Radio Trigger...

[ChristopherCoy]

I'm going to try some studio stuff later today and just want to make sure that I have everything in order.

I have a generic 16 channel radio trigger, and I have plugged a 4 inch PC to 1/8" jack into it (or whatever the standard 'headphone' size is).

For the Mamiya C33, do I just plug the PC cord into the receiver on the lens? Or will I need a special adapter or something?

And for the Nikon FM, I should just be able to put the radio trigger on the shoe mount correct?

I do have one of those 'cubes' that fits on the hotshoe, and has two PC ports on the side, and another hotshoe space on the top. Its a Satter brand if I remember correctly.

I'm figuring that there isn't much I can blow, being that both of these cameras have minimal electronics if any, but I'd rather be safe. I've already blown the LCD panel in my digital once.

 

[MattKing]

Just for clarity, you are talking about the transmitter for your radio trigger (transmitter plus receiver) set, are you not?

For the C33 the PC socket on your lens is where you plug the PC cord that is, at the other end, plugged into your transmitter.

The synch on all Mamiya TLR lenses is entirely mechanical, so you can safely plug even high voltage trigger flashes into it.

That being said, none of the radio triggers I have ever seen have high voltage transmitters.

What you do have to watch for with those triggers is whether or not the receivers can handle the trigger voltage from your flashes.

One further hint - make sure that your Mamiya TLR lenses have the synch set to X - if it slides toward the M setting, your shot won't work.

There is a reason that a lot of wedding photographers used to shoot with Mamiya TLRs where the synch switch had been permanently glued on X.

 

[John Koehrer]

why would you plug a receiver into the kens? did you mean transmitter?
A receiver attaches to the flash and triggers them when the shutter is tripped,

 

[ChristopherCoy]

Yes I meant the transmitter... The receiver is on my AB lights.

 

[ChristopherCoy]

And by 'reviever' on the lens, I meant the PC port on the top lens.

 

[Steve Smith]

What you do have to watch for with those triggers is whether or not the receivers can handle the trigger voltage from your flashes.

This was raised on another forum. I took apart my cheap Cactus trigger receiver, found the data sheet for the opto-triac used to trigger the flash and found that it was rated at 400 volts. I suspect most modern cameras use a similar device but conservatively rate them at 250 volts (which seems to be the standard now).


Steve.

 

[Mike Wilde]

Do take care if you are mad like me, and rehab old 60's era pack and head flash.

I have a Braun Hobby EF-300, that works just fine now that I power it from new gel cells.
On full power output the trigger voltage I measured at 512Vdc.

I have a good quality Wein optical sync that gets used to trigger that thing in a multi -falsh setup.
Even they sometimes fail after living with that rig for a few years.

I put up with it though, because it is a relaible 100w/s on half power, or 200w/s worth of whump when I need to blast light from a softbox, or other diffuse modifier that swallows too much useable output from battery powered flash units with lesser output.