Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

Great replacement for the Vivitar original! Recharge time is significantly reduced...love it!

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

Powers your flash. Manual says you need batteries in your flash too, but in mine it works without batteries in. Also, much faster cycle times than with AAs. Save some batteries, buy this! :)

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

Great for.283/285hv. Reduced recycle time. Reduced battery usage. I would pick one up if your a strobist.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

I bought two of these for my Vivitar 285HV flashes. These work fine, note that you DO need to have fully charged alkaline batteries in the flash for this to work.

I knocked a star off because the plugs can be a bit tough to attach to the flash. I had to bend the pins on one of my flashes to make it work.

I would buy these again - they have improved my cycle time and allowed me to shoot for long periods without swapping multiple battery sets.

The cords are a bit short when you have flashes high on light stands - plan to have plenty of extension cords.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

I use two of this AC adapters in the studio with 2 Vivitar 285HV flashes. With the SB-4 adapters the refresh rate is slightly faster and what's more important to me, the intensity of the flash bursts is always consistent. You can fire away for hours with no decrease in quantity or quality of the light. And of course, you hardly replace AA batteries anymore.For [$], they are a bargain.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

Works great but you have to make sure and have alkaline AA batteries in the flash just to trigger it. Recycles are a little better with this adapter.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

I go through a lot of batteries with three flashes. This will save batteries for two if the flashes

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

This works as advertised. My only concern is the way the plug goes into the flash unit. It's a little difficult to get into the corresponding hole, but seems to connect just fine.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

I have three of these that have been working well for me, reducing my full-strength recycle times from more than 10 seconds down to 5 or six seconds.

Some people have noted difficulty with the fit of the plug. My two cents -- Inside the plug at the end of the cord are sleeves that enclose the pins on the body of the flash. From the factory, these sleeves were too tight, and made it very difficult to seat the plug. I spread the sleeves slightly with the prong of a fork, just enough to make the plug go on smoothly but still make firm contact. Now the plug seats smoothly, and the power supply works well.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

I use these to power 283's for a product table. they work just like the Vivitar SB-4's and even cost less than the Vivitar product did years ago. You'll see old used SB-4's going for up to $30 on [...], at [$] these are a steal.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

I read some reviews suggesting there was a fit issue with Vivitar 285hvs. I have not had this problem. The adaptors fit perfectly and work as advertised.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

I have been dealing with B&H for several years, [...]Everything has been just as described, and braand new in it's original packaging.I can assure that I will go nowhere else for my Eletronics or photographic supplies and equipment,Thanks, B&H

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

These are making my 285HV recycle time alot faster so using them in the studio is quite a pleasure.

they are woprth every penny IMO.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

As stated in some of the other reviews, the plug would not engage the flash connector pins. I have an OEM Vivitar power adapter that works perfectly on both of my 285HV's...

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

The ac adapter is very useful. It allows me to use my flash and not have to buy batteries. THat way I can use the flash more often and not cost me so much.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

The plug on these adapters do not fit the flash units properly. It seems that the plugs are a bit too large to fit the slots on my flash units.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

Plug fits very loose to flash (285), comes out easily.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

This is a great solution since I use my flash in studio and out. I do wish the cord was a little longer, maybe 10 foot instead of six.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

I bought this A/C adapter to speed up the recycle time of the Vivitar 285HV flash unit. It certainly powers the flash as advertised, but be aware that "fast" recycle time is a relative concept. A full-power recycle went from 15-20 seconds on fresh batteries to a measured 9-seconds on A/C power. This is about half the battery time, but it depends on your application whether 9-seconds will qualify as "fast" and be adequate. Of course, if you are using less than full power, the recycle time is proportionally faster, and then it can be quite snappy. I usually use the Vivitar for rim-light and fill at ¼-power or less, so this is not a big deal to me. Also be aware that the documentation recommends having alkaline batteries in the unit when using the A/C-adapter, as opposed to rechargeables, but I don't know why that is. When the flash is mounted on a lightstand, the A/C cord is a little short and may need some support, but this is a minor quibble.

Altogether, this does what I need it to do very reliably, and I am quite happy.

Comments about Pearstone SB-4 AC Adapter for Vivitar 283 & 285HV Flashes:

It seems to work on my 283. As instructed the flash must be OFF. When you connect the adapter the flash is turned ON and then you use it normally.

On my 285HV,if the flash is OFF the adapter will not turn it ON. You have to turn the flash ON to make it work but I think it is only using the batteries. I do not think the adapter is powering the flash.