So i've been reading the threads in the flash section, and I was wondering would my m6ttl be affected if i mounted either a vivitar 2800 or a vivitar 283 directly onto the camera?

thanks in advance, ken

-- Ken Kwok (kkwok@stanford.edu), December 08, 2001

Answers

Ken - are you worried about weight? or about screwing up the elctronics? I use a Vivitar 2800 on non-metered M bodies and the flash doesn't bend the top plates or anything and syncs very nicely through the hot shoes. Balance is OK - it's more compact than the 283/285s and fairly light.

Don't know about the M6 TTL electronics, but the 2800 doesn't have the extra TTL contacts, just the central sync contact, so I can't see it feeding any voltage into places it shouldn't go.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), December 08, 2001.

The weight will not be a problem on the TTL though I would recommend using a cable to get the flash off the camera for better lighting. However the TTL uses electronics to trigger the flash so you do have to watch your flash's sync voltage. Early 283s can have a sync voltage as high as 250+ volts. This is OK with the mechanical switch in the M6 and older M cameras but MAY fry the electronics of the TTL. Newer versions of the 283 and 285 have sync voltages in the 10 to 20 volt range. This is what you want for your TTL. It also is much easier on the mechanical contacts in the other M cameras as it reduces arcing but the higher sync voltage flashes will fire even if the contacts are oxidized. Six of one half a dozen of the other.

How do you test your flashes sync voltage? Simple, turn it on and let it charge the capacitor until a minute after the ready light comes on. Then put a good quality voltmeter across the contacts in the flash's foot.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), December 08, 2001.

I'm worried about knocking the rangefinder out of alignment, actually.

-- Ken Kwok (kkwok@stanford.edu), December 08, 2001.

The shoe actually isn't bolted to the top plate--it's bolted to a big hunk of metal directly underneath, which is bolted to the main structural block of the camera. If you ever bend anything you're going to wish you'd never got the idea of putting anything in the shoe in the first place.

I hang a Vivitar 283 on my camera, and haven't yet had a problem, but I'm VERY careful about what I bump into! I suspect the whole system is built to hold a professional flash, which would, in many cases be the 283, but I suspect that if you damage something it's going to be fatal.

-- Michael Darnton (mdarnton@hotmail.com), December 08, 2001.