Customer Reviews

Vivitar DF-383 DEDICATED ETTL LCD Flash w/ LCD Display Includes Flash Diffuser For Nikon DSLR Cameras Cleaning Kit MicroFiber Cleaning Cloth

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've had this flash for awhile now and I am very happy with it. I particularly like that it can also be a wireless slave unit. The built-in diffuser and reflector also come in handy and work better than I expected. It also is a little smaller than the flash I had before but has more functions and works better. The digital read out is also pretty awesome. Overall, a great flash for the price. Why pay more? I highly recommend.

This is a very reliable unit, I have tried a Nikon SB600 and both of them have similars power output, the only inconvenience that I did find with this unit is the "arcaic" controls, but regarding its performance, on e-ttl mode it works "ok" with a Nikon D5000 and with a Nikon D7000. Its recycle time would work for the average photographer.

Another concern that I had was that it smell very weird (like burning gunpowder) on the first flashes that I triggered, after 1-2 days of normal use, it's work very fine and there is no smell of gunpowder.

Recommended if you can not afford a SB600.

I started with a nikon SB-600 flash and bought a Vivitar 383 as a backup. The 383 has plenty of power but you better be able to bump down ISO or close down your aperture since it has very limited range for lower flash settings. It doesn't turn off when you turn off the camera, and the high pitched noise it makes when it charges up is beyond annoying. The swivel on the head is the only feature that puts it above the old Vivitar 283 I used 30 years ago and I broke 2 of them off my camera back in the day due to hard to replace plastic mounts, still cheaper than breaking off the top of the camera. I gave it 5 stars only due to the lower price and am hoping that the occasional non-firing will stop once I use the flash more. If I think something is going to get broken off, I'm taking the Vivitar, otherwise, the Nikon is going with me.

That's how long it lasted. After seven flashes the capacitor stopped charging, or even attempting to charge; everything else still works (metering, zoom, and whatnot) but a flash that doesn't flash isn't really a flash. Up until that point it worked fine, but a seven flash service life isn't really what I'm looking for in a speedlight.

This fully automatic dedicated LCD Flash is offered with a variety of flash foot configurations (order the one that fits your camera) for top of the line professional level Digital cameras. Vivitar has for a long time offered high quality camera accessories for the most discriminating photographers at all levels and at very competitive prices. This unit fits my Nikon D700 professional camera like a glove and instantly syncs up to the cameras processor for perfect pictures everytime. The swivel head rotates side to side and up and down for great bounce flash creativity and has an onboard slide out diffuser that conveniently converts the flash to softer light needed on those indoor family shots. A quick press of the telephoto button changes the prism setting from wide angle to normal or telephoto. This is a very versatile, easy to manage, well thought out flash system at a very reasonable cost that does all the flash photography photography calculations for you. Point and shoot and never miss action again. Vivitar DF383 Digital TTL Shoe Mount Power Zoom /Swivel /Bounce Auto-Focus Flash for Nikon TTL, Guide Number 45m (147')

I've tried this flash with my Nikon D3100. It works beautifully. The charging is quick, efficient & not noisy. The light is white & very strong so that you need to mode it down to 1/8 or 1/16 for domestic use. I've not used it to the full capacity (1/1) yet. But I'm confident it would exceed my expectations.
The slave function works fine too. It does not need a cable. Highly reommended at a reasonable price. Make sure that you order the right kind. Vivitar makes them dedicated to Canon, Pentax, Sony, Olympus or maybe some others.

I bought this to go on my Nikon D3000 to use with my 300mm lens. Works very well in large rooms, fills nicely, and works well the the TTL. I also use it with my 15-55mm lens, and works great with that as well, eliminating the shadows behind the subject.

I bought this to replace my Nikon SB600 which crapped out a month after the warranty expired. Nikon offered to repair the Sb600 for $190! So here is a great flash for $130 new. It works great and will even operate as a slave flash

I'm not sure what I'm missing by not spending 3x the money for the Nikon flashes, but this flash has all the controls I need at this stage of the game. As a slave I haven't had it misfire yet. I also use it with a remote wireless trigger and it works like a charm. Might get another one soon.

Shipping speed is excellent. Got it on the "first" date that it was estimated to arrive by.

Box is neat. Nice extras. I didn't try the lens cleaning solution yet, but I will make additions if problem arises with using said solution. The microfiber cloth is pretty good quality.

[...]
(the cleaning solution and q-tips comes with it, but not the other three items)

[...]
like I said, the microfiber cloths are nice

Now, to the actual product.
Construction: It's plastic, kinda like the plastic for a "dumb" phone. Decent build. I'm afraid to drop it on grass from 4feet though.

Usability:
at full power, recharge time is about 1 second, for a 3 second burst, once the "ready" light (which shines red) is on.
But with the power decreased to half (1/2 setting), recharge time is faster.
Went down to 1/4 power, recharge time is less that half a , but stops after 12 flashes or so.
Do you see where I'm going with this?

Bounce and swivel head is excellent. It sticks into place, not as stiff as SB600 and so on, but does the job.

The built-in diffuser is a godsend. It makes pictures much more natural. The built-in reflector however, I can not see much effect it has with the flash (with or without the diffuser on)

I did not try the slave part of it. So I can't say much on that.