Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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119 of 120 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Flash Unit, December 17, 2004
I bought this flash unit for my Fuji Finepix 602. Unfortunately, for digital camera owners, this flash will make your rig a little "top heavy". However, if you want a decent flash unit, get used to it.
Nice thing about using an external flash is it has its own batteries, so your batteries in your camera will last longer. Also, the viewfinder doesn't "black out" while the flash is recharging (which is good).
I use this flash in auto mode, and as a "fill flash".
For fill flash, I just use my normal exposure settings on the camera, and put the flash on manual and either 1/16 power or 1/8 power (essentially adding one or two stops of light into the scene). The fill flash brings the subject out away from the background and gives the picture a nice contrasty look.
If its fairly dark, I just use the Auto setting. Basically, you can choose three apertures depending on the ISO setting your using. The Flash sync speed is 1/1000th of a second, so I just set my camera to manual, and set the speed to 1/1000. Then, depending on your ISO setting, the back of the flash will recommend which F stop to use, and how far the light will throw.
I usually use 1/1000th of a second, F2.8, ISO 200, which gives me about 60 feet of coverage. I can also use the F5.6 setting for medium distance settings, and F11 setting for "intimate" flash settings where the subject is close.
All in all, this is a very usable flash at a very reasonable price. I get about 80 shots out of a set of four NimH 2300mah rechargeables before the flash starts losing power a little, however I have taken well over 130 shots out of this flash using one set and still got some juice out of it.
The flash has a swiveling head which is cool for "bouncing". You can point the flash at the ceiling, set it on manual, the work out the right power to light the room. Bounced flash looks so cool, like a magazine picture.
I'm giving you, the potential flash buyer, lots of info about how to use this flash. Although the manual is pretty good with the product, it really doesn't do justice to the complexity of understanding light, exposure, and how flash fits into the picture (mind the pun).
Probably why so many people avoid using a flash, when it is really an invaluable tool.
Take your photography to the next level and get the Sunpak, its short money for the difference it will make in your photography.
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67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great affordable semi-auto flash, February 26, 2007
I am a great proponent of the older flash technology that the SunPak 383 represents. It's inexpensive, powerful, versatile, provides reliable service and makes excellent, well exposed photos.
What a lot of people don't realize is that these Thyristor based units are semi-automatic flash units. How it works is as follows.
1) you set your camera to manual exposure, and set your ISO on camera.
2) You set the ISO on the flash unit and it will give you a choice of 3 or 4 f/stop settings(the aperture) and the distances that the flash will be effective at that f/stop.
3) You set the aperture (f/stop) on the camera and then set the camera's shutter to the fastest stutter speed that will synchronize with flash units. (In your camera manual).
4) Start taking pictures. The thyristor acts as a light meter and when it calculates that adequate light has hit the subject, it shuts the flash down. (calculations based on f/stop, distance and ISO settings).
Even bounce flash is well exposed because the Thyristor window always points forward. So if you point the flash head to the ceiling for a more natural light, the thyristor window is still aimed at the subject.
True, they are not foolproof, but very little in this life IS foolproof Including the FULL Auto Flash units). So you do need to practice a bit before shooting something important.
These things work great and the 383 is one of the best. Many wedding and commercial photographers use them because they are reliable, powerful, cheap, and they work with ANY camera that can manually set the f/stop and shutter speed.
I use my 383 with my Olympus E500 DSLR camera and the pictures are great. Hope this helps.
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58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Affordable Flash, January 23, 2007
I have a Panasonic Lumix FZ50 digital camera and, when I use the wide angle extension on my lens, I can't use the intrnal flash (the lens casts a shadow). So, I began shopping for a flash. I was shocked when I saw the prices of the Panasonic flashes for this camera ($300 and $500). After searching the Internet, I found the Sunpack 383 flash. I was a little nervous buying it. I worried it might not sync well or have some defect since the price was so much lower. Well, I received the flash, slipped it onto my camera's hot shoe, and it works beautifully. No glitches and the results are great. I particularily like the 3 automatic settings -- maximum distance, intermediate distance and maximum depth of field. It also has a great bounce flash head that can be pointed in any direction. Reference marks give the exact angle of the bounce. I'm very happy with this purchased and thrilled that I saved quite a bit of money.
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