I noticed a review in one of the popular photo mags about Quantum's new "d" for digital flash. Why does one need a special flash if you go digital? Will the "d" flash work with a film camera?

Oh yeah, if you have not yet made the digital plunge and are looking for ammunition when some know-it-all with a "d" camera starts ragging on you, there is a great article in the latest "Shutterbug" that addresses the problem of digital standardization. Just an FYI comment, not an invitation to war.

Digital Flash = Marketing Spin. OK, there's probably more to it than that, but other than TTL flash modes I think they're pretty similar. IOW, you could use Quantum's non-digital flashes with a digital camera. Of those in particular (looked into them recently), they are very expensive, have more power than a standard shoe-mount flash - but much less than a good-sized (and less expensive) monolight. Of course, a monolight is a completely different tool for a different job. Calumet has new "digital" monolights which (they say) are a little more consistent from exposure to exposure in terms of light output and color temperature. However, I don't think that most people would have a problem with their standard monolights in 99% of situations.

The thing I find wierd about all of the digital flash talk with on-camera flash is that "A" mode seems to be the most accurate. That's the "technology" behind flashes like a Vivitar 283, nothing new. Will Crockett's site has a lot of info on this at www.shootsmarter.com (http://www.shootsmarter.com) They tested a bunch of flashes and found this to be true - but also gave high marks to the Quantum flashes. But by the time you buy the flash, battery and everything else needed, you've spent a grand.

The owner's manual for my Panasonic FZ20 says that some hotshoe flashes use excessive voltages on some contacts. Of course this is followed by a statement that their own flash is the best solution. Since I have a Vivitar 283 I googled around some to try and find some info and didn't find a whole lot. I did find one statement that 283s built after the mid 90s are safe to use on digital cameras but no real further explanation. It seems to me that there may be a bit more than marketing hype involved.

some hotshoe flashes use excessive voltages on some contacts
True - and also a potential problem with some AF film cameras, not just digital. Some cameras can only handle 6v across the contacts but some flashes are over 200v. Hooking up a studio strobe system to an AF camera's PC socket can fry it out too. Wein makes a "Safe Sync" which goes in the camera's hot shoe, between a high-voltage flash and the camera. It also has a PC terminal for strobes. This acts like a buffer and makes the flash safe to use with the camera.