SunPak 622 pro

captnemo

I'm continually on the search for a better light source. For cave photography it's hard to beat flash bulbs- large amount of light and slow burn time really works well for large areas and the output/weight ratio is good for packing in your cave pack. Since nobody manufactures the regular flash bulb anymore though we're dealing with a finite supply. I've experimented with several small flash units and even adapted small 110v studio slaves to battery for portable use.
With some pretty good results.


But still hadn't found a great portable light. I picked up a used Sunpak 622 and I think I've found the light!

Here's a shot taken with a couple of regular flashes.


Same camera settings with the 622


Another shot without the 622


and with the 622


So far I'm very happy with this flash. Anyone else have some good flash suggestions?

ziggy53

captnemo wrote:

...

Anyone else have some good flash suggestions?

Similar to the Sunpak 622 in output, I have a bunch of Sunpak 611 handle mount flashes. They are unusable, and even dangerous, attached directly to a modern digital camera (very high trigger voltage), but they provide a lot of punch for a very low used purchase price. (GN 160 @ ISO 100 with a large enough coverage for a 35mm lens on full-frame 35mm camera.)

I have adapted the 611 flashes to use AA rechargeable batteries for a very economical power source, but I also use C cells occasionally.

You can also "gang" old Vivitar 283 (but I think the coverage of the 283 is more like that of a 50mm lens) and 285/285HV flashes in a cluster and use a slave to set off the cluster. Make sure that the trigger voltage is the same for each flash of the cluster. 4 - Vivitar 283 flashes will yield a total GN 240 and that's not bad. (2 - Vivitar 283 flashes will yield a total GN 168.)

You can also use cumulative multiple flash pops and a long time exposure on the camera for very large caves. "Painting with light" is a creative alternative with this technique. Balancing the illumination throughout the cave can be easier with a series of pops as opposed to one burst of light.

captnemo

ziggy53 wrote:

Similar to the Sunpak 622 in output, I have a bunch of Sunpak 611 handle mount flashes. They are unusable, and even dangerous, attached directly to a modern digital camera (very high trigger voltage), but they provide a lot of punch for a very low used purchase price. (GN 160 @ ISO 100 with a large enough coverage for a 35mm lens on full-frame 35mm camera.)

I have adapted the 611 flashes to use AA rechargeable batteries for a very economical power source, but I also use C cells occasionally.

You can also "gang" old Vivitar 283 (but I think the coverage of the 283 is more like that of a 50mm lens) and 285/285HV flashes in a cluster and use a slave to set off the cluster. Make sure that the trigger voltage is the same for each flash of the cluster. 4 - Vivitar 283 flashes will yield a total GN 240 and that's not bad. (2 - Vivitar 283 flashes will yield a total GN 168.)

You can also use cumulative multiple flash pops and a long time exposure on the camera for very large caves. "Painting with light" is a creative alternative with this technique. Balancing the illumination throughout the cave can be easier with a series of pops as opposed to one burst of light.

Yeah, I have a couple of vivitar 283's that I use with wein slaves as well as a couple of other small flashes, but for larger spaces I'm really looking for more output. For instance this shot would not have been possible with just "painting with light"- my vivitar wouldn't even reach the ceiling

Thank goodness Dave Bunnell had brought along flash bulbs Now if I'd had a couple 622's we might have been able to get decent results with strobes. Course I might not like hauling all those c cells in my pack.

captnemo

So I got a chance to try out the sunpak622 in a 'real world' situation last weekend. The cave we visited was a little small for such a flash but I still thought it did a decent job, good thing it can be dialed down as much as it can (1/128 power)

MDalby

Wow!!! That cave shot is amazing!

Scott McLeod Photo

I have a few 622's and yes they are powerful. If you haven't done so already I would recommend a couple packs of rechargeable NiMh and a recharger. I can't imagine the $$'s it has saved me versus having to buy C cells.

captnemo

Scott McLeod Photo wrote:

I have a few 622's and yes they are powerful. If you haven't done so already I would recommend a couple packs of rechargeable NiMh and a recharger. I can't imagine the $$'s it has saved me versus having to buy C cells.

Yes, I have a charger already (I use c-cells in my petzl helmet light, but I need to pick up a few more c-cells now)

captnemo

MDalby wrote:

Wow!!! That cave shot is amazing!

Thanks- I presume you mean the one in Guatemala?(though I thought the loal one came out pretty good )