In article <4dgf0f$lqf@solaris.cc.vt.edu>, micollie@vt.edu says...

>Is there any way to use a Vivitar 283 flash in auto mode to provide >fill for outdoor? I have no problem with manuel mode, but on auto,
>I would think that existing light would confuse the sensor. Any >suggestions?

This question often comes up, and the answer is simple if you
think about it a bit. The meter cell supplying information to the flash (either the TTL cell in the camera, or the auto mode cell
on the flash) does read both flash and ambient exposure, but the
amount of light put out by the flash is enough brighter during the
very short flash exposure (during which the meter is reading for the flash) that the influence of the available light portion of the
exposure reading is generally relatively minimal. The other posters
(Curtis Leeds and Mike Dean) gave a couple of ways to use an auto
flash for fill.
Hope This Helps