canon eos 5D compatible with old bowens monolite 400s ?

[andrewmoore]

Hi there,

 

im considering purchasing a couple of old bowens monolite 400 flasheads i saw in

the paper, but am curious to know how these old lights would work with my eos 5D

, i havnt got a clue about using flash units, so if anyone can help me, be much

obliged.

 

the kind of information im seeking from you lovely people is

 

can i sync the flash heads with my 5D ? if so , is it safe? someone said here on

photo.net ( after search "bowens monolite" )it would cause havoc to canon

digital cameras, i dont wanta blow my new baby up in smoke ! haha.

 

if anyone else uses these old lights with a modern digital camera let me know

how you do it, it be pretty annoying buying some gear to find its so out of date

its incompatible.

 

im thinking of buying a modern bowens esprit 500 ( cant afford two but have just

bought 3 mirrors and reflectors which could combat harsh shadows, you think? )

tis rather expensive although i can stretch, thought maybe these old bowens

might hold up to the job while keeping my pocket happy.

 

i am just starting out flash photography, but i am going to make it part of a

serious career move, so investing in expensive gear is not a problem.

 

any advice very welsome.

 

thankyou all.

 

andy.

[gary_ferguson1]

Andrew, I use Bowens lights, and I often use them with a 5D or a 1Ds MkII.

 

If you check out the 5D instruction manual you'll find guidance on the maximum trigger voltage, and I think from memory the Bowens web site gives technical data for their older units, if it's not there then give them a call, they're always very helpful. And even if someone replies to this post making re-assuring comments you should still check for yourself , there's been wrong advice posted before and it's your camera that's at risk.

 

But basically you're right, almost all older flash units (and also many modern ones) exceed this maximum voltage by some margin. I only ever use digital cameras with studio lights when the two are connected by a radio trigger, it's a bit more expensive but it avoids trailling cables as well as ensuring the camera won't get fried, even if I'm using untested lights in an unfamiliar studio.

[NK Guy]

You can get a SafeSync to ensure there's no risk of damage. Or, better yet, use a flash on the

camera to trigger the optical slaves built into the Bowens. Assuming, of course, that they

have optical slave sensors, which I think they might.

[gary_ferguson1]

" Or, better yet, use a flash on the camera to trigger the optical slaves built into

the Bowens. Assuming, of course, that they have optical slave sensors, which

I think they might."

 

Good suggestion. And even if they don't you can get plug-in optical sensors

from Bowens or from third parties. Just remember if you go this route to set

your on-camera flash very weak. Many purists are alarmed at triggering

strobes from an on-camera flash, but as long as it's set to the lowest fill level

possible it should be swamped by the ouput from the Bowens units.

[roger krueger]

<i> But basically you're right, almost all older flash units (and also many modern ones)

exceed this maximum voltage by some margin</i>

<br><br>

Nonsense.

<br><br>

The 5d has, per Canon, a 250v maximum sync voltage. Flashes over 250v are not "almost

all older flash units", they're "0.01% of older flash units". Safe Syncs, etc. were really

important when Canon's max sync voltage was 6v, but they're mostly pointless with the

250v bodies--they already have that same circuitry inside. (Definitely 250v: IdII, 1dsII, 5d,

20d, 30d, not sure: 350d, 1d, 1ds. Definitely 6v: 300d, 10d, d30, d60.)

<br><br>

<a href="http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html"> http://www.botzilla.com/

photo/strobeVolts.html </a> is a good collection of sync voltage measurements, for the

Calumet/Bowens Monolite 400 they're showing 170v, well within the 5d's 250v limit. Note

that this site is a little old, the "EOS Safe" column is a reference to 6v EOS cameras, NOT

the new crop of 250v cameras

<br><br>

So yeah, there are Canon DSLRs yout Monolite 400's would probably smoke, but the 5d

ain't one of them.

[NK Guy]

That's true that the 5D has a higher maximum sync voltage. But, really, using a PC sync cable

is a total pain. Triggering them via flash slave is much more convenient. Nothing to trip over,

and PC connectors are notoriously flaky.

 

And yeah - use an on-camera flash with either some IR filter material over it to cut visible

light, or just dial down the flash and point the head away from the subject.

[andrewmoore]

hey people, thanks so much for all your comments, im quite confused to be honest.

 

still not really sure if this is gonna work out, a radio unit costs about �200 quid and if thats what i need then i might as well buy a modern unit i can just connect without any hassle.

but i really appreciate your views and i must say what an education this is. :)

 

thanksyou !

[roger krueger]

<i> still not really sure if this is gonna work out, a radio unit costs about ?200 quid and if

thats what i need then i might as well buy a modern unit i can just connect without any

hassle</i>

<br><br>

What are you not sure about?

<br><br>

Canon has publicly said the 5d is safe to 250v, I'll bet it's in your manual somewhere. If

you don't trust someone else's measurement of the Bowens, spend $15 on the cheapest

voltmeter you can find and measure it yourself. There should be no confusion, it's either

under 250v or above 250v.

<br><br>

I will second what NK Guy said about sync cords in general being a pain, and about optical

or radio slaving being a lot less trouble than tripping over cables, but convenience is an

entirely different issue than "will it smoke my camera".