Canon and old flash unit

[reid506]

I have a Canon EOS Rebel XT digital camera and an older (from the 70s or 80s - can't remember, it was my dad's) Vivitar auto thyristor 283 flash unit. I'm reading in my Canon manual about non-Canon flash units and notice it says "do not attach a high-voltage flash unit on the camera's hot shoe. It might not work." Is that Vivitar flash unit considered high-voltage? I put this thing on my hot shoe and tried to take a photo but it would not flash. I do have a wire that goes with the flash unit but don't see anywhere on my camera to plug that wire into. Will these really not work together or am I doing something wrong? Thank you and sorry for the long post. - Reid

[OsmosisStudios]

Do yourself a favour: dont do that again.

Chances are what you have is similar to the Vivitar 285 units, which WERE high voltage and can seriously damage the camera body.

[reid506]

Thank you and I won't do that again. I believe you're correct, it is like the 285, I have one of those too and they look about the same. I didn't know it could mess up the camera. I had been told in the past, by someone working in a camera store, not to plug that wire into the camera (the wire that can plug into the flash unit and into the camera) but I thought they said the hot shoe was okay. Thanks again.

[inkista]

Yeah, those two are known dangerous flashes. The newer 285HV is safe. But both the old 283 and 285 have been measured at well over 250V (the 283 at 270V, the 285 at 350V), which is the limit for most dSLR hotshoes these days (if you have a first-generation Canon dSLR, like a D300, it's even worse. Those were rated at 6V).

If it's a more recent flash and you think it might be safe, do yourself a favor and actually measure with a voltmeter before slapping it on the hotshoe, or invest in a Wein SafeSync.

[reid506]

Well, it's definitely not a flash unit from anytime recent. It's definitely from either the late 70s or early 80s but most likely the 70s. I have no idea what generation my Canon is, all I know is EOS Rebel XT. It's a work camera and it was assigned to me in about 2006. So how do I know if the camera is messed up from the flash? It still works as far as I can tell. Would it just not work at all or would certain functions not work - if you know. Thanks.

[inkista]

If your camera's working fine, and the pop-up flash is ok, and using a current Canon flash, like a 430EX or 580EX works fine, you're ok. The XT is 250V-limited. The first generation would be the 300D. The XT is the 350D.

[reid506]

Cool, thank you. I don't have a current Canon flash but I am now in the market for a used updated Canon flash. Thanks again for all the information.