R. Bush Loc: Ogden, UT

I recently bought a Fuji GSW690 iii film camera. The 65mm wide angle lens is a slow f5.4. (In a 35mm film camera comparison, that 65mm lens would equal to the angle and coverage of a 28mm lens.) Some of the shooting I want to do with it will be in not so well lit interior. The hot shoe on the top of the camera has a single contact point that centers between the mounting rails. What brands of swivel and tilt flash units might work with this camera? I'm also going to be using Alford Delta 3200 speed b/w film, so the flash unit should be settable to this quite high ISO setting as well.

Please suggest usable used units that I might shop for on eBay. Your thoughts will be most appreciated.

Thanks you.

RB

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Respectfully, I believe you mean ILFORD Delta film.

AZ Dog Loc: Peoria, AZ

Any universal hot shoe flash. But you will have to calculate f stop.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

You can get something like this:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&O=&Q=&ap=y&c3api=1876%2C%7Bcreative%7D%2C%7Bkeyword%7D&gclid=CjwKEAjwgZrJBRDS38GH1Kv_vGYSJAD8j4DfG2na08xqABEYELrw3byVtgKTxld80xFktw-E6YhrwxoCm6Hw_wcB&is=REG&m=Y&sku=1101196

But you will have to manually set your flash output and adjust your aperture and ISO accordingly. The plus is that it has a receiver that works with Yongnuo's excellent radio triggers.

BebuLamar

I would suggest a used unit with choice of several auto ranges. A lot of people are afraid of these so you can get them cheap. Using them auto flash is as easy as TTL and the result isn't much difference.

Jeffcs Loc: Myrtle Beach South Carolina

If you can find a good working vivitar unit 283 unit they were good old work horses
B&H has them used on their website

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Look at Yongnuo and Nissen.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

Absolutely agree. I used a 283 for decades. I used it off camera with a cable release as my film camera didn't have a hot shoe.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Any time you use an older flash you have to be careful; many of them used the camera itself to switch the high {like 300v} voltage used internally by the flash, and that can literally fry a modern camera.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

That camera was made from the mid-1980s to early '90s. It can probably handle the jolt.

Finding flashes with ISO 3200 is hard. But you can set it for 400 and stop down three stops. (If calculator or flash range for ISO 400 reads f/4, set lens to f/11...)

big-guy Loc: Peterborough Ontario Canada

Why not consider a Vivitar 285 and new for around $75 at B&H.

BebuLamar

I don't see it listed on B&H any more

BebuLamar

That is the reason why the OP should use an old flash. Since they could fry modern cameras they are good and cheap for old cameras like the one OP has.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Yes, that camera will be fine with any of the old flashes. It's not susceptible to high trigger voltages, like later ones filled with electronics are.

I used a lot of different flashes "back in the day". I preferred Vivitar 285 over their more common 283. They are very similar power, but the 285 has a built in "zoom" diffusion panel covering wide angle to short telephoto focal lengths. The 283 doesn't have that and to use it with a 28mm-equivalent lens you'd need to get the separately sold wide angle diffusing panel for it.

Actually, my favorite and most used flashes were Sunpak 383D, which have interchangeable modules to give a mild form of dedication for some cameras from the 1970s and 1980s. They also could be fitted with a "standard" module that was more universal and is all you'd need for that camera. (The "dedication" was pretty simplistic anyway.... mostly just would give a "flash ready" light in some camera viewfinders, or would automatically set the camera's flash sync speed or prevent shutter release until flash was recycled.... nothing like the TTL control of modern flashes).

I stopped using auxiliary flash directly in hot shoes... after accidental bumps broke the top panel of cameras around the hot shoe. Flash images are also much better.... nicer shadow effects and less risk of redeye... when a flash is instead mounted in a bracket off to one side and slightly higher up.

But lighting architectural interiors for film can be very tricky, depending upon what level of quality you need. A friend of mine was one of the top architectural photographers back in the day. He showed up with a van load of lighting gear and sometimes spent up to 8 hours setting up the lighting for a couple quick shots. The most difficult part with shooting interiors on film is windows. You have to balance the interior and exterior lighting for film (digital is sooooo much easier... just take two shots and combine them later in post-processing). Shooting black and white, at least you don't have to fine tune color of light inside and out, the way you would with color film.

You know, you could just put the camera on a tripod and make a long exposure. Depending upon the interiors you're shooting, that might be better than using flash.

Also, have you used ISO 3200 film? I haven't, but wouldn't be surprised if it was quite grainy. The fastest B&W film I used was ISO 400 (well, actually ASA 400 in those days... but it's the same thing). My favorite B&W film was Fuji Neopan Acros... ISO 100. It's gorgeous, fine-grained stuff. I used various ISO 400.... probably Kodak Tri-X and T-Max the most. Sometimes I push-processed Tri-X to ISO 800, but that was pretty grainy.

The fastest color film I used was color print ISO 400, never push-processed. Usually Fuji. Sometimes Kodak.

But most color work I did with Fuji Velvia (ISO 50) and Kodak Extachrome 100 VS. Occasionally Extachrome E200, when necessary. Never found any faster slide film faster that I could live with.

Do you plan to process the B&W film yourself? Do you want to ultimately scan the images and work them digitally?

For more convenient, local C41 processing, I'd be tempted to use "chromogenic" B&W film, such as such as Ilford XP2 (ISO 400). It also scans a lot better than traditional silver-based B&W emulsions.

But, since you'll be using medium format, if not planning to process the film yourself, your choice of labs to handle it will likely be limited. Many C41 labs can only handle up to 35mm film and no larger.

Those Fuji 6x8 and 6x9 cameras... and the lenses for them that Fuji offered... are truly superb! I hope you enjoy using it.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

In 35mm, I used both FujiColor 1600 and Kodak Royal 1000 {usually around Christmas, when I was asked to take pictures of Christmas shows}. Yes, they were grainy.