Vivitar 292 Flash User manual

www.orphancameras.com


CONGRATULATIONS. . . AND WELCOME
to the ever-increasingnumberof photographersnow enjoying
Vivitarelectronicflash.This Owner'sManualis a handy
referenceguideand we suggestyou referto it whenever
questionsarise.
We knowyou will enjoyyour new Vivitar292 and we wish you
manyyearsof picturetakingfun.

www.orphancameras.com
  Table of contents



       2-3  Shortcourseof instructions
      4-7 Detailed operatingtnstructions
               Batteryoperation
           AC operation
         7  Formthe capacitor
         7  The illuminatedcalculatordial
                   I  Attachingyour flash to the camera
       9 - 1 1 Automaticooeration
                Multiplef -stopcontrol
            Remotesensor(oPtional)
               Thyristorcircuit
               Shooting automaticallY
      1 1-13 Manualoperation
        13 Cameraswith built-inautomaticflashcontrol
     13-14 Wideangleattachment
     14-16 Helofulhints
               Let it glow          Flashfill
            Shadows          Simulatingsunlight
            Bounceflash      OPenf lash
               Mirrors            SYnchronizationsPeed
             Grouoshots
        17  Multipleflashwith Vivitarslaveunits
     1B-20 Specifications,Model292





hh.

www.orphancameras.com
llluminatedCalculatorDial
ReadyLight
On-OffSwitch
Auto/ManualControlSwitch
PC Cord Socket
MountingShoe LockingLever
OpenFlashButton
Descriptionof parts

AuxiliaryPC Socket
RemoteSensorSocket
NC-2 NiCad BatteryPack
CalculatorDialllluminationButton
AC/ChargeUnit Receptacle
BatteryCompartmentRelease
MountingShoe
Sensor
Autof-Stop Selector
WideAngleAttachment
MV-3AC/ChargeUnit
AC VoltageSelector
DetachablePC Cord

www.orphancameras.com





                                                            DN:email=mike@butkus.org,Date:cn=Mike2024.04.21signedButkus,by17:48:55Mikeo=ButkusButkusc=US-04'00'camera manuals, ou=butkus.org,Mike Butkus                    Digitally

www.orphancameras.com

rc
Setcamerato correctshutterspeed
for electronic f lash.

/Ao
Set film speed on calculator dial.
Read f -stop with in color- keyed
triangle for auto f -stop you prefer.
 -f
  I
Setautomaticf-stopselectorto
samecolorand set auto/manual
controlswitchto automatic("A").
           ffi
v,
Setf -stopon cameralens.No
furtherf-stopadjustmentsare
requiredwithinauto range.
ov
Slide On-Off switch to "ON"
position.Focus camera. Take the
picture when ready lig ht g lows.

www.orphancameras.com
Detailedoperating instructions

BATTERY OPERATION
YourVivitar292is suppliedwith an interchangeableNC-2
NickelCadmiumBatteryPackalreadyinsertedintothe unit.
Forconvenience,additionalNC-2 NiCadBatteryPacks
are availableas accessoriesfrom your VivitarElectronicFlash
dealerallowingyou to carryone or moref u lly recharged
batterypackswhen travelingwhereAC outletsare not
readily accessible.
To inserta new NC-2 NiCadBatteryPack:
1
Movethe MountingSnoe@ to the
horizontalposition.
2
Pullback on the Battery
CompartmentRelease@
3
RemovedischargedbatterYPack
and insertnew pack intothe
compartmentas shown.


4
Pushdown on the batterypack until
 it lockssecurelyin place.

www.orphancameras.com

Charging the Batteries
1
Setthe AC VoltageSelectot@ on
the AC/Charge Unit to matchthe
linevoltageyou will use.CAUTION:
The Selectormustbe set correctly
to preventdamageto the charger.
2
Slide the On-Off Switch @  to the
"OFF" position.

3
Attachthe chargercord to the f lash
unit @ and plugthe AC/Charge
Unitintoany standardAC wall
outlet.The lighton the chargeunit
will glowwhen properconnection
has beenmade.
4
Chargethe 292f or t hour.Oncethe batteriesare charged,
the chargerwill automaticallyswitchdownto a reduced
chargerateand a built-insafetycircuitwill protectyourflash
fromovercharging.
5
Removethe AC/ChargeUnitand
slidethe ON-OFFSwitchto "ON".
Whenthe ReadyLight@ glows
yourf lashis readYto f ire.

www.orphancameras.com

Quick Charge Feature
YourVivitar292 hasthe abilityto deliverenoughf lashesto
shootan entireroll of film afteronlya few minutesof charging.
The chartbelowshowsthe percentageof flashesobtainable
as the chargingtime increases:
C h a rg i ngT i m e(min . )   1 0   15   30   45    60
o/oof Flashes         10o/o 25o/o 50o/o 670/o 100%
Battery Saving Circuit
Yourflashunit has a built-inlC circuitthat actsto signiticantly
prolongbatterylife.Whenthis circuitis in operation,the
ReadyLight@ *ill BL|NK.
AC OPERATION
Yourf lashunitcan be operatedon either12O-voltor 220-volt
AC current.
lf yourbatteriesare drainedit maytakea few minutesfor
the readylightto glow afterconnectingyour unit intoan AC
outlet.Becausethe batterycircuitis activeevenin AC mode,
it is necessaryto re-chargethe batteriesafterextended
AC operation.
1
Setthe AC VoltageSelectoron the
AC/ChargeUnitto matchthe line
voltageyou will use. CAUTION:The
Selectormustbe set correctlyto
preventdamageto your unit.
2
Attachthe AC/ChargeUnitto the flash unit and to any
standardAC wall outlet.The lighton the AC/ChargeUnitwill
g low when properconnectionhas beenmade.

www.orphancameras.com
3
Slide the On-Off Switch to the "ON"
position.When the Ready Lig ht
glows your f lash is ready to be f ired.

Form the capacitor
Whenyourflashis new or when it has not beenusedfor a
longtime,the capacitormay losesomeof its abilityto store
electricity.Whenthis occurS,you can " reform" the capacitor
as follows:
Setthe Auto/ManualControlSwitchto manual(" M").
Aftercharging the batteries,or with ..
the AC/ChargeUnitpluggedin to
bothf lashand wall outlet,slidethe
On-OffSwitchto "ON" and f ire the
f lashusingthe Open FlashButton
@. n.peat this about5 times
allowingthe ReadyLight to g low
5 to 10 secondsaftereach f lash.

The illuminatedcalculatordial

YourVivitar292 has an llluminated
CalculatorDial,O*hich is
designedfor use whenYouare
takingpictures in d im light To
 activatethe lighteddial,pressthe
 CalculatorDialllluminationButton
@ fne lightwill go out whenthe
 buttonis released.

www.orphancameras.com
Attachingyour flash to the camera
1I
 Select vertical or horizontal
operationand insert the Mounting
Shoe @  into the accessory clip on
the camera. Lock the f lash in place
 by moving the Locking Lever @
 in the direction of the arrow. Use
verticallyfor half-f rame 35mm
cameras; horizontallyfor full-frame
3 5 m m a n d  i n s t a n t - l o a d1 2 6 c a m e r a s .

rrz
lf your camera has a Hot Shoe, it is not necessaryto use the
detachablePC Cord. Once attached to the camera, the f lash
is f u lly synchron ized to the camera th rough the contacts
 i n t h e s h o e .
,FTo
lf your camera does not have a
H o t S h o e , p l u g t h e p o i n t e d e n d o f
the PC Cord @  into the Socket @
on the f lash. Attach the other end
of the cord into the camera f lash
t e r m i n a lm a r k e d " X " .  l f a n " X "
terminalis not provided,set the camerasynchronization
switchto "X". (Referto your camerainstructionsfor specific
informationregardingyour camera'sflashsynchronization.)

www.orphancameras.com
Automatic operation
Multiplef-Stop Control
TheAutomaticf -StopSelectot@ has threepositionsallowing
you to set your Vivitar292 to operateautomaticallywith your
cameraat threedifferentf-stops:
YELLOW-
This positionallowsyou to use a
 largerlensopeningfor shallow
depthof fieldand an automatic
operatingrangeof f rom 2 to 33 feet
(.6mto 10m).
RED_
This positionallgwsyou to use a
smallerlensopeningfor moderate
depthof fieldwith an aqtomatic
operatingrangeof f rom 2Io 16 feet
 ( 6m to 4.9m).
BLUE-
Thispositionallowsyou to use the
smallestautof -stopfor maximum
depthof fieldand for shooting
close-uppictureswithfastfilm.
Automaticoperationis f rom 2 to
B feet(.6mto 2.4m).
Remote Sensor (optional accessory,not included)
TheVivitarRS-1 RemoteSensoris designed to provide
 indirect(offcamera)automaticexposure controlwith your
 Vivitar292.ldealfor "bounce"flashand otheroff-camera
 electronicflashapplications,the RemoteSensorworksauto-
 maticallywith your cameraat f ivef -stop settingsfor
maximumdepthof f ield controland a varietyof automatic
 operatingranges.

www.orphancameras.com

Thyristor Gircuit
YourVivitarModel 292 has a uniquepowerconservation
systemcalleda thyristorcircuit.This circuitsavesthe excess
energynot neededf or a properexposure therebyproviding
incrediblyfast recyclingand a greaternumberof
flashesper charge.
The recycletime and the numberof flashesper chargevary
dependinguponthe flashto subjectdistance.For example,
with a flashto subjectdistanceof 6 feet (1.8m),the 292will
recyclein approximately2 secondsor lessand deliverover
200flashesper charge.As the flashto subjectdistance
increasesto 33 feet(10m),recyclingwith fullycharged
batteriesincreasesto approximatelyB secondsand the
numberof flashesis reducedaccordingly.
Shootingautomatically
1
Setthe auto/manualcontrolswitch
@ tOautomatic("A").
2
Setthe camerashutterspeedto
1/60, 1/30 es'"{"-
Nofe: Referto your camera
instructionsf or the properspeed
settingf or electronic f lash.                                        I3
Setthe correctASA or DIN f ilm
speedon the CalculatorDial.
Example:For Kodachromell, set
the ASA (DlN)indicatormarkto
25 (15).

                         1 0

www.orphancameras.com

4
Readthe f -stopwithinthe color-
keyedtrianglefor the autof -stopyou
prefer.Set the automaticf -stop
setector@ to the samecolorand
setyour lensto the correctf -stop.
Nole: The correctauto f -stop for
mostpopularfilmsare listedin the
specifications,page18.
5
Slidethe On-OffSwitch@ to tn"
"ON" position.Focuscamera.
Takethe picturewhen the Ready
Lightglows.
Yourflashunitwill automaticallygive you a perfect
                                                  "*pJrrr.of any subjectwithinthe automaticrangeyou haveselected
withoutfurtherf-stopadjustments.

Manualoperation
Whenyou wishto useyourVivitar292 in the manualmode
 (forexample,picturesbeyondthe autoflashrange,fill-in
flash,etc.)-
1
Setthe aulo/manualcontrolswitch
to manual("M").



                          1 1

www.orphancameras.com

rrz
Setthe camerashutterspeedto
1/60, 1/30 9p"f,"-
Nofe; Referto your camera
instructionsfor the properspeed
settingfor electronic f lash.
3                        t                                                         )Set the correct ASA or DIN f ilm
speed on the CalculatorDial.
4
Focusyour cameraand estimate
the distancef rom the f lashto the
subject.You can usuallydo this
"by eye" or you can referto the
distanceindicatedon the camera
lensbarrelafterfocusing.
5
Read the f-stop indicated opposite
the distance scale on the
CalculatorDial and set this f-stop             €
on your camera lens.                              -bw
Example. lf you are 15 feet from your subject and you are
using Kodachrome ll (ASA 25), set the lens f-stop to f 4.
/Ao
S l i d e t h e O n - O f f S w i t c h t o " O N . "
Focus camera. Take the picture
when the Ready Light glows.

                          1 2

Cameraswithwww.orphancameras.com
built-inautomaticflash control
 Manynew camerashavea featurewhichautomaticallysetsthe
 correctexposuresfor flashas you focus.Forthe camera
 and Vivitar292 to operateproperlytogetheryou MUST:
  1I
 Setthe correctguidenumberon the GuideNumberScaleof
 yourcamera(referto your camerainstructions);and
2
 Makesurethe Auto/ManualControl
 Switchis in manual('''M").
 The proper.FlashGuideNumberscorrespondingto bothASA
 and DINfilm speedsare indicatedin the specifications,
 page18.
Wide angle attachment
 YourVivitar292 is suppliedwith a
 WideAngleAttachment@ which
 snapson the f rontof your f lash
 as shown.This increasesthe angle
 of illuminationto a patternof 70'
 horizontal,65overticalfor usewith
 extremewide anglelenses.
 In the AUTOMATICmode,no f -stopadjustmentis requi'red
 withthis attachmentin place.However,the automatic
 operatingrangesare alteredas follows.
   YELLOW-? ft. to 25 tL (.6mto 7.6m)
      RED-2 ft. to 12 tt. (.6mto 3.7m)
     BLUE-2 ft. to 6 ft. (.6mto 1 Bm)
 In the MANUALmode,allowone fullf-stopincreasein
 exposure.Forexample,if the CalculatorDial indicatesf4,
 openyour lensto t2.8.
                          1 3

www.orphancameras.com





Helpfulhints

 Let it glow!
 Do not discharge(flash)your unit beforeputtingit away.Just
 turn the unit off. lt's betterto leavethe ReadyLightglowing!
The nexttime you use it, yourflashunitwill "reform"faster
and this procedurewill prolongthe life of your equipment.                                                                                                                                       '
 Shadows
To avoidharshshadowsin your picture,positionyour
 subjectsat least3 to 4 feetfrom wallsor use "bounceflash."
 Bounce flash
 You can softenthe light,makingit lessharshand less
 directional,by simplyplacinga handkerchiefoverthe flash
 headand increasingthe exposure.You can get evensofter
 lightingby "bouncing"the lightoff a reflectivesurfaceonto
 yoursubject.Whitewallsand ceilingsthat are not too high,
 largesheetsof paper,and evenbed sheetscan be used
 as reflectivesurfaces.
 Sincebounceflashreducesthe amountof lighton your
 subject,makesureyourVivitar292 has beenset for manual
 operation("M") and open your cameralens2 additional
 f-stops.You can determineexposuremoreaccuratelyby
 measuringthe distancef rom flashto reflectorto subjectand
 dividingthe totalintothe guidenumber.
                          1 4
-..'l"': t:; &"

www.orphancameras.com
  Whenusingbounceflash,removethe flashunitfrom your
   cameraand aim it at the reflectivesurface.
   IMPORTANf;You can retainfully automaticexposurecontrol
    for bounceflashby usingthe optionalVivitarRS-1 Remote
   Sensor.This sensormeasuresthe lightstrikingthe subject
   evenwhenthe flashis off cameraand deliversthe exact
   amountof lightneededfor a properexposure.
   Mirrors
   Nevershootflashpicturesstraightinto mirrors,glass,or other
   highlyreflectivesurfaces.Reflectionswill resultand cause
   poorpictures.Standat an angleso that any reflectionswill be
   directedawayfrom lhe camera.Hint: lf you can't see yourself
    in the mirror,you'resafe.
   Group shots
}  Don'tlosesomeof your.friendsin the shadows!Be surethat
   thewholegroupis aboutthe samedistancefrom the camera.
      lf you'renot carefulpeopleclosestto the camerawill be"
   overexposedor "washedout" and thosefurthestaway will be
   underexposedbecausenot enoughlightreachedtheir
   spotin the picture.
   Flash lill
   Outdoors,electronicflash is used extensivelyby professionalsr to "fill-in" shadowareas.lt softenshard shadowsresulting
   frombrightsunlightand is particularlyusefulwith colorfilm
   whichcan only recorda limitedcontrastrange.
   Hereis a simpleprocedurewhichyou can modifyaccordingto
   yourpreference.Setyour camera'sshutterspeedand f-stop
    for a properexposureof the subjectwithoutflash.Keep in
   mindthatonly someshutterspeedscan be synchronizedwith
   theflash.Dividethe flashguidenumberfor the film you are
   usingby the f-stopyou haveset.Thiswill giveyou the flashto
   subjectdistance.Then,for a brightfill placethe flashat that
   distance.For a morenormalfill, movethe f lashback halfagain
                            1 5

                                             :.;;l

www.orphancameras.com

the distance;for a weakerfill (not recommendedwith color
film) doublethe brightfill distance.
Set the Auto/ManualControlSwitch@ of your 292 to manual
("M") for flashfill.
Simulatingsunlight
Thereare timeswhenthe sun disappears,but the picturecalls
for sunlight.Yourelectronicflashcan then be usedas the
mainlightand verysuccessfullysimulatesunlight.
Whenyou wish to simulatesunlightoutdoorsin dull weather,
first determinethe properexposurefor the naturaldaylight
and thenstopdown 1 fullf-stop.Determineyour normalflash
to subjectdistancefor that f-stop.Set your flash at that
distance.The flashwill then be the main light,and your
reducedexposureon the naturallightwill convertit to fill light.
Set the Auto/ManualControlSwitch@ of your 292 to manual
("M") for simulatingsunlight.
Open flash
Thistechniqueinvolvesfiringthe flash independentlywhile
the camerashutterstaysopen.You can use it for a varietyof
creativeeffects.For example,while the shutteris open the
film recordsboththe imagelit by the existinglightand the
imagelit by the flash.You can captureboth a sharpand a
 blurredimagein the samepictureto createa feelingof
movement.Or, in a largedark interioryou can open up the                       '
 shutterand fire severalelectronicflashesfrom different
 positionsuntilyou havelit the entirescene.
Synchronizationspeed
Whentakingpictureswith your Vivitarelectronicflash,always          .
 try to use the fastestpossibleshutterspeedthat providesfull
 electronicflashsynchronization(referto your camera
 instructionsfor this information).Thiswill eliminate"ghosts"
 or blurryimagesof brightlylit objectsin the background.
                          1 6
',4,                 '+*-.hii*..

www.orphancameras.com
Multiple flash with Vivitar slave units
Whentakingportraitsor picturesof largegroups,many
photographerspreferto use more than one flash unit to
producea betterlight balance.To do this,you must be able
to firethe mainflashand each remoteflashsimultaneously.
VivitarSlaveUnitsare solid statelight sensitivedeviceswhich
when attachedto the PC cord of a remotelypositionedflash
unit automaticallytriggerthe flash in perfectsynchronization
with the main flash unit withoutexternalcablesor wires.
Example:Hereis a typicalarrangementusinga mainflash
and threeremoteflashunitsto balancethe light.

                          4 feet      t L      \ Backoround
                                                           /t        /   Flasfi
                                           <f  (optional)P"fJll'8ilo,,$       Vhigher          ,/   I                                                ,thansublect'l           '1.                        I         sua.lecr
          130'

                               45' *"r3                                FlashF
         Main Flash            2 ft. higherthan
        sameheight            subject,same dis-
          as subject             tance as main flash
 NOTE:Set the Auto/ManualControlSwitch @ of your 292to
 manual("M") for multipleflash.
Your Vivitar292 has an AuxiliaryPC Socket@ which can be
 usedto attachwirelessslaveunits withoutthe need for a
PC cord.
                          1 7

www.orphancameras.com


   AutomaticSensorMeasuringAngle. .20"
   Generalspecifications
  BCPS(Beam CandlePower
    S e c o n d s )                             . . . . . 3 4 0 0
   Recycletimes (approx.)          8 seconds(manual)
                                    .25 to B seconds(automatic)
       [Basedon averageof secondthrougheleventhflashes
       with fullychargedbatteries.Recyclingtakeslonger
       as the batteriesdrain,l
   Flashduration(approx.). .           . . .1/1000 second(manual)
                                  1 / 1000 to 1 /30,000second
                                    (automatic)
   Color temperature              6000" Kelvin
   Angleof lllumination(s)
     Normal                          .65' horizontal,45,' vertical
     WithWideAngleAttachment. . . . .70' horizontal,65' vertical
 *  Operatingpositions           ....Vertical and horizontal
   Powersources             ...DO-lnterchangeable,
 *                                    rechargeableNiCad
                                         BatteryPack (NC-2)
                                 AC-Multiple Voltage
                                        (120v/220v)
   Batterysavingcircuit                    . . . Built-inlC module
                                   automatically regulatesI                             powerflow from batteries
                                         to capacitor
   Flashesper charge                    . . . .50* (manual)
                                50 to 700*  (automatic,
                               dependingon flashto
                                   subjectdistance)
   Camera/Electronicflash
     synchronizationconnection(s). . . PC Cord,Hot Shoe