Bronica GS-1 flash

You're right I'm going to go with one of the Nikon sb-25 or sb-28 flashes.

Edited February 12, 2018 by michael_radika

Hey thanks for the tip on those triggers for $30 from B&H Photo I looked at him can't go wrong I'm absolutely buying those.

 

I want to buy me a pair of Nikon SB 25 or SB 28 not sure which one yet but one of them.

You failed to mention the Nikon SB 26 then the 27 I'm wondering why are those not the same as the previous mentioned ?

Hi Michael.

 

I didn't mention them because I have no personal experience with them. Whereas I own several SB-25s, a couple of SB-24s and one SB-28.

 

Of them all, I prefer the interface of the SB-25. The SB-24 offers less choice of manual power settings, and the SB-28 has a more 'fiddly' set of buttons and, to my mind, looks uglier. They're all good flashes though, and the SB-24 usually sells for a slightly lower price.

 

BTW, the SB-27 has a much lower power output than the 24, 25, 26 or 28.

Thank you for your response I appreciate it.

Hey guys I have one last question the Nikon SB 25 or 26 is not going to mount directly to the bronica gs-1 speedgrip can I get an adapter that will allow me to mount it on the hot shoe on the speed grip?

 

If there is an adapter and I can get it to Mount onto the speedgrip will The Flash work in auto mode on the speed grip ?

No after all said and done I ended up going with a godox 685 Flash.. I will just figure out how to use it in manual mode.

 

It's a pretty powerful flash I think it has like a guide number of 61.

 

The guy I spoke with that Samy's Camera told me godoxs is is better quality than the yongnou.

 

Times are playing with in figuring out how to use it.

 

He didn't like the old thyeresistor flashes.

 

Said I'm better off going with more modern new Flash and just put it in manual mode.

"It's a pretty powerful flash I think it has like a guide number of 61."

 

- Ha ha! Believe nothing that flash manufacturers tell you.

 

All speedlight manufacturers lie about the true guide number of their flashes. Get a flashmeter and you'll see this is so.

 

The true guide number of your Godox 685 will be closer to 30 (metres/100 ISO) at mid zoom setting. Save yourself some wasted film and assume this value, it won't be far wrong.

 

Also, there's very little change in guide number as the flash is zoomed. A stop loss at the wide end, and a stop gain at the long end is about all - at very most.

 

Unfortunately, you've chosen a flash that doesn't support auto aperture mode. So you'll have no exposure automation at all. Certainly no TTL.

 

Sometimes I wonder why we bother to hand out our experienced advice on these fora, when a shop assistant simply overrides everything everyone here has advised.

Well so what you're telling me is that my flash has a guide number of 30 and the Nikon SB 26 as a guide number of 36 so you're telling me the Nikon flash is stronger than what I bought?

 

I appreciate everybody's advice on here I was just talking to the guy in the shop and he told me that those old thyeresistor flashes are unreliable it's basically like TTL but it doesn't use the lens.

 

The Flash that he sold me has like it's a cannon and has like six pins on it it's hard to even get on the hot shoe on my grip Eagles about halfway in and then I have to take a pocket knife and push the rest of the pins up so I'll be returning this flash cuz I'm not going to do that every time I want to put it on my camera.

 

I'm not ignoring any of your guys advice I just had a long conversation with him he basically told me almost the same thing you guys did but he's not a big fan of those old flashes he says they're old they break down he does not like Metz older flashes at all he doesn't like the whole SCA 301 system.

 

I have a local camera store here that has a Nikon SB 26 and 28 in stock I'm going to take a look at them and see what I think of those and try the automatic thing and see how I like it.

 

I don't remember putting the Metz flash or the Nikon SB on my hot shoe it's going to fire but is the automatic mode going to work or do I have to have a sync cord hooked up to it to make it go into automatic mode?

 

Please don't take it wrong I do appreciate everybody's advice I'm just not sure what I really want so I'm kind of trying out different things.

A sales person whose job it is to sell new equipment will usually not recommend buying used gear. The comment from the sales person regarding older flashes is not good advice, unfortunately. There is nothing to be concerned with regarding the flash models that haven been recommended in this thread. Best if you can play with a flash at a used shop or camera show/swap meet. Then you will get a feeling for the advice given on this thread. Bring a bunch of AAA batteries if you choose this option.

The salesman is in photography for 40 years so I've spoke with the guy before the guy even knows what he's talking about he just doesn't care for the old thyeresistor flashes.

 

He told me they're not accurate he used to use them when they shot weddings and stuff and he said that it's he's basically going why do you want to buy one of these old flashes when you can buy a modern Flash no you won't get TTL you'll just get manual mode but you'll have a flash it's not 17 years old that you don't know when it's going to break down.

 

He just recommended that I learn to shoot in manual and forget about the other way.

 

So I don't think he was trying to con me to sell $100 flash I've known the guy for a while he's he's a good guy very knowledgeable not saying you guys aren't knowledgeable I just take what everybody tells me in throat into a pot and then I'm going to do what I'm going to do.

 

What I want to do is I'm going to go try some of the older flashes like the Nikon SB the Metz and I want to see how it works in automatic mode I'm going to shoot a roll of film and I want to get the roll of film back and I want to see how exposes different situations and then make a decision.

I'm looking at the Nikon SB 28 when you put it in automatic mode you choose the aperture and the iso and then the camera judges how much light there is to set the exposure I don't see any kind of compensation buttons where you can sort of bump it up a third of a. Down 1/3 of stop by I'm guessing you just have to change the aperture in the distance but I thought they would be like where you could just find tweak it you know like when you're in manual mode you can basically Pump It Up in thirds.

 

Anyways I'm going to the shop today the camera shop and I'm going to play with it see what happens.

One more question I got the Nikon SB 80dx is the next step up from the 28 is that still going to give me automatic mode everything the same?

 

I'm at the camera store and I do not like the menu I don't like the buttons on the SB 26 I think they're horrible they're too small you need fingernails I don't like them now I'm looking at the 28 and they're kind of rubbery buttons but better somebody of mention the 80dx any opinions

So I went to the camera store today and I bought a Nikon SB 26 and a Nikon SB 28 I have them here at home I've been playing with them for hours here's my opinion.

 

Definitely a solid built Flash it's got pretty good power I can't stand the buttons on the 26th they're way too small and you need fingernails to get in there so that flashes out can't stand it it's a deal-breaker for me.

 

The SB 28 has rubbery type buttons much better still not real good and the menu is a little bit different than the 26 to be honest with you I don't like the menus I don't like the buttons on either Flash they're both going back.

 

I'm going to look at the Nikon SB 80dx I've seen the photos the buttons look much better laid out it seems like basically the same flash as the FB 28 DX don't see a whole lot of difference.

 

But from what I understand the SB 80dx has instead of meters that has the feet laid out inside how far away you are from your subject and feet and the display of that is much larger much easier to see I find the menu on the previous first to flashes that I bought today very small I'm getting older it's getting more difficult to see and they're just too small for me I don't like it.

 

The guy did not have the Mets 54 - 4 he didn't have that so I couldn't look at that one so my search continues I'm going to try to get my hands on a SB 80dx and see how that looks and I want to get my hands on a Metz 54 - 4 to see how that looks as far as the menu and the buttons go.

Say I did end up taking your advice I actually purchased to Nikon SB 80dx flashes I much prefer the buttons and the menu versus all of the Nikon flashes below this.

"Well so what you're telling me is that my flash has a guide number of 30 and the Nikon SB 26 as a guide number of 36 so you're telling me the Nikon flash is stronger than what I bought?"

 

- No. I'm telling you that all manufacturers' published guide numbers are a pack of lies. They're exaggerated by one stop at least.

 

I've measured numerous 20 or 30 year old flashes, as well as brand new ones. Absolutely none of them measure up to their advertised guide number. There's also next to no difference in power between 30 year old top-of-the-range Nikon/Canon/Minolta/etc. Speedlights, and those available today from those same companies, or from YongNuo or Godox.

 

The guy in the shop was talking crap about thyristor flashes. Auto aperture mode is just as reliable and consistent as any TTL available today IME. Whereas manual mode is pretty much guesswork, or reliant on a lot of experience.

 

Better buy yourself a flashmeter to go with that manual flash. At least it'll show you what the real guide number of your flash is.

 

The SB-28 certainly allows 1/3rd stop changes in manual power, apart from between full and half power. It has the peculiarity of only allowing the ISO to be changed immediately after power on though.

 

Most of the Nikon flashes have a switch inside the battery compartment to change between feet and metres.

Edited February 22, 2018 by rodeo_joe|1

Okay maybe the guy was talking crap I don't know.

 

Like I said I ended up with two Nikon SB 80dx flashes which have the automatic mode in them so I can go manual and automatic mode. That's why I went with the 80dx like the menu on it better I just like the way it's laid out better but it basically has everything the 26 and the 28 have so I still have the thyeresistor mode which I will be testing out very soon to see how accurate it is.

The godox 685 flash that the man sold me at Samy's Camera I've taken that back and got a refund I did not like that flash I took a home played with it it was very hard to get on the shoe on my camera and I just don't like it so that was and I'll be testing out my Nikon's sb-80dx fully this weekend.

 

I think I made a good choice with the Nikon that I bought I do thank you for putting me on the Nikon to begin with.

+1 for Rodeo Joe's comment about guide numbers--I think flash manufacturers must use a 5 foot high room with high reflectance white paint everywhere to get the numbers that most of them come up with. A decent flash meter always tells a different story...

So I have my Nikon SB 80 dx. The menu this is a much more complicated flash to figure out can't seem to get it to go into automatic mode

 

 

I got it into automatic mode all it's all it's letting me do is set the aperture and the iso I cannot control the zoom of the flash of how wide I want the soon-to-be it won't let me do that.

Michael do you have the manual for the flash? Many times I need to read a manual very carefully several times before my understanding improves. This could help you.

No I don't have the manual I've read it online it's still not clear it's not allowing me to zoom The Flash at all it stays stuck at 14mm.

 

I spent a good hour and a half reading online on the manual last night I still can't figure out how to get the zoom to work.

Michael,

 

I don't have this flash. I read the manual briefly. Have you tried:

 

- read page 97 carefully, refer to the situation described as you have experienced it. Read the potential solution on page 69 and page 72.

- check the wide angle diffuser is up, and not down

- install new batteries

- removing the batteries and reinstalling them

- pushing and holding the zoom button (item 5, page 11 of the manual)

- confirming the zoom button functions correctly -- it appears to be a multi function button. Possibly the button is defective.

- cancelling the the power zoom function (page 12, page 25)

- read page 24 and page 25 thoroughly

 

Google found this:

SB-600 won't adjust from 14mm

 

and this:

SOLVED: SB-600 Power Zoom stuck at 14mm - Fixya

Thank you very much for your input I have read the manual and I tried a lot of different things and it will not come out of 14mm Zoom but there's some additional things that you mentioned that I will try and hopefully I don't have a defective Flash.

Okay so hopefully you guys won't be mad and want to kill me I didn't take off the diffuser The Flash I have comes with a plastic cap that goes over the flash that diffuses the light I didn't take that off and I was trying to change the zoom you can't change the zoom with that on you have to take that off then put it back on the zoom works fine stupid me.

 

So I went and bought some Fuji fp-100c and I have a Polaroid back for my camera so I put the Flash in auto mode and let it do its exposure so I shot the Fujifilm just to see how the exposures were coming out cuz I didn't want to have to wait for film to come back I have to say it does a pretty darn good job of exposing the flash I took two or three shots and they were pretty spot-on.