Which digital camera can be used with slaved flash?
I bought my first digital camera, Epson P800 a few years back. One of the things I found soon was it didn't synch with slave flash and on camera flash is way too weak for most indoor scenes. I called White Lightening(studio flash maker) to ask them if they knew any way to get around it. They told me most digital cameras are not designed for the use with slave flash. I guess it should be followed by, ''unless you are willing to pay for the high end models.''
I'm looking into a new camera which I don't have to rely totally on its own flash. My question is, can I assume all the digital camera which has hot shoe has capability of triggering slave flash in synch? If the hot shoes are not the indication of such a function, what else can I look for?
Which digital camera can be used with slaved flash?
The simple answer is yes. If it has a standard canon, nikon, minolta, sigma flash terminal it can interface with a slave module designed for said camera system. Several high-end digitals come equipped with a standard X-sync terminal that will allow you to attach basically any slave made.
Which digital camera can be used with slaved flash?
Funny that the flash company did not tell you that you can buy a light sensor (called ''peanut'sold by Wein, that plugs into the additional flash that will flash upon seeing the in camera flash go off. This is using the flash as a Slave flash. What you are talking about is the PC connector whereby one adds a flash hard wired to the camera. Most top of line Digitals have PC capability and definately the SLR'all do. So, you don't have to get rid of your digital, just augment it with a light sensor flash. That is if the flash exposure is metered and compensated for by the camera through the lens or by means of an exposure sensor on the camera.
Which digital camera can be used with slaved flash?
Thanks to doncrescas and Nearly for the reply.
See, this is exactly what I was thinking about before I found this out. I thought all cameras, be it film or digital cameras, triggers the slave while camera is making exposure. Specially if it has manual control over shutter speed and aperture. I found out not all of them(in fact, none in that price range) do that. Many people don't know it because not many people try shooting photos with point and shoot camera using slave flash, because without manual exposure, it's hard to tell what exposure you are getting. Even at White Lightening, the guy couldn't figure it out at the time I called but sent me an Email back later when he found out that pretty much all digital cameras(cheap ones. Remember, this was a few years ago. They were all cheap in features.) are made that way. Only reason I can think of why the camera and flash don't sync, is that the flash on those cameras(not slave side) are "Rear-Curtained". If that's the case, I don't know why they choose Rear-Curtain without giving other options. If anybody in this forum knows why, I'd like to know.
Well, one can say "So, you want a digital camera that works like SLR? Why don't you get DSLR?" They are still expensive and new models are always around the corner. That could come later, but for now, I'm shopping for an (Inexpensive)digital camera that I can use indoor, using more than one flash. Since no advertisement describes about the slave flash synch capability, I thought I'd ask the members. This is one of those "hidden" feature that is not enough for selling point which the company reps can't even tell if it has but you can find out only by using it.
By the way, doncresca, a slave flash is not attached to the camera nor connected to it by the cord. A slave flash has an "eye" which sees the burst from another flash and triggers itself. Most studio flashes have this capability.
Which digital camera can be used with slaved flash?
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On 6/18/2003 3:11:57 PM allgoo19 wrote:
I bought my first digital camera, Epson P800 a few years back. One of the things I found soon was it didn't synch with slave flash and on camera flash is way too weak for most indoor scenes. ... They told me most digital cameras are not designed for the use with slave flash. ...
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I'm not familiar with your Epson P800.
Most of the P&S digicams use a double flash. The 1st flash used to set the white balance and the 2nd for exposure. Hence a "standard" slave would be triggered on the 1st flash instead of the second when the exposure occurs.
Digi-Slave makes a series of flash units, and a Stand Alone Slave Trigger for a flash unit with a standard PC connector, that will trigger flash on the digicam's second flash.
Which digital camera can be used with slaved flash?
Sorry Don,
This is not necessarily correct. i.e. my Minolta Dimage 5 (this applies to the 7, 71, etc. too)The cameras use a pre flash(which cannot be turned off) which will set off your slaved flash prior to the shutter opening--so no pix. Also, non-Minolta flashes will not sync or ttl properly (this is per Sigma, Vivitar, and Sunpack---I called each of them). The only exception is Metz, and the adapter foot specially for Minolta digitals is more than some flashes(it contains a delay mechanism--cost about $100--plus the flash).----------------
On 6/18/2003 4:11:03 PM doncrescas wrote:
The simple answer is yes. If it has a standard canon, nikon, minolta, sigma flash terminal it can interface with a slave module designed for said camera system. Several high-end digitals come equipped with a standard X-sync terminal that will allow you to attach basically any slave made.
Which digital camera can be used with slaved flash?
I was really thinking more along the lines of a radio slave. I rarely shoot in a studio, so the only slave that works for me is RF triggered. However, I was not aware that for instance sunpak units would across the board be incompatible with the dimage line.
Which digital camera can be used with slaved flash?
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On 6/19/2003 1:11:41 AM JTM1051 wrote:
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On 6/18/2003 3:11:57 PM allgoo19 wrote:
I bought my first digital camera, Epson P800 a few years back. One of the things I found soon was it didn't synch with slave flash and on camera flash is way too weak for most indoor scenes. ... They told me most digital cameras are not designed for the use with slave flash. ...
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Most of the P&S digicams use a double flash. The 1st flash used to set the white balance and the 2nd for exposure. Hence a "standard" slave would be triggered on the 1st flash instead of the second when the exposure occurs.
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I knew someone had an answer. Thanks JTM1051.
I have never tried shooting myself using flash before. I tried it after I read your post. I could barely see two bursts but your explanation just makes sense to me.
Now my question is, since no digital cameras describing in their ads, if they have option to cancel the white balance flash, so what feature(s) indicates which digital camera can cacel this white balance flash? I suppose having a capability of external flash(i.e. Hot shoe, PC, etc.) doesn't really guarantee that the model has capability to cancel the first flash since both can benefit each other most of the time. Is that correct?
Which digital camera can be used with slaved flash?
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On 6/19/2003 8:55:25 AM ronk wrote:
The OLY C5050, for one, can be set to a flash slave mode, if this is what you are lookking for.
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Thanks ronk. That's one of the models I had in mind too. It's nice to know. Does this mean all the cameras from different makers in this price range has the same capability?
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