Photax Fotomatic 220A

[IngMacca]

Anyone with informations (or maybe a manual...) about this vintage flash?

In mine the exposure table on the back is almost totally disappeared!


Thanks

 

[AgX]

I could not even find a photo of it. But most electronic flashes do not need a manual. (Well, most...)

-) check if there is any readable rest of the the film speed at the calculator
-) set the dial/scale to that value and check for any distance and aperture markings left.
-) the left ones do not even have to correspond to each other: a corresponding missing aperture value can be easyly established by counting from the next readable one. Next distance values differ by the factor 1.4, thus here you would need to calculate...
-) by that you can reestablish the figures at the calculator or just establish the guidenumber for that flash.

The guidenumber is: GN = aperture x distance

There is a metric GN (meters) and a imperial GN (feet).

Typically the GN is related to a film speed of DIN/ASA of 21/100 (with old flashes, pre-autoexp. it is given for 18/50).


With many electronic flashes a figure in its designation is referring to its guidenumber.

 

[IngMacca]

Thanks a lot for your precious hints...
I already planned to get the guide using a light meter... but there is something a little more tricky:
In your opinion, which are the working modes of this flash?:

 

[AgX]

It is seemingly a basic version of a "computer" (autoexp.) flash.

at the back you will find
-) a on/off switch
-) a "charged" indicator light
-) a test button
-) a calculator

on the front you see
-) a switch for "manual" operation, "yellow" and "green" aperture for the auto-mode. The corresponding apertures for autoexposure you have to look up as correspondingly coloured figures at the calculator, once you reestablished all its figures.
If there is no trace of those two colours or any kind of corresponding relief left at the calculator, you cannot establish those two apertures and have to resort to manual operation only. Or to establish the two apertures by test exposures.

 

[IngMacca]

Ok... I think I'm close to the solution but there's still something missing...
Please look at the attachment, as you suggested I built the table again.
In my opinion this table is ok: if I know my iso and my distance from the subject i can find the correct aperture.
This for manual mode... So what's the meaning of yellow and green columns?

 

[AgX]

As I said you got that switch at the front that switches between the manual- and the auto-mode.
Actually it is no electrical switch, only an optical one, in front of the sensor. Typical for a lot of flashes.

One setting is the yellow one, the other the green one. You just have to set the given coloured aperture at your camera, dependant how you set that switch and what speed of film you got. The same for all auto-exposure flashes, except for those that communicate with the camera.

Typical "auto-apertures" are (@ISO100) 2.8 and 5.6. As with yours.

 

[MattKing]

So what's the meaning of yellow and green columns?

The built in "Auto" sensor can be set on the front to two different settings - one relates to the yellow, and the other to the green. The columns will tell you which aperture to set for which auto setting - it will be dependent on the film EI/ISO. The number at the top of the column indicates the maximum camera - subject distance for that auto setting (in meters in your case).

 

[AgX]

The number at the top of the column indicates the maximum camera - subject distance for that auto setting (in meters in your case).

The line above with those distances indicates the exact distance for the manual mode, and the maximum distance for the auto-mode.
Some other flashes do indicate that range-character by using a coloured horizontal line in addition.

The ways the calculators are designed vary a lot. But behind it there always is the same principle as described above.

 

[IngMacca]

Tested with a flash light meter and it works!
Thanks everybody for the help!