430EX with Hasselblad

[paulcooklin1]

<p>Hi - I dont do much flash photography but would like to use my 430EX with my Hasselblad. Ive just bought a "Kaiser Hot Shoe Adaptor With Cable 1301" which I understand will work but my question is:<br>

Ive used older flash units which has a simple guide on the back which might say if you're using ASA/ISO 100, at 4 meters, use f11, for example, but I was hoping that the modern 430EX will be able to assist as it has an infrared beam and would work out how much flash is needed from the camera. Could anyone explain what settings I should use on the flash and/or Hasselblad. If you have any tips I would be grateful. I will generally be shooting candid portraits in streets at night with some lighting coming from shops, street lights etc. Ideally I would prefer more of a fill flash which looks more natural. I wont be using a flash meter.<br>

Many thanks.<br>

Paul.</p>

[panos_voudouris]

<p>You have to use it in manual mode. The 430EX does not actually do any calculation itself. The camera will calculate the exposure based on the camera settings and the pre-flash pulses the 430EX will fire and then the camera tells the flash what the power output should be. If you use anything but an ETTL EOS camera then the flash will simply not work. So you have to set the power yourself in manual mode, using the same guide calculations you would do with older flashes. Only this time you don't have a cheat sheet! :D</p>

<p>The infrared beam is purely for assisting the camera to autofocus in difficult light. Has nothing to do with exposure metering.</p>

<p>Tip: there is nothing stopping you doing a flash exposure test with your digital camera. Set the camera to use the same ISO and exposure as the Hasselblad and set the flash to manual power trying different settings until you get a good exposure on the LCD. The important thing is to take the test shot from the same location (or very close) to the position where you will eventually make the shot with the Hassy. If you change the relative distances between flash/subject/camera then the power ratios would change.</p>

[ben_goren]

<p>Doesn’t the 430EX have a thyristor mode?</p>

 

<p>Cheers,</p>

 

<p>b&</p>

[paulcooklin1]

<p>Panos - sounds like Ive just wasted my money on the hotshoe and sync then if my older flash will do the same job and has the 'cheat sheet' on the back too.</p>

<p>Ben - I have now idea what hyristor mode is.<br>

Thanks</p>

[pmind]

<p>Not sure if the 430EX offers this mode, but have a look at this article.<br>

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=946</p>

[steve_dunn2]

<p>I believe Ben is referring to an automatic flash mode in which the flash uses its own built-in sensor to monitor the flash exposure and cut off the flash when it detects that the exposure is adequate. The answer is no. To the best of my knowledge, only two of the dozen or so flash units Canon has produced for EOS bodies have offered this: the current top-of-the-line 580EX II and the old 480EG potato masher. Even Canon's previous top-of-the-line pro shoemount flash units have not offered this feature, and none of the midrange units (such as the 430EX) ever had such a mode as far as I know. After all, these flash units are dedicated to EOS bodies, and every single EOS body has a built-in flash metering system that works with these flash units.</p>

[panos_voudouris]

<p>Paul, get an optical sync for $5 or get a splitter or whatever to connect both flashguns. Two are better than one ;-)</p>

[cabbiinc]

<p>That $5 optical sync will be a waste of money with any EX series flash save the 580EXII. They lock up after the first firing and you have to either cycle them off/on or disconnect the flash from the sensor. There's only two optical triggers that I know of that work with EX series flashes.<br>

http://www.flashzebra.com/products/0118/index.shtml<br>

http://www.flashzebra.com/products/0127/index.shtml</p>

<p>About not having the guide on the back of the flash, the flash head isn't big enough. OK, that's a bit of a joke but take a look at http://www.night-ray.com/PhotoCheatSheet.pdf pages 4 or 5 (feet or meters). This is a generalization between the 430EX and the Nikon SB600 but it gets you within a few feet.<br>

The mm ratings of the zoom of the flash match the angle of view of a lens on a standard 35mm (full frame) camera of the same focal length. So if you set the zoom on the flash to 24mm it will cover what a 24mm lens sees on a full frame camera. You'd need to equate that to your camera and set the flash's zoom to that.<br>

Then look up the ISO film that you're using with the relative angle of view and you can make your own cheat sheet or just print the page from what I linked that's the right one and keep that with you. For use with your camera I'd mark which mm rating of the flash equals the same coverage that you'd need for the lenses on you medium format camera.</p>

[cabbiinc]

<p>I'm sorry, I should have said pages 6 or 7, not 4 or 5 to my previous post.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Which Hasselblad? I'd recommend a used, formerly top of the line Metz flash that can take a 'standard' module or a Hasselblad module. Such as a 40MZ1-i, which is one flash I have. The 54MZ4-i is also a possibility. A cheap, old thyristor flash like the Vivitar 283/285 will work as well, but you don't have as many f stop options, and you might need that if shooting fill at night. Otherwise, the 430EX in manual flash mode would work--it's just more work for you.</p>