What modern lighting for film cameras?

1kgcoffee · Jul 12, 2018

I've been playing around with my canon mount yn568EXII, and YN622c flash triggers trying to get them to work with film cameras. No dice. The film cameras with which I intend to use it are a Kiev 6c, a minolta 807si, a minolta srt 200.

Question is, which modern flashes/triggers work well with them, and what do I need to get them to work?

Thanks in Advance,
1kgcoffee

mweintraub · Jul 13, 2018

I use the Godox X1 (rebranded to Adorama R2 actually) system with all my cameras. Great system.

Your YN622C should work, unless it requires a TTL shoe like the older 602/602 mk I required.

spijker · Jul 13, 2018

What is not working, does the flash not fire at all? You obviously will not get automatic flash exposure with a non-canon camera and this flash/trigger. I used to have a different Yongnuo flash/trigger set that was manual only and that worked flawless with a Canon DSLR, a Mamiya 645 Pro and a 645 ADF3. Be aware that the pc contact on your trigger is an output. It can not be used to connect to the pc contact of the camera. Only the hot shoe can be used. The Minolta srt 200 seems to have a regular hot shoe so that camera should be able to trigger the flash. If the camera has a pc contact only, you'll have to get a pc-hot shoe adapter, something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Kalt-Shoe-Adapter-Connecting-Cord/dp/B00009R8G8

edit: I've also switched to Godox; 2 x AD200, TT350c and Xpro-c trigger. Works flawless on the Canon DSLR (TTL) and the Mamiya 645AFD3 (no-TTL).

Menno

mweintraub · Jul 13, 2018

I'd recommend a hotshoe adapter with rails like these in here: http://www.returntofilm.com/2017/02/13/return-to-film-with-flash-part-one/
This way the pins of the TTL trigger get a little help up.

Chan Tran · Jul 13, 2018

Use a hot shoe adapter and plug the cord into the PC sync socket.

WilmarcoImaging · Jul 13, 2018

PocketWizard triggers work with just about anything. The correct cable is needed on both sides (strobe and camera). Cables are easy to source and not expensive.

1kgcoffee · Jul 13, 2018

Thanks for the responses.

I actually have a viltrox fc-7sn and pc-sync cable. Been doing it wrong all this time somehow! It's working now even on the kiev amazingly

M Carter · Jul 15, 2018

The cheap chinese radio triggers won't fire from my RB lenses (or my Spotmeter F), and it's a common issue I see on various forums. Pocket wizards - even old, cheap used ones - do the job.

mweintraub · Jul 16, 2018

M Carter said:
cheap chinese radio triggers

Which ones? I know the YN602/603 (first version) require a TTL hotshoe. 603 II fixed this.

M Carter · Jul 18, 2018

I'm not sure the model I have, it was like fifteen bucks on Amazon; it has a micro-plug on the hot shoe transmitter (like, the "smaller than 1/8"" mono jack) and came with a cable from that size to PC; the receiver has a PC connection and a hot shoe, so they're pretty versatile. It works fine with SLRs and DSLRs for me, just not the RB lenses or my Spotmeter F. And since the advent of cheap slaves, there's dozens of posts around the web from RB users. Last week there was a Reddit user that had a $100 or so Asian TTL slave that wouldn't fire with the RB, so low cost ins't the only harbinger I suppose.

I've noticed when testing on the RB shutters: there's a red light on the transmitter that blinks when the shutter is fired. Every few fires from some RB lenses, you can see it barely pulse - so a tiny bit of power is getting through, not enough to trigger the receiver though. No idea why, other than these things must kick a little voltage into the flash circuit to close a circuit when the shutter is tripped; the RB's circuit must have too much resistance, and the slaves are either designed with very low voltage to avoid liability, or there's something about their build that doesn't have enough voltage? Can't say for sure.

MattKing · Jul 18, 2018

Most flash slaves run on tiny batteries, and generally run for a long time, through many activations, before those batteries require replacement.
That tells me that the power (both the voltage and the current) supplied by them to the synch circuits in cameras must be miniscule.
The mechanical synch circuits in RB shutters are robust and, in most cases, quite old. Originally, they were designed to handle relatively high voltage and current (like the 600V synch voltage in my Bowens Monolites). In many cases they have never been cleaned or serviced.
It is not surprising there is a mis-match. It may be that if one had the RB shutters serviced, including cleaning and, where required, replacing the synch switches, then the modern slave circuits would function fine.
I have a set of Wein IR based synchs that work with my RB. They are bigger and use bigger batteries. I can also trigger them with a television remote .

M Carter · Jul 19, 2018

MattKing said:
Most flash slaves run on tiny batteries, and generally run for a long time, through many activations, before those batteries require replacement.
That tells me that the power (both the voltage and the current) supplied by them to the synch circuits in cameras must be miniscule.
The mechanical synch circuits in RB shutters are robust and, in most cases, quite old. Originally, they were designed to handle relatively high voltage and current (like the 600V synch voltage in my Bowens Monolites). In many cases they have never been cleaned or serviced.
It is not surprising there is a mis-match. It may be that if one had the RB shutters serviced, including cleaning and, where required, replacing the synch switches, then the modern slave circuits would function fine.
I have a set of Wein IR based synchs that work with my RB. They are bigger and use bigger batteries. I can also trigger them with a television remote .

I'd assume a lot of that is the case; but I have 6 or 7 RB lenses, none would trigger the cheapies. One is a 180mm that I cla'd via Ron Paul sending me PMs here; the sync circuit was very clean in that one, no corrosion or dirt or anything, though the shutter had frozen up and returned to normal with a proper cleaning and lube. I wonder if RZ users have the same issues?

CropDusterMan · Dec 12, 2018

I use Elinchrom Quadra Hybrids. They have a trigger system that works great and a large array of
modifiers available. The systems are widely available used or new for decent prices.
J

What modern lighting for film cameras?

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