Non dedicated flash question

[Eric_Methven]

I don't know if the guy in Jessops was trying to hoodwink me into spending over two hundred quid on a flash, but I thought I'd just see what you guys thought first.

I have a fairly decent flash that I used to use regularly with my Nikormat 35mm film camera. The guy in the shop says if I use it with my Nikon D50 DSLR I will damage the camera.

The flash unit is a Cobra Auto Thyristor (AUTO 250)

Anyone know if this is true, or is he just trying to get me to buy an expensive dedicated flash?

Eric

 

[spamel]

I don't know if the guy in Jessops was trying to hoodwink me into spending over two hundred quid on a flash, but I thought I'd just see what you guys thought first.

I have a fairly decent flash that I used to use regularly with my Nikormat 35mm film camera. The guy in the shop says if I use it with my Nikon D50 DSLR I will damage the camera.

The flash unit is a Cobra Auto Thyristor (AUTO 250)

Anyone know if this is true, or is he just trying to get me to buy an expensive dedicated flash?

Eric

I would certainly seek the opinion of independent camera experts like you have done Eric then take the word of some spotty "yoof" trying to make a probably commission based sale! Isn't it a bit sad though, that a person can no longer be taken a their word? Why would a flash designed to work with cameras have the potential to ruin a camera??!!!

 

[robin wood]

Not sure Eric,

The flash send current back to the camera which if too great can theoretically frazzle the internals. I read up on this 5 years ago when my 300d was £800 worth of new camera and spent £50 on a little square block thingy that sat between camera and flash and limited the current. Said block went on the blink years later and by that time the camera was not worth much so I stuck the flash units (a pair of big jessops portaflash units) straight in and have never had a problem.

 

[brancho]

As Robin says older flash units can fry the electronics in new cameras I read it in my photo mag last week.

 

[robin wood]

When I read up on it I managed to find out the claimed max current that my flash units sent out and the max the camera could handle, that data should be published for yours too.

 

[Tadpole]

I don't know if the guy in Jessops was trying to hoodwink me into spending over two hundred quid on a flash, but I thought I'd just see what you guys thought first.

I have a fairly decent flash that I used to use regularly with my Nikormat 35mm film camera. The guy in the shop says if I use it with my Nikon D50 DSLR I will damage the camera.

The flash unit is a Cobra Auto Thyristor (AUTO 250)

Anyone know if this is true, or is he just trying to get me to buy an expensive dedicated flash?

Eric

I think the flash would damage your camera (66volts) Most nikon flash run at between 3.8v to 28v
I'd say still use the flash but buy a flash operated remote triggering kit and use a hammerhead flash mount, to mount the flash off to one side. Best of both worlds you safe a a couple of hundred, and get to recycle your still usable flash unit

 

[Pryderi]

There is a good discussion and table on flash voltages and digital cameras here

http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html

I invested in one of these which means I can use a plethora of old flashes on my digi slrs.
They regulate the voltage sent back to the camera
http://www.weinproducts.com/safesyncs.htm

Tad expensive for what they are but better a 30 quid investment than a dead £500 camera

You lose any ttl communication but with older flashes they usually dont work with the newer cameras anyway

Hope this is a help

 

[teflon]

There are cheaper versions on ebay. Not as nicely made, but serviceable.
I've used them in studio conditions and, other than an odd misfire, it's fine.

 

[Rebel]

There can be a danger using old flash units with digital cameras. The link from "Pryderi" is a good resource to check out and if you have a multimeter you can check the voltage of your flash yourself if it's not on the list.

The link again is http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html

Generally Nikon DSLRs can handle the large voltage, it is mainly Canons that can't, however you would want to check with your manual or with Nikon before taking a chance. You could ruin your camera and end up with a costly repair bill.

Also if you chose to use an older flash you will lose a lot of the incredible functionality that the dedicated units offer, they are truly amazing when compared to older flash units. I speak from the experience of having used totally manual units to the most modern Nikon ones and most of the stuff in between.

The D50 does have a built in flash, this is quite weak of course but it can be used to trigger your older flash without mounting it by using a relatively cheap slave sensor. I'm not going to explain how to set it all up, I'm sure there must be a website that will do that for you. Basically you plug the sensor in to your old flash, set your camera to a manual setting (or the pre-flashes for the automatic settings will set off your slave before the shot) and pop-up your built in flash to fire both flashes.

Again you will lose most of your automatic computerised settings but you would do that anyway if you mounted it.

 

[big_swede]

There are something called a safe synch that you attach to your camera hotshoe, it has a hotshoe on top where you put your flash. And it's all safe. Look on ebay for wein safe synch. These are however a bit on the expensive side for what they are. Google DIY safe synch and you will have a lot of descriptions on how to do it cheaper.

 

[shep]

Hi Eric,
the above is all true. The way I get round this is to use the old flash as an off-camera with one of those light-sensitive triggers (about £6) and trigger it with the on-camera flash.

Dial down the output from your D50s flash and tweak the aperture to get the best overall exposure. The slave unit will always output max, but it doesn't take much trial and error to get the right distance, aperture and bounce for nice exposure. The results using it off-camera are usualy much nicer.

 

[Cobweb]

Following on from shep, you can adjust the output from your slaved flash using the old technique of the hanky...

Get yourself a cheap white hanky and an elastic band, leave it -the hanky - in the sun for a few days to yellow it up a bit - they tend to be a bit blue (to make them look whiter) and any colour you put over the flash will make the flash that colour.

So here's the formula: One layer of hanky = minus 1 stop of light.

Oldie but a goodie!


ps, if you leave without your hanky... 1 sheet of loo roll = minus 1 stop of light

 

[shep]

I really like that cobweb. Thanks.

I use a diffuser gismo, but your trick is practically a 'bushcraft' photography solution too good not to show off!

 

[Cobweb]

The stofen turns your flash into a 'bare bulb' style, type of thing, which is great if you are using it off camera to light an interior or something, what it doesn't tell you on the box is that it does absolutely nothing if you have it on camera and point the flash straight at a person!

The stofen only kills about 1/2 a stop, nowt really.

The hanky is a trick I learnt from an old PJ shooter Handy hanky!

A lot cheaper than buying ND filters for the flash, which worked out real expensive when the PJ's used Metz!

 

[Rebel]

Hi Eric,
The slave unit will always output max,

Not if its a automatic flash that hasn't been set to manual. It will take a reading of whatever the sensor is pointed at and adjust its light output from that. The Cobra unit in question is, I believe, an automatic unit.

 

[Eric_Methven]

Thanks for all your answers. I'm going to get a safe sync, and I'll have a play around with some slave triggers too. I've also just made a nifty reflector/deflector from a cut down 4pt milk carton velcro'd round the flash, so I can use bounce and some frontal infill too. But before doing anything else, I have to finish my light box.

Eric