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On a photo shoot yesterday, I took some pictures using a studio flash head.
After about 50 shots, the flash would not fire. I tried different connection cables and still nothing. I tried it all again on a different camera and hey presto it worked fine again, so immediatley I thought it was my ist d.
BUT, when I got home, I tried again with a different studio flash head and it works fine with all the same cables on the same ist d.
I am now totally confused.
Further info: on the ist d, various settings were tried and all shutter speeds were below recommended setting. Have I just changed something in one of the menus by accident maybe, although I don't think so...?
Any suggestions?
Two things that I know of that can stop a camera firing a flash.
1- Voltage to high or to low voltage on the teminals.
2- Polarity, come flashes are wired with the positive terminal on the center pin of the connector and others are wired with the negative terminal on the center pin of the connector.
Contact Pentax Support to find out the trigger voltage & polarity that works with you camera.
Try this website: (www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html) to find the trigger voltage of the studio flash that would not work with your camera or measure it your self if you have a voltmeter.
Hey a real easy way to fire studio flash is with a dedicated flash set to MINUS 3 stops.I use this and it frees you from tha vagaries of the cables. I have found PC cables unreliable, they break and are hopelesss. Another way is to use an IR trigger sysem also no cords needed.
You say it was OK for 50 shots, then it went off.A flash does not change its polarity after a number of shots. Most studio flash`s have a trigger button on the back, did you check to see if it would fire from these? Was the ready neon on?. It sounds like an intermittant fault most prob a cable.
Sophiehw
Again an intermittant fault or are you sure you are not covering the sensor when its on its side.
Ron
Thanks for all the info guys.
Yes, it was one of the older Courtenay flash units that stopped working. Only thing that puzzles me is, if it is just a polarity issue, why did it work in the first place and then stop? I have also used these lights for years with other Pentax film cameras with no problems - so have they changed the polarity on their ist d?
As Pete says, the one I tried it on when I got home was a Jessops Portaflash and seems fine (but I haven't hit the magic 50 yet...)
As for the cable Ron, it could be but the same cables work fine on other cameras with the light that won't work...
Maybe I should look at a IR trigger system as I find a small on camera flash doesn't always set the units off (depending upon where I am to them) ie the use of cables and I don't really want to spend out just yet on new lights, that's for a future date.
Terry
Hi
Infra red is not required to trigger a studio flash. Infra Red is only required to receive a signal back to the camera to say how far the subject is. The internal on board flash of your camera is all that is required. If this does not trigger your flash you have a problem. If you are using full blown studio flash, the small addition of your on board flash will not make that much difference.
RON
Hi
Having never been into a pro`s studio I have not seen one of these all singing all dancing studio flash`s. My experience is with studio flash`s that have photo diodes as sensors on the back.Responding to any flash of light. I have made quite a few of these for plugging into the 1/4" jack on the back of cheapish studio flash`s.
Always ready to learn Ron.
Ok.
I took the batteries out of the camera over night but the next day there was no difference.
I took the camera and the flash unit that wouldn't fire to the a 'flash shop' and the guy there couldn't understand all the different variations and why some work and some don't.
Anyway, I purchased an IR trigger system, so now I can use all my flashes with no cables.
I have also emailed Pentax and will update when I get a reply from them.
Terry
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