Using SB-15 flash on Nikon S2

[anta40]

Last month, I got the SB-15 flash which worked nicely on the Nikon F with AS-1.
Now I'm trying to use it my my Nikon S2 with a generic male-to-male PC sync cable.

This is how I setup the camera:
- Synchro selector dial points to X
- Slow speed shutter dial points to 1/30
- High speed shutter dial points to X

Tried firing the shutter a few times and the flash is still off. Eventually, I found the flash can fire on few conditions:
- unplug the cable from the synchronizer socket then plug it again
- unmount the flash from the hotshoe, and fire the shutter. As long as the flash isn't on cold shoe, it works. I wonder if this has something to do with flash connector pins pressed by the cold shoe.

Is there a work around to use the SB-15?

 

[aw614]

Can you put electrical tape over the flash contact?

This sounds like there might be an issue with the flash contact pin touching the metal on the cold shoe. I had a similar issue occur on my Canon L1 when I tried to hook up a flash.

 

[reddesert]

Put electrical tape or some other tape on the center of the camera's cold shoe. The cold shoe will short the flash contact pins and the dedicated pins. For older flashes of the non-dedicated era, it was fairly common that inserting a cord into the PC socket would disconnect one of the flash shoe pins so that you could use them on a cold shoe, but once you get to dedicated / TTL flashes, I am not sure if this can be trusted.

I think you should be able to flip the SB-15 head over the other way so that it overhangs the rewind knob, rather than the advance lever and shutter release. This will make it a lot easier to use in practice, and make the "Nikon SB-15" label right side up when seen from the front, which is more pro looking.

 

[Chan Tran]

Yes the electrical tape would solve the problem. The flash think the sync contact is closed all the time.