I have a Vivitar 2800 flash from my old Canon AE-1. Given the size of the flash I suspect that it may provide more light for group photos, etc. Can I use that flash with a Canon Rebel 2000?

-- paul carpenter (pcarpenter@matrasystems.com), March 06, 2001

Answers

The flash from your AE-1 will work fine on any EOS camera, but it will provide only "auto flash exposure". That means you have to set the aperture according to the flash's calculator (and possibly the shutter too, depending on the flash's dedication).

The big issue is checking the flash's sync trigger voltage. Canon specifies no more than 6 volts, and the 2800 is likely to be much higher. You can check it with a good quality volt meter, just place the test leads on the bottom pin and the foot's side contact. Repeated use with a moderately high trigger voltage will damage your camera. One use with a real high voltage will fry it immediately.

-- Jim Strutz (jimstrutz@juno.com), March 09, 2001.