Making use of Canon flashes in a Nikon system

bandgeekndb

So, I'm now an owner of a D90, along with a few other trinkets, but not much in the way of lighting gear.

Can Canon flashes be used with Nikon equipment in any form? I wouldn't mind manual mode if that was the only option, I'm just trying to see if the stuff is worth anything. I have a couple of old cameras lying around with various family members, and they have flashes with them, so I thought I might repurpose them as part of my setup.

I'd appreciate the input. Thanks.
~Nick

ziggy53

If you are talking about old film era flashes I would advise you to be cautious about trigger voltage. Many very old flashes can generate very high trigger voltages that really can harm modern digital cameras, which are designed to use 6v trigger voltages (or so).

Some older Canon flashes may be used as manual flashes but the extra pin connections might still cause issues, i.e. you might have to insulate those extra contacts to avoid some problems. If you want a manual flash, or an auto flash, you are better off looking for a model designed for those applications.

The old standby Vivitar 285HV are still viable, but I do like the Sunpak 383 Super flashes better. The new Vivitar DF383 is available in Nikon iTTL and may be the current value leader in that it appears to provide a TTL function (although maybe not full iTTL) as well as full manual operation (full output to 1/16th) and a slave function.

This is a very new item so there is not much information available, but early user reviews are favorable.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/600865-REG/Vivitar_DF_383_NIK_DF_383_Series_1.html

Tim Kamppinen

If the flashes have manual controls on the unit and pc ports, you could use them off camera with raddio triggers. You'd still have to check to make sure the triggers are compatible with the flashes you're using though.

Qarik

bandgeekndb wrote:

So, I'm now an owner of a D90, along with a few other trinkets, but not much in the way of lighting gear.

Can Canon flashes be used with Nikon equipment in any form? I wouldn't mind manual mode if that was the only option, I'm just trying to see if the stuff is worth anything. I have a couple of old cameras lying around with various family members, and they have flashes with them, so I thought I might repurpose them as part of my setup.

I'd appreciate the input. Thanks.
~Nick

I don't know if they could but I would avoid using them. The potential damage they could cause is simply not worth the trial imo.

mehampson

For on-camera work it probably won't be worth it. Via radio trigger and manual mode, any EX model with on-camera manual controls (430EX and higher I think), or the 540EZ. There are other EZ models that look like they'd work on paper, but have a very short power save function that means you have to turn it off and on again every 90 seconds; the 540EZ has this too but it can be disabled. I haven't seen anybody talking about the old E models and I don't know if any of them even have manual controls.

And it's been said already, but most older flashes for film cameras have a very high trigger voltage, and should never be attached to your camera's hotshoe (directly or via off-camera cord), or you risk cooking the camera -- and flashes and cameras with different TTL systems are not necessarily safe either.

bandgeekndb

Ok then, sounds like this is a bad idea all around.

Time to save up for the next investment then.

Thanks for the inputs everyone! I knew different, and older flashes could cause problems with voltages, etc. but I thought it was only hotshoe-related. I'd rather not fry triggers, or anything else trying to use these old flashes.

Thanks,
Nick