinced you could
so forget the 700 af :)
on the other hand you could always go for the cobra D650 that HAS got variable output ( just checked :) )
i think i got a bit mixed up between the 2 i'm gonna have to have to clear that cupboard out one day :(
 
Sunpak 383 super / 36fd.

Brilliant little guns.

I have a box of 6 that haven't been used in a while.
 
i have a 460ii in classifieds just posted it.
 
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