m_white Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Has anyone had problems getting a wein hot shoe Safe Sync to work with the EOS 20D? I have an old strobe set, an Novatron 1600, and am trying to use it with my new 20D with a Wein Safe Sync. When I connect the safe sync to the hot shoe the test button works, but the strobes don't fire with the camera. I have tested to see if the strobes with the safe sync works on a regular film camera, and the connection works. I also tested to see if a small vivitar flash with the safe sync will work on the 20D, and it does! Is the 20D and the Wein Safe Sync not compatable with some strobe models? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjavery Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 I believe the 20D has a safe sync voltage of 250v (check your manual!). You may not need the Wein, depending on the strobe's sync voltage. I have used a Wein safe sync on my Digital Rebel (safe sync voltage = 6V) and have had a few problems getting it to work right. The trick has been to align the contacts (between the Wein and the camera's hot shoe) just right. I suggest you wiggle or move the Wein back and forth just a bit in your hot shoe and try it out. -TJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul - Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 <i>"I believe the 20D has a safe sync voltage of 250v (check your manual!)."</i><p>Page 98 of the 20D instruction manual says the 20D's <i>PC terminal</i> is rated up to 250V, but warns <i>not</i> to connect a high voltage flash to the hotshoe.<P>The manual also mentions that the PC terminal has no polarity, but doesn't say the same for the hotshoe. The Novatron and Vivitar flashes may have opposite polarities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitmstr Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 revert the polarity on the household plug (if your strobes use that). If you don't have such a cord, get a voltage-regulated cord from Paramount Cords, it's much, much better than the WEIN stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
25asa Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 The hotshoe is still rated at 6 volts max. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_L1664876404 Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 I use a 20D with a Novatron light set all the time... the PC connector works just fine and no problems with the voltage. However, I prefer radio slaves since I tend to get tangled in PC cords! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraig_cuddeford Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 Be carefull how you read that book! It is not at all clear what voltage is actually safe opperating voltage. PAGE 98 says exactly: "If the camera is used with a flash unit or flash accessory dedicated to another camera brand, the camera may not operate properly and malfunction may result." "also, do not connect to the camera's PC termanal any flash unit requiring 250v or more." "Do not attach a high-voltage flash unit on the camera's hot shoe. It might not work." -none of canons book states exactly what voltage is safe to use with the camera PC terminal. It does state "The camera's PC terminal has no polarity so you can connect any sync cord regardless of its polarity." "the sync speed is 1/125th or slower with a large studio flash." "be sure to test the flash unit beforehand to make sure it synchronizes properly with the camera." Do not just assume that you can use up to 250v sync voltage. Call canon reps and don't accept a shady answer like whats in the book unless they put it in writing "regularly using a flash on the PC terminal with a sync voltage up to 250V will not damage the camera or void the waranty of canon Digital EOS model 20D serial number__________ singned and dated by canon customer service rep___________" somethng like that. Mailed to you. The camera costs too much to guesstimate what the statement in the book means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew_davidson Posted February 17, 2005 Share Posted February 17, 2005 Hi, I thought it was just me. I have the same problem with my Wein safe-sync and my two cameras (Canon 10D and Canon G5) but it works fine if you turn the safe-sync around and mount it on backwards! The contact (ball bearing thing) seems to be too far back to make a good contact with the proper pin on the camera. I wonder why some people dont have this problem and some do. I wonder if wein just drills a hole just anywhere for this contact? Is this a manufacturing problem? Is there no quality control? Hmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdkirk Posted February 18, 2005 Share Posted February 18, 2005 Doug Kerr has posted a letter he's gotten from Chuck Westfall on both DPreview and Rob Galbraith's forums. According to the letter (and according to the Euro-Canon website) the 20D hotshoe and PC terminal are BOTH rated up to 250 volts. By the way, the PC terminal is actually a Nikon screwlock. I strongly recommend using Nikon screwlock sync cords to prevent breaking the PC terminal with too much force and friction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartland_motorsports Posted August 6, 2006 Share Posted August 6, 2006 I am having this problem with my 20D and the Wein Safe Sync. Hot Shoe to hot shoe. Anyone know why this is happening? I can use the PC connection but would like to use a sync on the Hot shoe at the top. Anyone know what one to use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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