How to use Sunpack 383/Metz 60-4 with my new XTi?

[frank_kimble]

OK, I got an XTi for Christmas. How do I use my Metz 60-4 and Sunpack 383 with

my new camera? There is no PC socket, so I assume I need some type hotshoe

adapter? I tried a search but my arguement returned everything with Metz and

nothing that helped. Tks

[steve_dunn2]

<p>Yes, you can get a hotshoe-to-PC adapter. I'd expect there are a few varieties but I can't name any of them; sorry. What are the trigger voltages for your flash units? If they're close to or over the 250V limit of the XTi, you'd be best to get a SafeSync or similar, which provides isolation so that the flash won't blow up the camera.</p>

[jay a. frew]

Hello Frank:

 

I do not know about the Metz, but the 383 Super should be safe to use with your XTi. I use it with my EOS film cameras and my Casio digi cam. I did test mine with a VOM and it was less that 6 VDC.

 

Here is a link to a list of flash trigger voltages for various flashes:

 

http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html

 

The values on this list were contributed by individuals who conducted their own tests so you will see a range of voltages for any given flash.

 

Have fun with your new camera!

 

Cheers! Jay

[jason hinds - columbus, oh]

I think both of my Metz units have a trigger voltage of ~24-26 volts or something. This *should* be OK to use via a hotshoe-to-pc adapter ($10), but if you want to play it safe, you should get a Wein SafeSync ($50). It's basically the same as a hotshoe-to-pc adapter, but it steps down the voltage to under 6 volts.

 

For what it's worth, I used my Metz units for a while without the SafeSync (only a straight adapter with no voltage reduction), and I didn't encounter any problems.

[frank_kimble]

Thanks for the info so far but I'm not really worrying about the voltage aspect, I'll measeure and use a Safe-Sync if necassary. It's the Camera's hot shoe with its 5 connector points that concerns me. Will a regular flash just slide on and work? or do I need an adapter? For the Metz will a generic hotshoe to PC adapter work? Thanks

[jason hinds - columbus, oh]

A Metz will work just fine with a hotshoe-to-pc adapter. It's only the center contact that triggers the flash on your hotshoe. The other 4 smaller contacts are only used for TTL functionality with Canon flashes.

[mark u]

You can equally just slide in the Sunpak. It was a very popular choice for those who found E-TTL to be a pain with the 300D and 10D cameras. If you want to put the units off camera, then you will need a hotshoe to PC adaptor (Nikon AS-15 is a good and reasonably cheap choice) and the necessary PC cord. It's much trickier if you want to trigger them using the camera's popup, since you will need a "digitally aware" optical slave (i.e. one that ignores a metering preflash).