Vivitar Zoom Thyristor 2500
Name/Title
Vivitar Zoom Thyristor 2500Entry/Object ID
287Tags
StandardDescription
The Vivitar Zoom Thyristor 2500 was a popular and versatile external flash unit designed for SLR cameras like the Canon AE-1 Program or Pentax Spotmatic. The "Thyristor" technology was a major selling point in its era; unlike earlier flashes that dumped all their stored energy into every shot, a thyristor circuit allowed the flash to cut off power once sufficient exposure was reached. This resulted in significantly faster recycle times and longer battery life when shooting subjects at close range. The unit features a unique "Zoom" head that can be tilted for "bounce flash" (directing light at a ceiling to soften shadows) and extended or retracted to match the angle of the lens being used. This prevented "vignetting" when using wide-angle lenses and increased the flash's reach when using telephoto lenses. The back of the unit contains a manual exposure guide and a "test" button, along with a reminder sticker to set the camera's shutter speed to 1/60 or 1/125—the "sync speed" for most focal-plane shutter cameras of that time.Category
Flash
Accessories