What's a good, small, auto/thyristor flash? (non-TTL)

Question

Persistently on my wish list is a small, portable, auto-mode flash. Non-TTL is a must, as I need to use it on a bunch of different equipment.

But the vast array of flashes out there is a bit bewildering; does anyone have some recommendations?

Intended use is wide/normal lenses, mostly as direct fill. I'll emphasize small; I can live without zoom, bounce, and many other things in preference of portability.

I've used:

• Vivitar 283 & 285: Just too big, really. Otherwise OK, though maybe a little overpowered for what I typically use it for.
• Canon 580EX: Also too big. Can dial down the power, but no auto mode, and GN calculations are getting to be a drag.

Edit: for context on 'small' both of these are similar in size to one of my usual cameras, the Zeiss ZI: 138 x 78 x 32 mm (5.4”x3.1”x1.3”). I'm willing to lose a lot of power to find a decent flash that isn't the size of my camera.

Answer 1

Have you looked at the Sunpak lineup? Some are TTL, but I think they have non-TTL and you can often find them on Craigslist.

To add from my comment, a very popular one appears to be the Sunpak 383 Super which is non-TTL. It's discontinued, but appears to be available on places like EBay. Anyways, BH lists the dimensions as 4.4 X 3 X 2.8" (WxHxD).

Another, similar, would be the Metz 36 Series C-2. Dimensions for that is 2.80 x 4.3 x 3.4", so a little bigger on some dimensions. The Metz 20 C-2 is 2.55 x 3.85 x 2.12", so small.

By the way, I'm not finding much smaller without going to the LED ones. They are an option as well.

Answer 2

I have a SunPak 383, and it's a great flash, though I haven't had much luck in Auto mode since I switched to my DSLR.