6 volts is a tough barrier for old flash units. You can use this list
as a guide but only as a guide.
<http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html>
Based on the variances in the same models (T-20 *might* serve) you must
still measure your own unit. Easy to do. Voltmeter between center
contact on the hot shoe foot and the contact at the sides of the foot.
Usually the center contact is positive. Take the flash to a local photo
or electronics store if you don't have a meter. Better yet just buy a
cheap analog one which will be handy for lots of things around the
house. Make sure you have a probe that can fit into the narrow channel
at the side of the flash foot or use an alligator clip with a short
piece of small wire (unbent paper clip) attached to reach inside the groove.
The T-20 also has a flash controlled auto mode which probably works
almost as well as TTL and probably better than TTL with a little bit of
digital chimping and tweaking of the aperture or ISO dials. You just
lie to the flash about how the camera is actually set. Manual mode if
still better though. If you pick a standard distance you will get
pretty good at estimating that distance by eye and your non-bounced
flash exposures will be spot on and the Stroboframe bracket will hide
the shadows and kill the red-eye for sure.
Chuck Norcutt
Allan Mee wrote:
> Thanks Chuck AKA Dr. Flash,
> Your email is undoubtably the best simple guide to flash photography I've
> ever read. You are correct that the 300D is limited to 6 V triggers on the
> hotshoe and that a voltage isolator/regulator is expensive (I did check a
> few weeks ago when you mentioned it when I first got the 300D). Indeed I've
> been kinda worried about what flashguns would be safe to be used on the 300D
> dince. In my time, I've had a few Miranda Flashguns - such as the 650 CD and
> 700 CD etc. (which were inexpensive and 'multi-dedicated' and intended for
> various film cameras from the "Big Five" - Oly, Nikon, Canon, etc.) These
> had 'bounce' heads and, in some cases, simple 3 step Zoom heads and
> generally worked with the TTL/autoflash systems of my film cameras. They did
> have the advantage of height (the head being at the top of the fairly tall
> gun and so raised quite a distance from the hotshoe). I tended to stick to
> the T20 with the OM2 SP and OM40 - and used the Mirandas on my other film
> bodies or when I wanted to use bounce flash or coloured flash filters on the
> flashguns. The Mirandas were sold along with the film cameras (apart from
> one which I junked because it had some battery corrosion damage - from me
> forgetting to remove a new set of cheap AA batteries I'd hastily bought and
> used literally a couple of weeks before - I was amazed at how quickly
> battery corrosion occurred. I didn't remove the batteries, like I normally
> do, because I thought I'd sold the flashgun as I already had a buyer - but
> obviously I didn't sell it when he came because of the damage. I may still
> have a Miranda hiding somewhere amongst my old camera gear I've still got
> left - but I wouldn't use it on the 300D. I have wondered if it would be
> safe to use my T20 in manual mode on the 300D - but since I don't know what
> voltage it uses at the hotshoe I haven't tried - the T20's manual does state
> that it can be used in manual mode for other camera makes - though I've
> never tried that. I've always used it on OM bodies.
> Allan
>
>
> PS No trees were harmed in the sending of this message and a very large
> number of electrons were asked their permission to be terribly
> inconvenienced. (And threw a party for them afterwards for being really cool
> about it).
>
> Disrupting the unnatural balance that you, as a conscious human being and a
> confused mass of energy, have created.
> -Disturb the mind -
>
>
>
>
>
>> From: Chuck Norcutt <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Reply-To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
>> To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
>> Subject: [OM] Re: So, it's a good camera
>> Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2006 07:41:07 -0500
>>
>> The biggest advances you can make in flash photography are to use an
>> old, low cost flash that offers multiple manual power settings and use
>> it in manual mode. The easiest way to do manual flash is to pre-compute
>> an exposure for one or more fixed distances (like 11 feet) and then
>> always stand that distance away from the subject and use your zoom to do
>> the framing. Perfect exposure every time and beats TTL every time. The
>> reason I suggested 11 feet is that it's also a common f/stop. If your
>> subject is at 8 feet or 16 feet then the exposure for those distances is
>> just +/- one stop from the 11 foot distance. Easy to remember. If
>> you'd like to use some other base distance, like 3 meters, just remember
>> that multiplying or dividing by 1.4 (square root of 2) will give you the
>> distances for +/- one stop from your base. You can't use this method if
>> you're using bounce flash, of course, but, since you're shooting
>> digital, you can narrow in on the correct exposure with just a couple of
>> test shots.
>>
>> I was going to suggest a Sunpak 422D (with TTL foot for one of your film
>> cameras) on a low cost bracket like the Stroboframe Quick Flip 350
>> <http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=6993&A=details&Q=&sku=52728&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation>
>> but then I remembered that your 300D has no PC connection and the hot
>> shoe is limited to 6 volts for flash trigger voltage. (There may be
>> some 6 volt 422D's but my own 422D's measure about 10 volts). You could
>> use it with a voltage isolator but for the cost of 422D plus a voltage
>> isolator you could probably buy a Canyon 540EZ or another EZ series
>> flash that offers manual control such as the 420EZ or 430EZ (model
>> numbers less than 420 have no manual control). The EZ series of flashes
>> don't support ETTL which is what's needed for automated flash control on
>> all Canyon DSLR's. Because of that they're much cheaper used than the
>> EX series of flashes needed for automation on the DSLR's.
>>
>> In addition to easily controlled manual power levels you'll get a zoom
>> head (which also alters guide number) and an autofocus assist light with
>> a range of 7 meters on the 420EZ, 10 meters on the 430EZ and 15 meters
>> on the 540EZ. Having used the autofocus assist light on the 540EZ at a
>> big dinner party and dance this past Saturday night I can attest that it
>> works well. I think I only had two frames out of about 200 that weren't
>> properly focused and that was me mis-aiming the camera in the dark.
>>
>> Raising the flash head above the built-in flash will reduce the
>> incidence of red-eye. Adding a Lumiquest Pocket Bouncer diffuser
>> <http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=32576&is=REG&addedTroughType=search>
>> will raise the light source even higher and soften the shadows a bit.
>> But even that is still not enough to eliminate red-eye in all cases so
>> the Stroboframe is still useful for that and will also cast shadows down
>> and behind your subjects where they are less noticeable. The downside
>> of the Stroboframe with the dedicated flash units it that you also need
>> a Canyon off-shoe connector to activate the autofocus assist light.
>> <http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=12972&is=REG&addedTroughType=search>
>>
>> Since you probably don't have a flash meter you can predetermine the
>> flash power by setting up a large white target (like a white dress
>> shirt) at 11 feet or whatever you want for a base distance. Shoot test
>> shots of the white target and keep backing the exposure down until you
>> no longer get any overexposure indications on the camera's display
>> screen when reviewing the image. Use an aperture of about f/8 for
>> reasonable depth of field and ISO 400 to minimize flash power
>> requirements and speed recycling. Adjust the flash power down for
>> correct exposure (probably about 1/8 to 1/4 power at a 50mm zoom head
>> setting). Since the older flash models only allow full stop manual
>> exposure control you can fine tune the exposure with the aperture for
>> 1/3 stop control.
>>
>> Dr. Flash
>>
>>
>> Allan Mee wrote:
>>> Arguably the biggest improvement in photography, for me, as I've moved
>> up
>>> through various cameras - has been in flash photography. The OM2 SP and
>> Om40
>>> were notceably better than my earlier film cameras - and, imo, the 300D
>>> seems better still (at least with regards to on/in-camera flash). I
>> think my
>>> T20 may be just a shade more powerful than the 300D's built-in one (I
>>> haven't compared guide nos but the 300D does takes better flash pictures
>>> than my classic OM2 (which, unfortunately isn't an OM2(n) - I sold the
>> OM2
>>> SP to help pay for the 300D).
>> ==============================================
>> List usage info: http://www.zuikoholic.com
>> List nannies: olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
>> ==============================================
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Find Singles In Your Area Now With Match.com! msnuk.match.com
>
>
> ==============================================
> List usage info: http://www.zuikoholic.com
> List nannies: olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
> ==============================================
>
>
==============================================
List usage info: http://www.zuikoholic.com
List nannies: olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
==============================================
|