anyone got The A1 working with 5400HS flash?

[beb_hennink]

Hi I just got a brand new A1 on try for a few days.

 

I like he cam quite a lot!

 

My problem is I want to get my expesive 5400HS working with this cam!

 

I heard of some one Who managed but cannot find any information:-(

 

Maybe some people here have a clue?

 

 

Greets

 

BeB

[scott_lewis3]

I tryed all my xi flashes and minolta wireless contrller last weekend on a A1 and couldnt get any to work properly. also my vivitar ring flash was way over exposed.

[beb_hennink]

same problem here:-(

 

Photo's I take are almoost completely white!

[miguel_rodriguez3]

I was just thinking of getting a Z1 to use with my 5200i flash but if it doesn't work with it then I have no reason to remain 'loyal' to Minolta since it sounds to me that they just made it incompatible in order to make people buy the newer flash. THat's a pity, so I will start considering probably a Fuji or Canon. What's wrong with Minolta? I hope I am wrong and my flash can work with the Z1, anyone knows about it?

[beb_hennink]

http://www.minolta.nl/p3.php?DocID=2915 shows it should be compatible with 7i and similar and last week I actually received the same table from minolta support with also the A1 in the header.

On the phone the representative first said it is not compatible. Then when I told hm about this document he became doubt full and when I explained my white image experince he told me it can only fire the flash at full power!!!!! So Maybee someony can understand the table in the link?

What should I expect??

 

On http://www.minolta.nl/p3.php?DocID=2915 the only mention the latest flashes.

Same as with A1

 

This hole situation indeed is quite frustrating:-( Maybee Y should bring the A1 back to the store...

Also maybee ik enough loyal minolta customers complain the will listen? To my opinion it is just firmware the 5600 flash operates with 700si so they can be compatible

 

I'm Curious for respons;-)

[tom_montemarano]

This is a copy of the response I made on yahoo incase you don't get back there for a while.

 

When I read the table at the link, I see in the column labled:

5400HS; 5400xi; 3500xi;

2000xi; 3200i; 2000i

 

For Flash metering: No! - this means that the camera does not meter

the flash exposure.

 

For Flash Burst: Yes*(full power)(only 5400HS; 5400xi) - this means

that it will only fire at full power. The only way to control flash

exposure is by setting aperture based on the guide number and

subject distance. I am not sure if you can set lower max power on

the 5400. But even if you could you would still have to use

aperture to control flash.

 

The difficulty is that the digital cameras can't use "off the film"

TTL metering like the film cameras do. Unless the camera and flash

are set up to use ADI or preflash only, thay can't work in metered

mode. This is very similar to the Canon and Nikon cameras which

require either manual flash or flashes that are capable of ETTL (for

canon) or D-flash for Nikon.

 

You might be able to use an "auto flash" that has a flash sensor on

the flash and a PC connection. Those flashes measure the flash

reflected from the subject and you just an aperture to cover a wide

range of subject distances. A classic auto flash is the Vivitar 283

(although you probably have to be careful about the flash trigger

voltage.) I'm not sure which "auto" flashes would work with the A-1.

 

Tom

[drolo]

I have bought the A1 for its connectability to studio flash systems and faced the trouble with serious over exposure. I measured the actual flash output with a hand meter and set the camera to full manual. Connecting the flash to the X-contact fires the external flash even when the camera flash is disabled. So far, so fine. Unfortunately the meter reading (at correct ISO and with ISO fixed to 100 at the camera) still over exposure. By experimenting I figured out that I had to reduce exposure by about 2 stops, and (as I wanted to work wide open for reduced DOF) that actually flash sync works down to 1/1650 (for my flashes cut-off was at 1/2000). Try to find out what works in total manual for you.

 

Has anyone else seen discrepancies between ISO setting in digital compared to film?? Using the metered exposure data on my MF polaroid at 100 ISO produced perfectlt lit pictures.

[lemuel_fillyaw1]

Thank you. I have been looking for the answer to this question for weeks. I usually bounce my flash so that (as you probably know) softens it. i will be recieving my A1 soon and have a Quantaray 9500a with the minolta AF mount module. As long as it fires, I'm good because you can set the power on the flash to be 1/4 the power.

Once again thanks.

 

Lem

[bill_rister1]

I just obtained my A1 last week and my Quantaray PZ-1 DSZ a couple of days ago ..didn't have time to play with the two but thought I had the instructions down pat and correct settings. Today I took general photos at a luncheon, primarily to try out the new system. Each and every one of the exposures was far overexposed. I was able to save 3 of 15 shots. I've spent this afternoon reading and rereading instructions for both itmes and could not understand why I was overexposing. After reading this thread, it appears I would not have been better off purchasing a higher price Maxxum unit and I may be limited to off-camera flash or the mini-excuse of a built-in flash. Heck, maybe my $19 Vivitar would work as well off-camera!! -smile- Yep, I agree that Minolta should have done something about this problem.. no hope now unless they do a factory recall.

[bill_rister1]

In my previous post I mentioned the $19 Vivitar ..it's a model 2000. I've since found I can plug in its connector to the camera and it is synced. The light output however is too much for the A1. Harking back 50 years when I used a hanky to diffuse my strobe I tried that, even with several folds. Still too much light. I've since found that I can take three 3x4 sheets of notepad paper, double each, stack and fold them over the head so that there is six thicknesses and tape them in place. Firing the little 2000 with the head pointing straight up will light a normal size living room correctly. But shooting straight on is still far too much light.

I'll be shooting an awards program tonight as an experiment ..the participants will be on a lighted stage, I'll be perhaps 15 to 20 feet away. I'll try the built-in flash only as well as bouncing the Vivitar on some shots for comparison.

Perhaps I have the sharpest focusing hobby camera afloat!! ;-D