Wein Combination Slave and Foot for Vivitar 283 & 285 Flashes

Comments about Wein Combination Slave and Foot for Vivitar 283 & 285:

I thought this would be a good way of resurrecting my old but still useable 'trusty' 285 flash. Despite what the literature said it would not sync with my 7D. It fired every time but always prematurely with the pre-flash. Even with the redeye pre-flash shut off?

Comments about Wein Combination Slave and Foot for Vivitar 283 & 285:

I have two of this on my flashes and i don't have any complaint about.Is the best you can buy.Belive me

Comments about Wein Combination Slave and Foot for Vivitar 283 & 285:

Simple Simon and rock solid repair, but the description leads one to believe you are still left with hotshoe capabilities...not so. Works great when using with an umbrella stand as the base has standard threads. Non-digital slave works well enough. Essentially zero documentation, particularly regarding the H-prong non-digital slave which is included. I spoke directly to Wein and even they weren't able to explain why the non-digital slave built into the foot was accompanied by another non-digital H-prong. It would be a much better value and more flexible if the digital H-prong were substituted.

Comments about Wein Combination Slave and Foot for Vivitar 283 & 285:

Great concept ... the one I got I returned because it was very sporadic about when it would trigger. And most of the time it wouldn't. I returned it and got pocket wizards instead. I mean, why mess around?

Comments about Wein Combination Slave and Foot for Vivitar 283 & 285:

I bought this product to use with my vivitar flashes and its really good. I use them to make some portraits with more than two lights. Its useful.

Comments about Wein Combination Slave and Foot for Vivitar 283 & 285:

I ordered this item because I needed to repair the broken foot of one of my two Vivitar 285s. In fact, what this item comprises is a slave shoe that slips onto the existing foot, which is anchored in place by two sturdy brackets. The slave unit is very sensitive and it turns the 285 into a very competent mini strobe.

On the one hand, it achieves this very well and it is far sturdier than the plastic foot, but if the foot of your flash is damaged (like mine is), this item will not help you in anyway to replace the foot.

Therefore it can't really be classed a "replacement" foot, more of a foot modifier.

That is my one major gripe.

Comments about Wein Combination Slave and Foot for Vivitar 283 & 285:

This is a perfect slave product for the vivtar work horse, its simple to install and not hard to figure out, the foot slave that is attached to the hot shoe that you mount on the flash is a digital slave, and goes off after a series of rapid prefires from digital flashes, the other included slave is a standard slave in the package the MICRO SLAVE L8 (which can be triggered by non digi flashes).
The package needs to be labeled and indicate that it's a digital shoe slave and not a Standard slave. Which would make a huge diffence for a buyer looking for a second slave unit. If you want a shoe slave thats not digital pick up the other wein slaves such as the (HS Hot Shoe Slave 150'), or (HS-XL Hot Shoe Slave 600') those will work with normal non digital flashes.

Comments about Wein Combination Slave and Foot for Vivitar 283 & 285:

The one that I bought came with (luckily) the L8 Micro Slave. Without the L8 inserted into the H prong side of the "slave" this unit would not work correctly. As a slave, it sucks. As an adapter for an H prong (additional) slave or hard wired, it works.

Although I noticed when I do a rapid test fire the slave WILL trigger the flash on the second flash of the series. So, that's why I say it's 50% useless.