optical light trigger going early

[dawesy]

So today I became the proud owner of the Qihe lighting kit from Poon. I brought it home with the full intention of testing it out and knocking up a quick and dirty review, however i am stuck with a bt of an issue, though nothing to do with the lights which, apart from some assembly difficuties for the softboxes, appear excellent. I had thougt it came wit a wireess trigger, but it doesn't. Thankfully they have inbuilt optical triggers.

The issue is that the inbuilt flash on my camera appears to be poping the lights early. I started taking test shots pointed straight at the light and it does go off, but is not exposed in the image. At first I thought it was a delay but images up to a second have no evidence of the flash, and eyeballing it seems almost instant so the delay is definietely not longer than that! It is definitely going off as I can see it with the naked eye.

I realised at one point the AF assist was using the inbuilt flash, so went to MF and it stopped but I still got the same result. I confirmed the flash i set to vanilla manual, no red eye etc, and checked for any other flash setting I could find to no avail. I have aso noticed the flash from the lightstand hits my eye through the viewfinder, even on the longer exposures, hence my certainty it pops early.

Finally I tred using my hotshoe flash, a sigma 500, set to 1/16 power and that works fine, so the issue is clearly with the inbuilt flash but I cannot find a way to make it work. Unfortunatly that flash is so pwerfull even at 1/16 it has a significant effect. Before I bite the bullet and just get a wireless trigger I thought I'd see if anyone had any ideas!

Thanks in advance.

[losfp]

Sounds like the TTL pre-flashes are setting it off.

You say that you've tried sticking the pop-up on manual, so I'm not sure what else I can suggest....

[Biggzie]

Quick question, what is your camera body?

[gstark]

Kill your preflash.

Set your flash to 1/16 or 1/32 power.

But yes, it's supposed to come with a radio trigger. Should be in a smallish box - two parts, a transmitter and a reciever (just one of each).

Please PM me to confirm that they were missing, and I'll chase this up for you.

[dawesy]

Quick question, what is your camera body?

Pentax *ist DL. Should have mentioned that.

Kill your preflash.

Set your flash to 1/16 or 1/32 power.

To the best of the settings I can find I have, but I shall dig out the book and see what I must be missing. I don't have the ability to change the power that I can find either.

But yes, it's supposed to come with a radio trigger. Should be in a smallish box - two parts, a transmitter and a reciever (just one of each).

Please PM me to confirm that they were missing, and I'll chase this up for you.

Excellent. When I couldn't find it I checked the sticky in the bargains forum and didn't see them mentioned, so assumed I'd just made it up! PM sent, and thanks for the follow up.


EDIT: Oh, and I managed to get things working well using the hot shoe flash on low power with folded A4 paper, 4x think, taped over it. Not enough light to affect the scene, plenty to trigger the strobes. Tonight I shall start on the (long?) road to taking good shots with it!

[Biggzie]

Quick question, what is your camera body?

Pentax *ist DL. Should have mentioned that.

Ive got a ist-DS and there is a known problem triggering off the internal flash. I dont think the ist-DL had a fix for the problem.

The fix is to use a compatible hotshoe flash. I use a Sigma EF-500 DG Super, and there are lots of notes in the manual (yes there are some people who read them ) about not using the internal to trigger off. I know that any of the Pentax or compatible Sigma flash units on the hotshoe work though.

[Big Red]

i think you can do it on the ist*Ds but not the later cams.

you could try cutting a slot out of the side of a clear film canister and popping that over the inbuilt flash.

[dawesy]

Ive got a ist-DS and there is a known problem triggering off the internal flash. I dont think the ist-DL had a fix for the problem.

The fix is to use a compatible hotshoe flash. I use a Sigma EF-500 DG Super, and there are lots of notes in the manual (yes there are some people who read them ) about not using the internal to trigger off. I know that any of the Pentax or compatible Sigma flash units on the hotshoe work though.

So, RTFM then?

As it happens I ended up using the hot shoe flash late last night to good effect, just with paper over it so it wasn't lighting the scene too much.

Thanks for the help!

[Biggzie]

i think you can do it on the ist*Ds but not the later cams.

Actually you can on the ist-D, but ist-DS had the problem. Im not sure what model they fixed it, but the K series works now.

[Biggzie]

So, RTFM then?

Would I be that rude .... Yep

[dawesy]

Not at all. I work in support I should know better!!

I'm looking to upgrade in the new year, probably switch to Nikon, so that should take care of any bugs!

[Biggzie]

I will upgrade to Nikon too .... just as soon as 6 numbers come up

I cant complain with Pentax though, Ive been using them for 20 years hassle free apart from a few Flash hassles when I went to Digital. I cant justify the cost of replacing all my Lenses, so Im heading down the K10d upgrade track, then upgrading my flashes with a couple of AF540's eventually.
My camera doesnt have to be the best, just good enough for me

[dawesy]

It's certainly something I've been thinking about for 6 months or longer. The more I shoot the more I find myself limited with my kit. The body and all but two of my lenses frustrate me at times. I could probably upgrade with Pentax and be happy, but given only 2 lenses are keepers, now is the time to really make a call. I'm willing to spend some real money in the new year, but I want to buy things I will only buy once.

The other factor is that I work with someone who has a pretty good Nikon kit and doesn't mind lending things if you look after them...

Still want a Pentax 645 though. No idea why, but I just do.

[Biggzie]

Well I would have to agree with you to some degree. Technically the DS was a downgrade from 1 of my film bodies, but the K10 isnt. As for frustration, that will work its way into anything, you'll always want something better
I want to upgrade some lenes, and its hard to find something for the Pentax I want, but I'll battle on.

[dawesy]

Good Pentax lenses are so hard to find over here. The 77mm Limited would be gold, but so much harder to get than say a Nikon 85 1.4.

I guess in the end a Nikon addresses a couple more specific concerns of mine, such as fps, and there is just better availability of stuff. Not to mentioned the benefits of sharing kit with a friend. The pentax stuff is good, just harder to find I guess.

[Biggzie]

I thought the 77mm was an easy lens to get. Not that Ive looked for it. If I ever see a Pentax FA 85mm f1.4 come up second hand I'll be after it.
Having Nikon would make things easier though.

[dawesy]

Last time I looked around I found it hard to find anyone who even held stock of Pentax lenses in AUS, though importing is easier. CRKennedy's reply when I asked them about stockists, 'any good camera shop can get them in'. Very helpful if you want to go somewhere and actually try before you buy!

With the 10d and 100d things have probably got a lot better.

[Biggzie]

Um ... I live in Mt Gambier, population 30 thousand(ish) ... this town has stocks of nothing .... so thats sort of my life with everything.

[dawesy]

Lived in Bathurst for a while, similar pop actually, and as far as camera gear goes it was about the same. We actually had a really good shop for a while and the owner really knew her stuff but she ended up having to close because everyone was using p&s digitals and getting them printed for 10c or whatever each at kmart self serve machines. She ended up working for one of the crappier places because she actually made money that way. Sad really, she used to do good work and offer great advice.

[gstark]

On the trigger flash ... where you're using one on the hotshoe, if it's an older one with just two contacts, consider mounting it backwards.

[dawesy]

On the trigger flash ... where you're using one on the hotshoe, if it's an older one with just two contacts, consider mounting it backwards.

The Sigma 500 (GN 50m) is like an X-ray, even with the head rotated 180 degrees so it shot over my head at 1/16 it was still affecting the exposure. Badly. That may be symptomatic of living in a shoebo... sorry, apartment.

4 fold of A4 paper seems to have fixed that nicely

Now, white on white...

[diamondblast]

On the trigger flash ... where you're using one on the hotshoe, if it's an older one with just two contacts, consider mounting it backwards.

The Sigma 500 (GN 50m) is like an X-ray, even with the head rotated 180 degrees so it shot over my head at 1/16 it was still affecting the exposure. Badly. That may be symptomatic of living in a shoebo... sorry, apartment.

4 fold of A4 paper seems to have fixed that nicely

Now, white on white...

very nice
you sure are creative even before the shot
I tried s similar solution but had eventually to change my cam
hope you'll manage it