The Vivitar 285HV flash has been around for nearly thirty years. Introduced all the way back in 1972, the Vivitar 285HV has seen use for a long time as a reliable strobe flash with a fair amount of power. While Vivitar stopped producing the unit for a while, a strong secondhand market developed on eBay.

Fast-forward to 2007. Prices for the Vivitar 285HV remained high on eBay, SLR prices were falling, and blogs like Strobist helped to spur interest in flash photography. The folks at Vivitar decided to break out the old workhorse again and started cranking out the 285HVs for a new generation.

The Vivitar 285HV has been updated for the modern age - in one way, at least. Older Vivitar 285HV flashes could generate more than 6v of electricity when fired, a level higher than many modern digital cameras could handle. This could lead to a fried hot shoe, and an angry photographer who isn’t going to be delving any further into flash photography for the foreseeable future. But there’s nothing to worry about with the new Vivitar 285HV model as it has been certified as safe for all digital cameras, topping out at 5.9v.

Besides that change, the Vivitar 285HV remains charmingly anachronistic in appearance. None of the rounded edges and LCD screens common on the new high-end Canon and Nikon flashes — the Vivitar 285HV is build like a big brick and looks like one too. While the Vivitar 285HV body is constructed out of plastic, don’t mistake the heft of the unit. I wouldn’t worry too strongly about tossing a Vivitar 285HV in a bag and going - this thing is built to last awhile.

The Vivitar 285HV doesn’t support E-TTL II or E-TTL, although the unit does have a small dial in front for an automatic setting. Largely, the 285HV unit is meant to be set manually. There’s a dial on the side for the photographer to program in distance and ASA/ISO settings, and the flash adjusts accordingly. In front, a second setting allows you to dial down the Vivitar 285HV flash power incrementally, allowing the Vivitar 285HV to be used as a fill flash or an accent light fairly easily. Still, there may be a learning curve for the Vivitar 285HV. If the idea of fiddling around with settings to get the results you want is a turn-off, you’d be better off looking at an automatic flash.

The Vivitar 285HV head rotates vertically up to 90 degrees, enabling you to use it as a bounce flash. This is less than ideal, as the Vivitar 285HV can’t be used to bounce off a side wall, but it’s serviceable. The Vivitar 285HV head also zooms between a wide, normal and zoom setting, giving you a bit more control over the light. Vivitar also includes a diffusion panel with the Vivitar 285HV, enabling the flash to reach a “super-wide setting.” It’s a nice touch, but the panel is exceedingly easy to misplace.

Recycle time is decent for the Vivitar 285HV, but don’t expect it to be in the league of the flagship Nikon or Canon flashes. The Vivitar 285HV flash runs off of four AA batteries. Vivitar sells a proprietary power pack as well.

One nice touch the Vivitar 285HV has that is missing from many more expensive models is a slot to insert gels over the flash head. This allows you to switch gels in and out on the fly, adjusting for lighting conditions quickly. There still isn’t much there to latch them in, so it may be good to buffer your gel up with gaffer’s tape to make sure they stay in the Vivitar 285HV unit.

The best part of the Vivitar 285HV is the price. It’s available new for under $100 from almost any major camera store. That’s a lot of flash for the money. You don’t get the bells and whistles of an ETT-L II model but you get something that can perform just as well with a little more work. The Vivitar 285HV is not the best flash on the market by any means - the limited rotation of the flash head makes using it as a bounce flash fairly limiting. But many will find the Vivitar 285HV to be flash enough.

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