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Flash unit for stereo



Michael D'Abrosca writes:

>I am using  Realist and Revere cameras and want to start using flash, 
>both for indoor illumination and outside fill-in flash.
>
>I checked the various strobes that I have lying around and they all seem 
>to have a guide number of 60. This will do in a pinch (f/8-5.6 at 7 ft. 
>w/ASA 64), but I'd like to use something brighter. I do not want a 
>monster strobe, but maybe someone out there can trim down my search by 
>letting me know about the existence of a smallish higher-powered unit. 

I'm using a Vivitar 283 flash unit with my stereo cameras.  This is a handy
sized unit that gives me everything I need.  Guide number is 120.  It has
four aperture settings on automatic, these being f/2.8, f/4, f/8, and f/11
with an ASA 100 film.  Manual operation too, of course, and it has an
electroluminescent calculator dial on the side.  It's thyristorized, so it
has a nice short recycling time and is easy on batteries.  It has a tilt
head as well, and comes with the PC cord you need for your hot-shoe adapter.
Various other accessories are available for it too.

And it's reasonably priced--I paid $64.95 plus shipping (B&H Photo in New
York, probably about the same at most other mail-order photo stores).  I
doubt you can do better than the Vivitar 283 for your purposes.  It's been
around for years; its continuing popularity has made it practically a cult
classic.

>How about using an old flash bulb unit? Are flash bulbs still available?!?

I thought they went out with buggy whips.    :-)

>I have bought an adapter from Reel 3D, which seems to fit both cameras. I 
>plan to shoot test rolls of Ektachrome 100 (I religiously use Kodachrome 
>64, but I want a quick test for a special outdoor event this weekend) and 
>have it 1-hour processed locally. 

Try Fujichrome 100, too.  I think it's great; it's become my standard slide
film for stereo and flat photography both.

>I am assuming that I need less 
>brilliance for fill-in flash than with full indoor shooting, but my tests 
>will tell. I can handle manual flash computations; my local camera shop 
>sez that automatic settings don't handle fill-in flash.

I wouldn't think so either, with this non-dedicated type of automatic flash
unit, but I've never really tried it. 


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