cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Power Slave Flash

HalfBreed
Apprentice

I just got my Canon Rebel T5 D1200, it came with a Vivitar VIV-SF-3000 Flash Unit. When I try to use it, it's not working, I've tried all the modes (normal-slave) also when I push the test button, it doesn't flash right away, sometimmes it takes a few times pressing to get it to work, when I go to flash settings the ext. settings say menu not avaible in this mode, I can put it on the hot shoe and it doesn't flash there either, is the Vivitar 3000 compatiable with my T5? 

 

Technical Specifications

UPC:6-81066-68018-6
Dimensions500"x850"x150"
Weight034lbs
Compatible with

Canon Powershot A1200
Powershot A1200IS
Powershot A2200
Powershot A300IS
Powershot A3100IS
Powershot A3200IS
Powershot A490
Powershot A495
Powershot A800
Powershot D10
Powershot ELPH 100 HS
Powershot ELPH 300 HS
Powershot ELPH 500 HS
Powershot G12
Powershot S95
Powershot SD 1300 IS
Powershot SD 1400 IS
Powershot SD 4000 IS
Powershot SX130IS
Powershot SX20IS
Powershot SX210IS
Powershot SX220IS
Powershot SX230IS
Powershot SX30IS

Rebel T5 not showing in this list.

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

"...  weird Canon would send it if it's not for the camera."

 

HalfBreed,

First off, Canon did NOT send it.  Some less than 'stellar' retailer did.  If you can, return it.  It will never work well and will always be a problem.

IMHO, I never recommend people buy these cheap 3rd world flashes.  A real deal Canon flash like the 430EX costs more but you get more.  Even the best of the cheapo's are just stolen from Canon copies.  I know they are tempting because of their price but you do get what you pay for.

So, if you can, return the outfit and buy one from a reputable dealer.  IE, Best Buy, B&H, Adorama, Cosco, etc.  Shy away from Amazon and eBay unless you knw exactly what you are getting.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

View solution in original post

7 REPLIES 7

Skirball
Authority

That's an odd list of cameras.  Those all look like powershot cameras, which don't have a hotshoe.  Yet the flash looks like it has a hotshoe.

 

First off, the online reviews of that flash aren't great.  It's claim to fame is being cheap.  Not much else.  But it was presumably "free", so it is, what it is.

 

There looks to be two ways of using the flash.  In the hotshoe, and off-camera as a slave.  in the hotshoe should be simple.  You put it in the hotshoe, make sure it's properly seated, and use a non-full auto shooting mode, just to make sure the camera doesn't disable flash.  Any time you take a picture the flash should fire.  If that's not working then either the flash doesn't work, there's an issue with the contacts, or the batteries.

 

As a slave you use your camera's flash to trigger it.  The front of the flash (or whereever the sensor is) should be pointing in the general vicinity of the flash.  Once the Vivitar senses a bright flash it in turn flashes.

I got the Vivitar 3000 in a Canon Rebel T5 package, when I looked over the cameras that it's compatiable with the T5 isn't on the list... weird Canon would send it if it's not for the camera.  I'm looking into getting another as soon as I can afford it, spent a bundle on this bundle. Thanks for your time !!!

"...  weird Canon would send it if it's not for the camera."

 

HalfBreed,

First off, Canon did NOT send it.  Some less than 'stellar' retailer did.  If you can, return it.  It will never work well and will always be a problem.

IMHO, I never recommend people buy these cheap 3rd world flashes.  A real deal Canon flash like the 430EX costs more but you get more.  Even the best of the cheapo's are just stolen from Canon copies.  I know they are tempting because of their price but you do get what you pay for.

So, if you can, return the outfit and buy one from a reputable dealer.  IE, Best Buy, B&H, Adorama, Cosco, etc.  Shy away from Amazon and eBay unless you knw exactly what you are getting.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

When you buy a Canon camera, what Canon sells you is listed here:  http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_rebel_t5_18_55_is_ii_kit#Box...

 

Everything else came from someone other than Canon.  Sometimes there's an offer to get 2 lenses instead of just one.

 

But when you start seeing things added to the package such as tripods, filters, flashes, and other items...not only do those not come from Canon, they typically only come from ...  let's just call them less-than-impressive retailers who are trying to pump up the perceived value of the sale by throwing in a log of junk-quality accessories that you would never actually spend money to buy if you could have inspected it prior to purchase.  Some of the worst I see are the ones that tell you the camera comes with 4 or 5 different "lenses" only to discover that apart from the Canon factory lens, the rest are really just screw-on "filters" or "adapters" and not only are they optically junk, I've read numerous posts from people say that after they screw the "lens" on (to the front of their real lens), it jams and they cannot remove it without damaging the real lens.  <sigh>

 

I generally advise buyers to stay away from these "bundles" or "packages".  

 

When you buy a new camera, everything you need to start taking photographs is in the box EXCEPT for a memory card (you will have to get one of those on your own.)

 

I do buy from Amazon (I realize ebiggs just said he avoids them).  But recognize there are two Amazons... there's "Amazon" and then there's "Amazon Marketplace".  The latter means you're buying from an independent seller who leverages Amazon's website (and sometimes even pays a percentage to have Amazon fulfill their orders) but an Amazon Marketplace seller could get their products from anywhere.  Amazon will tell you who the real seller is when you look at a specific item.   Usually just below the price tag and the text that tells you if it's in stock you'll see the words "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com" vs. "Ships from and sold by ________" (insert some other merchant's name).

 

Lastly... I DO want to point out that there's really something to be said for the good old-fashioned local neighborhood camera store.  I don't mean the big-box store that happens to sell cameras... I am referring to stores that are in business exclusively to sell camera and camera gear AND are not part of a national chain.   There are just a few of these left in my city.  It's been my experience that the person behind the counter really is a photographer and actually does know something about the gear they are selling (not always, but often).  And if THAT individual can't answer a question... they often have someone with 50' that they can walk over to ask.  This means if you have a question about a product (before or even after the sale) you can ask a real person.  If you think your camera is doing something it shouldn't do... you could actually take it to the store and ask them if it's normal.  

 

Tim Campbell
5D III, 5D IV, 60Da


@Skirball wrote:

That's an odd list of cameras.  Those all look like powershot cameras, which don't have a hotshoe.  Yet the flash looks like it has a hotshoe.

 

First off, the online reviews of that flash aren't great.  It's claim to fame is being cheap.  Not much else.  But it was presumably "free", so it is, what it is.

 

There looks to be two ways of using the flash.  In the hotshoe, and off-camera as a slave.  in the hotshoe should be simple.  You put it in the hotshoe, make sure it's properly seated, and use a non-full auto shooting mode, just to make sure the camera doesn't disable flash.  Any time you take a picture the flash should fire.  If that's not working then either the flash doesn't work, there's an issue with the contacts, or the batteries.

 

As a slave you use your camera's flash to trigger it.  The front of the flash (or whereever the sensor is) should be pointing in the general vicinity of the flash.  Once the Vivitar senses a bright flash it in turn flashes.


The oddness of the list suggests that the flash doesn't do E-TTL. EOS cameras (the recent ones, anyway) seem to do E-TTL and manual only. Maybe the Vivitar would work in manual mode. How you'd connect it without a hotshoe is another matter. A cable maybe?

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA

It has a hot-shoe foot, it isn't working on it or by slave. I turn it on and put in normal mode, put it in the hot-shoe and nothiong happens when pic. is taken, I put it in slave mode and it won't flash that way either. I can press the test button on the back in any mode and it will only flash once after pressing the test button several times. I think the thing is not compatiable with the Canon T5 D1200. --- 

SF-3000
Digital Slave Flash

The Vivitar SF3000 Slave Flash can be used for both direct hot shoe photography
(when switched to ""Normal Mode"") and remote flash photography
(when switched to ""Slave On"") This flash also features four slave modes that allow it to work with cameras that fire their built in flash instantaneously
or cameras that have a single or multiple flash red eye reduction system


@HalfBreed wrote:

It has a hot-shoe foot, it isn't working on it or by slave. I turn it on and put in normal mode, put it in the hot-shoe and nothiong happens when pic. is taken, I put it in slave mode and it won't flash that way either. I can press the test button on the back in any mode and it will only flash once after pressing the test button several times. I think the thing is not compatiable with the Canon T5 D1200. --- 

SF-3000
Digital Slave Flash

The Vivitar SF3000 Slave Flash can be used for both direct hot shoe photography
(when switched to ""Normal Mode"") and remote flash photography
(when switched to ""Slave On"") This flash also features four slave modes that allow it to work with cameras that fire their built in flash instantaneously
or cameras that have a single or multiple flash red eye reduction system


It's a reasonable bet that "normal" mode on the Vivitar means "manual". And if so, it should be able to work with your T5. But if the T5 works like other EOS cameras I've used, its default mode is E-TTL (or E-TTL II). And since the Vivitar evidently doesn't support E-TTL, you'd presumably have to set the camera's external flash setting to manual for it to work as intended. So at least try that before you give up on the Vivitar.

 

Even if it works, you may not like the result and may decide to replace the Vivitar with an E-TTL-compatible unit. But at least you'll know where you stand.

Bob
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
Announcements