trex1 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Hi, I have one of the Hassy accessory slide on mount cold shoes, that slips on the accessory rail. Anyway, I mounted a Nikon SB15 on it, and it will not fire while mounted on the shoe. It will fire when off the shoe. Can anyone tell me what might be the problem? I plan to purchase a small Metz flash, as it is lighter, and I have heard that for some reason the give a very "natural" look to the lighting, but in the meantime, I am interested to hear some more on this issue. Thanks in advance for any responses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diegobuono Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 It is a cold shoe so does not give the input to the flash to fire. The flash need to be connected to the lens via a cable. If the flash does not fire when put on the cold shoe and connected to the lens via a cable may be that the flash detect that is mounted on a shoe and, thinking it is an hot shoe, automatically disengage the connection via the cable. Just my guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trex1 Posted July 17, 2006 Author Share Posted July 17, 2006 Could be. So, I wonder how one is supposed to use the cold shoe? Just to clarify, it is hooked to the lens, and will fire when off the shoe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhu54 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Make sure that the cable is still connected to the flash and lens whether the flash is on the shoe or off the shoe. Playing around 35mm SLR too much, I sometimes forget to connect the cable when I mount a flash on my Hassey cold shoe, thinking the shoe will fire the flash, yet I connect the sync cable when the flash is off the camera every time. Nikon SB15 should not have anything that detects whethere it is on the shoe or off the shoe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
q.g._de_bakker Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Darius,<br><br>The cold shoe can short the flash's bottom contacts. To get around that problem, the latest model had a part of the metal replaced by a bit of plastic, so the contact(s) on the underside of the flash would not touch metal.<br>If that is indeed what is causing your problem, put some insulating tape over the shoe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Ingold Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Q.G. has the answer, I think. I use Scotch Magic Tape rather than electrical tape. It is thinner, tougher and stays in place better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trex1 Posted July 17, 2006 Author Share Posted July 17, 2006 Tanks QG, that was the problem indeed. I put some cello tape in and it fixed the problem, but I will need to do something more permanent. I think glueing a thin piece of plastic would be the best, as over time the tape will tear. As it happens this shoe required extensive modification just to fit right. I tore the whole thing apart and actually bent the rails with pliers so that they would make a snug fit. As it was it was wobbling everywhere, hence the mod. Then the plate, which I believe is supposed to rotate, did not work, and I stuck some toothpick wood in between so it did not wobble. The ideal design would permit tightening on the rails once installed and full rotation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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