Re: Query re Flashguns in the UK

Michael J Davis <?.?@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>I made more use of my flashgun (a simple tilt head gun costing £25 about
>five years ago) at a conference over the past weekend than I have over
>the past couple of years. It made me wonder if a 'better' gun would be
>worth the effort. So I did a web search for 'recommended' guns.
>
>Apart from TTL guns for my gear (especially Metz), two that were highly
>commended were:
>
>        Vivitar 285HV   (on sale in the USA at $89)
>        Sunpak 383
>
>However, a Google search indicates that neither appear to be on sale in
>the UK.
>
>I quite like the Vivitar as it has a (manual) zoom.
>
>Although I'm not immediately looking for one, I am baffled at the
>absence of two well known brands in the UK. Has anyone any explanations?


Probably the fact that almost all new cameras, both compact and DSLR,
have built-in flashguns.  Plus the fact that high-tech dedicated flash
guns are (arguably) needed to get the best results from digital.
Vivitar and Sunpak are low end brands that don't offer dedication to
the latest DSLR auto flash systems.

You will find that the camera brand flashguns plus Metz dedicated
flashguns now cover most of the market.  

Having said that, I still shoot weddings with a Canon EOS 5D plus a
Metz 45CL4 set to non-TTL non-dedicated "Auto".  The results are
consistent and predictable, whereas a Canon flashgun and/or a Metz
flashgun dedicated to the Canon E-TTL system give some wayward
results.  So I stick to what I know.

If you feel that the Vivitar and Sunpak flashguns are right for you,
why not order from one of the reputable US camera stores such as:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
http://www.adorama.com/

or even:

http://www.amazon.com/

?