Vivitar DF200 Digital Flash 200

by Vivitar

Product Details

Data Sheet [74kb PDF]

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Product Manual [108kb PDF]

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00009MKJ2
• Item model number: DF200
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 7, 2003

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Features include:

• A universal flash designed for any digital camera with an integral flash
• Acts as a slave to your integral (built-in) digital camera flash
• Learning-mode intelligently profiles your cameras existing flash
• Use with more than one digital camera--just repeat the learning mode
• Four selectable power levels (Full, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16)
• Zoom head with detents (click stops) for wide, mid, telephoto position
• 0 to 90 degree vertical bounce angle
• 0 to 330 degree Horizontal Swivel
• Guide Number 92 (ISO 100/ft) at mid--zoom setting
• Kit includes universal mounting bracket with Quick-Disconnect
• Can be mounted on a universal flash shoe bracket

Product Description

The new Vivitar DF 200 digital flash offers the power and versatility of a 35mm-type unit with an intelligent circuitry that learns from your own camera's flash characteristics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An ideal companion for the lovely Lumix 12x zooms, November 19, 2004

By 

Bob Stout (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vivitar DF200 Digital Flash 200 (Electronics)

Digital cameras seem to be all-or-nothing in the flash department. Either they accept full-featured dedicated flash units, or you're stuck with the built-in flash.

I recently bought the lovely Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 with the outstanding 12X f/2.8 Leica zoom lens. It's a truly wonderful camera, but it's saddled with a wimpy pop-up flash. It has a non-dedicated flash shoe, but you can't use an auxiliary flash along with the pop-up flash. This is a pity, since the pop-up flash has as much built-in intelligence as most serious dedicated flashes - it's just not very powerful.

The DF200 is an almost perfect match for the FZ20! Although it mounts using a shoe, it's really a slave flash. You attach the included flash bracket to the camera base and slip the DF200 into the shoe. You then either tell it, or let it learn by itself whether your camera uses preflash and, if so, how many pulses. Having done this, you're ready to go. As a slave, it obediently flashes for exactly the same length of time as the pop-up flash, only with significantly more power. This not only buys you greater flash range, but also increases the charge life of the camera's battery. As with most competent flashes, it adjusts in two axes, enabling easy bounce flash.

Is it perfect? Of course not! It's mildly annoying, after owning a 35 mm system with a dedicated zoom flash, to have to adjust the flash angle manually. I also have to agree, it fairly screams "cheap plastic!" Still, it works as advertised at a very attractive price point (certainly a better deal than Panasonic's wimpy and overpriced companion flash!) Ignoring cosmetics, it's a uniquely useful and ingenious solution to a problem facing many digital camera owners. My rating is 5 stars minus one for the build quality.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Extremely poor quality, February 2, 2005

By 

SH in Tampa "SPH" (Tampa FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vivitar DF200 Digital Flash 200 (Electronics)

I purchased this flash in November. It worked fine for the first two weeks. Then it began to fire randomly, even without a triggering flash. Finally by January the slave circuitry failed and it no longer detects the flash from any of three cameras that I have used it with.

When it worked, it appeared to a pretty good flash but it did not last more than a couple of months of very light use (never even left the home).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It works with canon powershot digital elphs, July 16, 2005

By 

Y. Leung (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vivitar DF200 Digital Flash 200 (Electronics)

Pro: I like the fact that you can mount this one with the camera and then on to a tripod. I don't think others can do that. Cycles fast. Works well with the powershot s230 that I have when set to "2 flash" trigger. The training mode seems to work as well.

Con: Does not have a working hotshoe contact - works only by seeing a flash. So don't expect to use it on a camera with a hotshoe. Cannot be triggered manually. I was hoping to trigger it manually during long shutters without using the camera's own flash. It is also quite bulky. Cannot mount on tripod by itself without mounting it to the bracket first - making it look strange and un-balanced if you want to set it away from the camera.