Help with Vivitar 272 Thyristor for show tomorrow

[cher237]

Hello All! I hope someone can help...

I recently purchased a Canon AE1...I know I know...I'm going back quite aways....however....with the kind of photography I do...until I can drop about $2000 for a digital set up...I'm have to use this. (Actually I'm loving it; beautiful pictures!)

Along with that, I have a flash unit; a Vivitar 272 Thyristor. I've never used a flash like this.

Tomorrow night, I will be shooting a show indoor a church; not 100% sure of the lighting but typical for an indoor concert probably.

My questions are this: First of all, there's a small slide thing just above where you were attach the flash to the hotshoe. It either shows M or 3 colors; yellow, red or blue. What does it mean? And what should it be on?

Second, there is a small dial on the side. Looks like I can set it for an ASA of 400 but no higher. Also there are f stops on the top of the dial...but I'm honestly not sure if I need to change this much. Can anyone offer a little insight into this as well?

Also, I can adjust the flash based on angle; 45, 60, etc. All flashes I've ever shot with have been straight ahead. When would I change the angle? What would the results be?

If anyone can give me a bit of insight into this flash I would GREATLY appreciate it. And the show is tomorrow at 6 so I'll be checking back to see if anyone can help.

Thanks so much!!!!

[Asylum Steve]

Welcome to the site...

"It either shows M or 3 colors; yellow, red or blue. What does it mean? And what should it be on?.."

That slide adjusts the flash sensor to its different settings. M = manual (this is full power and bypasses the thyristor feature - don't use this unless you have a flash meter). The colors are the various lens f/stop settings and depending what you set it at will give you different auto flash distance ranges.

I don't have a 272 but on my 283 the yellow is the widest, then the f/stops get smaller as you go towards blue. I'd assume your flash is the similar.

"Second, there is a small dial on the side. Looks like I can set it for an ASA of 400 but no higher. Also there are f stops on the top of the dial...but I'm honestly not sure if I need to change this much. Can anyone offer a little insight into this as well?.."

Yeah, most of the Vivitar units only go to ISO 400. So, you set the ASA dial to match your film ISO, and you use the f/stop markings on the dial to choose what distance range you want the auto-thyristor to cover, then set the slide on the front's color to match that range, then set your camera lens on that same f/stop.

The reasons you would change the f/stop setting might be because you want a different flash range, or maybe you want to change the depth-of-field in the shot...

"Also, I can adjust the flash based on angle; 45, 60, etc. All flashes I've ever shot with have been straight ahead. When would I change the angle? What would the results be?..."

This bounces the flash, which will give you different lighting effects. If you haven't used bounce flash before, I'd be careful using it at an important event (especially with film, where you won't see the result right away). Still, you might want to experiment on some variation shots or throwaways to see later what the effect was.

Bouncing the light, either off the ceiling or sideways off a wall will soften it and give you less harsh shadows behind your subjects. If you're in auto mode with the flash, you shouldn't have to worry about exposure, as the auto-thyristor will compensate for the extra distance the light has to travel. Just be sure the sensor on the front of the flash is always pointing at your subject.

Remember, with auto-thyristor flashes, you want to be sure to fully charge the thyristor before you use it. This means, after turning the flash on, let it charge (should be a rising tone signal then maybe a steady beep) and fire the flash at full power. Repeat this at least three or four times.

Have fun...

[cher237]

Thank you Steve! I'll get my pictures back this week and will get to see how your suggestions and info turned out. I appreciate it!!