Flash advice?

[st3ph3nm]

Guys, whilst the XA gives me no choice, one day I'll have me a real grownup RF, and in the meantime I still have to use my Pentax ME-Super. I have a dinky Sunpak totally manual flash for this job, and it's very limiting. I noticed a Vivitar 283 recently at a local store, and its been mentioned here before, I believe. What's the story - advantages and disadvantages? I like the pivoting head for bouncing, but what do I look for in a decent flash to use with manual focus/ manual aperture setting cameras?

Cheers and thanks in advance,

Steve

[Poptart]

I have several small elf units and my sunpaks are favorites. The Vivitar 283 became a favorite indie because of its power and accessories. I have a dedicated nikon that swivels and that's nice for bounce flash but you can diffuse any std flash head anyway.

[Frank Granovski]

Go for the 283. I have the 285. Both are great.

Don't leave the batteries inside when the flash's not in use. The batteries drain quickly, I mean real quick.