No luck with the AC slave.

EphTwoEightEphTwoEight Registered Users Posts: 552 Major grins
edited December 10, 2012 in Accessories
CA_12101208454663-M.jpgWhat am I doing wrong?2264557863_bTspvTp

It fires every time. But not when the shutter is open.

I can catch the main speed lights but not this one.

Got it free, not a big deal, but could be fun if it was fast as light.

Comments

  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,164 moderator
    edited December 10, 2012
    Your image is not showing.

    I am guessing that this is an optical slaved AC flash? If so, you need to mount a simple manual flash on your camera in order to trigger it properly (or any flash in manual mode).

    More than likely you are trying to use a trigger flash in TTL mode, which has a pre-flash which is used to calculate the flash contribution needed for the exposure. The pre-flash is triggering the slaved flash before the actual exposure.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • EphTwoEightEphTwoEight Registered Users Posts: 552 Major grins
    edited December 10, 2012
    Yes. I tried it with the built in flash, and with the Phottix Odins and the flashes all fire, but not catching the screw in one.
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,164 moderator
    edited December 10, 2012
    EphTwoEight wrote: »
    Yes. I tried it with the built in flash, and with the Phottix Odins and the flashes all fire, but not catching the screw in one.

    I don't know of any AC strobes which have a digital slave capability.

    If you want a wireless optical slave to properly trigger with TTL flash, you need one with a "digital" slave capability. You can also use a separate digital slave trigger. (I don't think that any of the inexpensive AC flash units allow an external trigger, however.)

    If your camera has a PC sync port, or if you add a PC flash port to your hot shoe, you should be able to use a simple radio slave set to trigger an external and remote flash, either a hot shoe flash or a PC cord triggered flash. Since the radio transmitter/master only picks up the contributing flash pulse from the camera (and ignores the pre-flash), this should allow any simple manual/auto flash to fire at the appropriate time.

    For instance, I can use a simple 16 channel radio slave set to fire an old handle-bracket flash remotely, and it will properly sync to the contributing exposure, even mixed with a TTL flash on the camera.
    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • EphTwoEightEphTwoEight Registered Users Posts: 552 Major grins
    edited December 10, 2012
    Oh, wow! I'd like to see that set up.

    Thanks for the thoughts, I think you're right, and I'll have to give the PC cord a try next time I pull out the studio lights.
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