Customer Reviews

VIVITAR DEDICATED E-TTL SPEEDLIGHT BOUNCE ZOOM SWIVEL FLASH FOR CANON POWERSHOT G7 G9 G10 G11 G12 A640 A650 S5 IS S3 IS SX20 IS SX20 SX1 IS SX Includes Flash Diffuser + Free Mini Tripod + BP MicroFiber Cleaning Cloth

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Limited in what I could spend, I found many of the external flash units to be just waaaaaay overpriced for my wallet. I recently purchased the Canon PowerShot SX20IS camera with the 20x zoom. The flip-up flash is okay, but limited in what it can do without ruining portrait shots and indoor scenes. Canon's on-line store wanted upwards of $300 and up for Speedlights that don't have the features on this proven unit. I paid just under $100 and got free shipping. The head swivels from side to side, up and down and zooms out to accomodate a wide array of lighting situations. I added a $15 diffuser to soften the light and I was in business. I'm very pleased with the DF-283 (also available for other leading camera makes) and it does what I WANT. Are there better units? Of course! I'm not a professional photographer and see no logical reason to spend more on a flash that could easily exceed what I paid for the freakin' camera!

I am not a professional photographer, not even close, however I take many many photos of my little one indoors. I also got talked into shooting a friend's wedding, and I knew my camera (Canon SX10 IS) does not perform well in low light conditions, and I wasn't about to pay a ridiculous amount of money for a hot shoe flash. This flash saved my bacon, and at a price that was more than worth it. It did everything I needed it to...it swiveled, and I could bounce the flash. It produced a fairly natural light considering the conditions. I took off a star, really only half a star, because the thing looks ridiculously big on a camera, and is quite heavy. Still, I'm very happy with it and at the price it's a steal.

I purchased one of these in March and it wonly worked during three sessions with my camera. The seller, Video Camera Center in Florida, agreed to exchange it after much pressure from me. The new one they sent also only worked after a few uses in only a few weeks. Now Amazon tells me that I have to go back to the seller to rectify this. I paid $100 plus $8 to ship the first one back and Amazon acts like they never did business with me. It's absolutely ridiculous that Amazon will not stand by their product and treats me like I'm someone elses customer and not theirs. The charge against my credit card was from Amazon, not their "seller". I bought it from the Amazon website, not Video Camera Center in Florida. People should be very caustious if the're purchasing from Amazon's "sellers" and not directly from Amazon. In the event of a poor product it only creates massive runaround for the "customer". I'm no longer an Amazon customer. It cost me $108 to learn this awful lesson. Caveat emptor!!

It was my first wedding photography job ever and I was excited! I carefully looked into different flashes and finally ordered this one. At first I was delighted with my purchase and used it with pride. But then disaster struck. Halfway through the wedding, as I was taking family portraits to be exact, the flash stopped working. It did not break nor did the batteries die, it just stopped working. Frustrated, I took the flash off my camera and hoped it would work later. I didn't. I had to do my best with just my camera and I wasn't happy with how the pictures turned out.

So I returned it promptly and recieved a new flash, this same one again, hoping the for better results.

I used it a few times, and I was satisfied that it worked. BUT then once again, I had a family photoshoot and right before I left I tested the flash out to get it ready and it didn't work. At all. AT ALL!

Infuriated, I took the flash off and vowed never to buy this product again. I'm going go with something that actually works next time.

Save yourself the trouble, and go with a different flash.

The End.

I bought this product in january and it came without the laser focusing thing. after 2 weeks the flash stoped working. The store said it's the manufacturer's waranty so I called and send it back to vivitar. it's been over 2 months since I'm waiting for the repaired or new flash to come. i'm calling them 2-3 times a week and I get the same response... in a couple of days.
the flash looks and feels cheep and the only advantage is that it swivels.
i wouldn't recomand this product to enyone.