Danger using hot-shoe adapters to EOS bodies?

[roy_kekewich]

Elsewhere on this forum I've read that to disable E-TTL on my ElanIIe in order to use slaved flashes (that are otherwise set off by E-TTL's preflash) a hot-shoe adapter can be used.

 

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Having been quoted $120.00 Canadian (add 40% for US funds!) for the Canon TTL Hot Shoe Adapter 3, I'm considering a third party adapter.

 

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Though I have read on the forum that this can be done, I have two questions:

 

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1) Is there any danger to my Elan's or 380EX's circuitry in using a non-Canon hot shoe adapter? and

 

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2) Can an old adapter be used? For example, I priced a used one--the information on the box said it was suitable for the (venerable)

Canon AE-1 among other models. Will an adapter of this vintage work safely?

 

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Being principal working tools, I don't want to put the Elan or Speedlite at risk.

 

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Thank you!

[jimstrutz]

Generic hot shoe adapters not only disable E-TTL but TTL as well.

Since your 380EX does not have built in "auto flash" metering or any

manual control, you will end up with full power flash only. This

certainly wont damage your flash or camera, but you wont get any

flash exposure metering. If all you are doing is using the 380EX to

opticaly trigger the other flash units this will probably work but

you'll either need to deflect the light from the 380EX so it doesn't

mess up your other flash's exposure or include it into the

calculation.

[roy_kekewich]

Thanks, Jim, for the above answer. I use the Elan's built-in flash,

instead of the 380EX, to trigger optical slaves. I'm also currently

testing it as fill light, as per your suggestion in an earlier

posting, using flash compensation.

 

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Are there ANY types of adapters or procedures that can short out the

camera's circuits? Regarding procedures,I've read, on the forum, that

you can tape over the four contacts on the hot shoe, leaving just one

exposed, to trigger the 380EX at full power, but the advice said

"carefully" tape... What is the inherent danger in doing this?

Thank you.

[roy_kekewich]

PS My goal in using an adapter was to disable the ETTL preflash and

use the 380EX in TTL as a fill light and optical slave trigger. Since

the Canon adapter would provide this, but is expensive, I was looking

for a third party substitute. Does anyone know if there is such an

adapter on the market?

[colin_miller3]

>Are there ANY types of adapters or procedures that can short out the

camera's circuits?

 

Yep. Eeverything but the Wein Safe-Sync or the Nikon AS-15 hot shoe

adapter will short out any EOS camera. Better watch out.

 

>Regarding procedures,I've read, on the forum, that you can tape over

the four contacts on the hot shoe, leaving just one exposed, to

trigger the 380EX at full power, but the advice said "carefully"

tape... What is the inherent danger in doing this?

 

No danger, just be careful not to tape over the center pin. Doing

this is essentially the same as using a Wein or Nikon hot shoe

adapter product. Except you are throwing light into the mix. The

center pin is the trigger for the light. The other four control E-TTL

and various communication between flash and camera.<P>

 

The NIkon AS-15 is a bit less expensive than The Wein model.

[jim_strutz]

BAD ADVICE ALERT!!! Watch out!

 

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The Canon Hot Shoe Adapter 3 has electronics (and a battery to power

them) in it that shuts down the E-TTL metering but leaves the flash

in TTL mode. It's primary purpose is to attach remote cords to do

off camera TTL flash and multi off camera TTL flash. You can get

them on eBay for about $45 all the time.

 

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The Wein Safe Sync also has electronics in it that reduces the

trigger voltage to 6V. This will keep your camera's electronics from

frying from high sync voltages. It also completely disables E-TTL

and TTL metering. With any E, EX or EZ Speedlite and most off brand

dedicated units, you get no metering at all. Just full power flash

or manual control on the flashes that allow it.

 

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The Nikon AS-15 has no electronics in it at all. It's just a good

quality generic hot shoe adapter. It does nothing more than the

cheap ones except last longer and opperate more reliably. If you use

it on a Canon body to attach a flash with a high trigger voltage, you

can fry your camera.

 

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Other hot shoe adapters can be used safely as well, providing the

flash's sync voltage is 6V or less. Although everybody I've heard

that's tried it says up to 12V is ok too.

 

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You don't need to tape the other pins unless you have a flash or

adapter that contacts the other pins. I've never seen one that does,

but there probably is exceptions. This is why you can use

generic "auto flashes" like the Vivitar 283 and other one pin flash

units safely as long as the trigger voltage isn't too high

[roy_kekewich]

Thanks for the responses.

 

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If I've got this right, and please correct me if I don't:

 

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1. If I want to trigger my 380EX at full power, then it's safe to tape

over the four outside contacts, leaving just the center one exposed

(to trigger the flash), or use an old adapter that has only the center

contact. True?

 

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2. If I want to disable the 380EX'x preflash and maintain TTL, then

ONLY (?) the Canon adapter can be used? (In this case I would be using

the 380EX as a slave flash trigger and/or trigger and fill light--

instead of using the Elan's built-in flash as I've been doing.)

[jim_strutz]

Yes & Yes

[pixseal]

<blockquote><i>Having been quoted $120.00 Canadian (add 40% for US

funds!)

for the Canon TTL Hot Shoe Adapter 3, I'm considering a third party

adapter.</i></blockquote>

The Canon TTL Hot Shoe Adapter "<b>2</b>" is electrically identical to

the "<b>3</b>" and widely avalable used for under $40 (US).

[roy_kekewich]

Thanks to all for your responses. I'll keep in mind the potential

dangers as I try my 380EX in different ways.