dave_yuhas Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Attaching a Minolta wireless capable flash to a Minolta off-camera shoe won't let the flash operate in wireless mode. Does anyone have a workaround for this problem? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_hohner Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Did you try this yourself? It should work, as long as you do not attach a cable, and as long as the small dent on top of the shoe isn't filled in or otherwise blocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterblaise Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 . Actually DO fill in the small dent in the adapter or flash foot holder as it's the ONLY controll over the flash thinking it's on the camera or not. The "stand" Minolta supplies has a "dent" in it that tells the flash it's off camera and to NOT be a master. Fill that dent, and the flash can be a master - right? Anyway, Dave, tell us more. When you say "operate in wireless mode" do you mean as master or slave? As a slave, it works fine in the "foot" with no wire connection. Aa a master, it needs that "dent" filled in and needs to be wired diretly to the camera. I use the PC or extension cables, though I've also used an adapter on the flash socket to plug into. By the way, which models of flash do you have, and what page of the owner's manual are you reading? IN other words, RTFM Refer To The Factory Manual - VERY complex, but VERY helpful! ;-) Let us know what you find. Click! Love and hugs, Peter Blaise peterblaise@yahoo.com Minolta Photographer http://www.peterblaisephotography.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt hedgecoe Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Fill in the dent / don't fill in the dent? That's a new one on me! In the interests of science I have just removed the base on one of my 5400HS flashes and had a peek inside. As far as I can make out there is nothing there that looks anything like a switch and nothing to suggest that it is anything more that a retaining clip to stop the flash falling of the camera. Maybe there is on the newer flashes but I'm not opening up my 5600HS(D) for anyone! It would really help if you could let us know what camera body / flash combination you are using. There is one possible idea that has crossed my mind... The off camera flash cables (e.g. OC1100) are a bit more than just a straight-forward extension lead. For example, if you connect a flash via one of these, it 'knows' it is no longer on the camera. This is evident in the fact it will no longer report flash ranges. (This seem unaffected by whether the clip on the flash is held up or down). I imagine that there is some sort of component in the cable (coil, capacitor etc.) that signals this fact to either the camera body, flash or both. It may well be that if you are using something like an OS1100 shoe to mount the flash to a tripod, then because this is designed to be used with the flash in wired mode it may well be sending a confusing signal to the flash. Try using the mini-stand supplied with the flash instead. As I said, this is just an idea. Without knowing exactly what combo you are using it will be difficut for anyone to try and replicate the fault you're having. All the best, Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_yuhas Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 <quote>Did you try this yourself? It should work, as long as you do not attach a cable, and as long as the small dent on top of the shoe isn't filled in or otherwise blocked.</quote> The dent isn't relevent. Try this for yourself: with the flash on and in wireless mode push in the switch next to the contacts. Nothing happens. When the flash's contacts touch the contacts in the Minolta off-camera show, wireless mode is disabled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_hohner Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 The dent <em>is</em> relevant. When the switch on the flash is pressed, the flash thinks it's mounted on camera, and wireless flash is disabled. When it's not pressed, the flash doesn't know it's mounted on anything. There is no electronics in the OS-1100, so the flash has no means to detect that's it's mounted on the OS-1100 other than through this switch. Yes, I've tried it. With a regular OS-1100, the flash works just fine in wireless mode. Yes, there is a change when I press the switch manually. The flash immediately stops flashing its AF illuminator. This means it's no longer in wireless mode. <p> If your flash changes behaviour when only mounted on the OS-1100, then the only conclusion is that your OS-1100 is pressing the switch, which it shouldn't. Maybe it's just not fully mounted. <p> Filling the dent is only useful if you want to use the flash as a wireless controller as opposed to a remote wireless flash, and still connect to it with cables instead of mounting it on the camera. In all other cases the dent should be left as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt hedgecoe Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 My apologies if I've thrown you a red herring... Having had a closer look at the flash hotshoe, there is a switch there. I thought Michael and Peter were referring to the securing clip having some sort of switch attached to it. But if you look closely, to the side of the contacts (rather than in front on them) there is a very small switch tucked underneath the side rail of the mount. (I've never noticed it before!) I can concur with what Michael said; If you depress this switch with the flash in wireless mode, the AF illuminator does stop flashing. Is that the switch you were pressing or did you make the same mistake that I did? Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_yuhas Posted July 11, 2006 Author Share Posted July 11, 2006 As Socrates said, let's define our terms. I'm using a Minolta FS-1200 as the "off-camera shoe." I've got it attached to one of those metal things that clamp onto a ISO shoe on one side and screw into a light stand on the other. The "switch" I referred to (not a "switch" at all as I now understand) is the one in front of the contacts. I never noticed the smaller one under the rail. I fished out a Minolta OS-1100 (I haven't used any of this stuff for years) and verified that it is compatible with the flash in wireless mode. Thanks for helping me out. My apologies if I offended anyone Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_montemarano Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I have 2 OS-1100's. I use one with a filled-in dent when I use the flash on a bracket attached to the camera. I attach the OC-1100 to the camera and OS-1100. The filled-in dent causes the flash/camera to think that the flash is mounted directly on the hotshoe. The advantages are the flash AF illuminator works (very useful) and DMI (with a D lens and D flash) also work (not such a big deal). I didn't fill in the dent on my other OS-1100. That lets me use it as a wireless slave. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterblaise Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 . Minolta dent-ists, we are! 8=) Sadly, it's up to US now to document the arcane and undocumented Minolta gear features and benefits, since Sony appears to subcontract repairs to woefully inadequate servicers. Ouch! Click! Love and hugs, Peter Blaise peterblaise@yahoo.com Minolta Alpha and DiMage Photographer (also Capios/Freedom/Riva at the moment while my DiMage is off to Texas to get Sony to replace the dead CCD!) http://www.peterblaisephotography.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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