Cold accessory shoe attachment for Zenit B with no hot shoe????

juliette.steen · Oct 13, 2010

Hi there!
I feel quite stupid asking this but I'm really confused and am hoping you can help me. I own a Zenit B and am interested in buying a flashgun, and I know other Zenit B cameras have a cold accessory shoe already attached but mine doesn't and I'm wondering where I can find some kind of cold accessory shoe attachment? Is there still such thing? Is it universal or do I have to buy the attachment suited to a Zenit camera?

This is what my camera looks like at the moment: http://www.rus-camera.com/camera.php?page=zenit&camera=zenitb

Also, I see that because the camera doesn't have a wired hot shoe I will have to either buy a flashgun that has a PC sync lead OR buy a normal flashgun that fits on the hot shoe and then buy this:
http://www.qualitycamera.com.au/hama-6952-shoe-adapter-shoe-with-male-sync-cord-p-4356.html
What is the best way to go about this?

Any help would be so appreciated

mgb74 · Oct 13, 2010

The attachment that would place the flash directly over the prism will be specific to the Zenit. The good news is that there are probably thousands lying around in drawers; bad news is that finding them could be very difficult.

An option would be a flash bracket of some sort; they range from very simple "L" shaped brackets that you can find used for a buck or 2 (or even free) to more elaborate brackets (like the Stroboframe) the place the flash over the prism and shift for both vertical and horizontal compositions.

If you can find the flash you want with a pc cords, that's probably the way to go. Otherwise, the adapter you referenced should work just fine with any shoe mount flash assuming it has a hot shoe.

Where are you located? And welcome to APUG.

juliette.steen · Oct 14, 2010

Thanks so much for replying.
Yeah I bet there are so many lying around but I will never find one, unless I buy another zenit b body with one attached I guess.
Where can I find the simple shaped brackets cheap? Ebay perhaps?
I'm located in Australia.
Thanks again for the help!

fschifano · Oct 14, 2010

Any half way decent camera store should have them. Something like Dead Link Removed will do just fine. If the flash you intend to use has a hot shoe and a PC cord like the Vivitar 285HV, you'll want to put a small piece of tape on the shoe to prevent it from making contact with the frame.

Bob-D659 · Oct 14, 2010

No tape needed with a Vivitar 28x type flash and most other older models, as plugging the flash cord into the flash turns off the hot shoe contacts.

elekm · Oct 14, 2010

In the 1970s, Vivitar sold a very good flash bracket. Make sure that it has the cable release.

I've used this quite a bit. It's a bit large, but with a heavy camera, it feels very balanced in your hand.

fschifano · Oct 14, 2010

Bob-D659 said:
No tape needed with a Vivitar 28x type flash and most other older models, as plugging the flash cord into the flash turns off the hot shoe contacts.

You're right about the Vivtiar 28x flashes. I know I have one or two around here that short out on an all metal cold shoe. I just dis-remebered which one.

juliette.steen · Oct 14, 2010

Thank you for your help everyone!
This morning a fellow zenit b owner contacted me and said he could send me a cold shoe attachment from his own collection in exchange for a photo print or small sum of money. I'm incredibly happy and lucky!
I looked at the Vivitar 285HV and like it a lot, thank you Frank for suggesting it. Does anyone here use this particular flash?

mgb74 · Oct 15, 2010

A Vivitar 285 would be an excellent choice, with a Vivitar 283 a close second. Both of those have hot shoes and would require a proprietary (i.e. special tip at one end for Vivitar) PC cord unless you use the hot shoe adapter you referenced in your initial post.

juliette.steen · Oct 15, 2010

I will look into it. Hopefully the Vivitar 285 comes with the PC sync cord as standard, otherwise I will have to buy the cord separate or the hot shoe adapter.

fschifano · Oct 15, 2010

If you buy the Vivitar 285HV new, it comes with the PC sync cord. If you buy it used, it will probably be missing. The cords are inexpensive, and I have no problem finding them for a few dollars. In any case, a brand new 285HV isn't a lot of money for what you get. I'd get the hot shoe adapter in any case. It's a very handy accessory if you want to move the flash away from the camera.

AgX · Dec 4, 2018

juliette.steen said:
I own a Zenit B and am interested in buying a flashgun, and I know other Zenit B cameras have a cold accessory shoe already attached but mine doesn't.

With the Zenit E there are versions (likely dependant on manufacturer) where a flash-shoe can be attached to the eyepiece and where not.
Most likely this is the same for the Zenit B.

Cold accessory shoe attachment for Zenit B with no hot shoe????

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