RE: Help! Nikon EM & Vivitar Flash 3500
Hi fellow list member!
I have nearly the same equipment. Instead of an EM, I have an FG-20.
Instead of a 3500, I have the 3700 Flash.
The three colors settings are zones for the flash range. There should be a
"calculator" on the flash that INSTRUCTS YOU which F-stop to MANUALLY set
the lense to for each zone. One zone is for far subjects, one for medium,
and one for close. The correct F-stop varies for each zone, and is shown on
the calculator on the flash when you adjust the knobs (these may be linear,
not circular) to the correct film speed.
The flash has an AUTOMATIC sensor ON THE FLASH (don't cover it up) that sets
the length of time that the flash fires, based on the distance to the
subject and the sensor's metering of the light.
There is also a Manual setting, for which the flash fires the FULL output
every time. You can use the calculator to set the F-stop correctly for this
also, but it is less useful than the Auto settings.
The flash SENSOR automatically compensates for BOUNCE. Of course, the auto
settings vary the flash output, as described above.
The shutter setting is automatically set to EITHER 1/90 or 1/60 of a second.
Since the EM has only a Bulb, Manual (1/90) and Auto setting, I would just
leave it on the Auto setting. I would assume that it sets to 1/60, since
this is not a Nikon flash.
FYI, the flash setup is NOT TTL (Through the Lens metering). However, the
signal from the camera body does transmit the X-sync (tells the flash when
to fire) thru the camera body's hot shoe.
I actually obtained a copy of my flash unit's manual direct from Vivitar for
about $5. Vivitar is on the web. Just E-Mail them a request and they will
tell you what to do. They are located in S. California (Thousand Oaks or
someplace in South East Ventura County, just west of the San Fernando Valley
where I live in L.A.
As for Fill-in Flash, the ONLY way to do it with your set up is as follows:
1. Buy slow film (100 speed) or put a neutral density filter to simulate
slow speed film. You can't do this with high speed film on this set up.
2. The color that corresponds the far away subject zone on the camera is
the High setting. For a 1 Stop decrease in output, use the middle setting;
for a 2 stop decrease in output, use the low setting. Reducing flash output
by 1-2 stops (when the ambient light doesn't require flash, but you want to
brighten the foreground subject) is what "FILL FLASH" MEANS.
This is not the easy to use way that current cameras and TTL dedicated flash
units handle FILL FLASH. If you don't want to have to THINK SO HARD, you
COULD BUY A NEWER CAMERA. Or you can enjoy getting all of this to work and
feel much more accomplished about getting correctly exposed flash photos
from your current set up.
My suggestion is to spend the money on a good used Nikkor lense (the 105MM
F2.5 AI or AIS is $175-250 used and is a legend for portraits), film and
developing. It has been my pleasure to assist you.
David Pacifici
Toluca Lake California
