Sony alpha and synching monolights

[kirk_keyes]

Hi -

 

I just spent a very frustrating morning trying to sych up my Sony alpha with a

set of monolight flashes. I was shooting in manual mode, my Minolta Flashmeter

VI measured the output of the monolights at f/22. I set the camera to f/22 and

1/60 or so, and popped up the flash on the Sony so that it would trigger the

monolights. It was the wierdest thing - sometimes the camera would take a

beautifully exposed photo, and othertimes, it was way underexposed - totally

black or sometimes a hint of detial in the image.

 

I tried using my hand or a shield to deflect the on-camera flash to block it

from the subject, and the monolights would trigger on the Sony's flash, but the

images were near black. But then sometimes, for no reason, they wold be right

on again.

 

I had the SOny flash set to "Fill" for most of the testing, sometimes it

synched, other times it did not... I also tried "Rear" (Which seems like a

wrong choice - and it did not work) and I also tried "wireless" just for the

hell of it. It did not help either...

 

So it seems like I have an issue with getting the monolights to synch with the

Sony. Any suggestions on how to get this camera to reliable synch with some

monolights?

 

Thanks!

 

Kirk

[marnedog]

The reason for this is that the built-in flash is operation on ttl. To fix this you need to change the incamera flash to manual and cut the power. then the exposure should be correct. i think we'll all made this mistake at one time ......

 

Dan Burch

marnedog@cableone.net

[michael_hohner]

The built-in flash of the A100 can not be switched to manual mode. You n

[kirk_keyes]

Michael -

 

10-4, Come on back, good budy! Your transmission seems to have been cut short...

 

I don't see where there is a manual setting. I did try setting the flasf to -2 stops with the adjustment in the menu and that was erratic as well.

 

Kirk

[marnedog]

Sorry for the wrong info. I have the D1x, D70s and the D200 and all of the have a manual control for the in camera flash. I also use a slave unit on all of these. But I also purchased a Microsyn wireless unit. It works great.....

 

Dan

[marnedog]

Here is the link to the Microsync. There are others that will works as well. http://www.microsyncdigital.com/

 

Dan

[michael_hohner]

The problem is not TTL metering, but the metering pre-flash. It is fired while the mirror is still down and the shutter is closed. Depending on the reaction time of your studio flash, it may be triggered before the shutter is open. With the built-in flash you will never be able to trigger the studio flash reliably.

<p>You need to use manual flash at a low power level (this avoids the pre-flash), and with the A100 you only get it with an external flash unit with manual flash capabilities.

<p>There are also radio trigger systems that work with Minolta/Sony cameras, but I know too little about this to give a recommendation.

[kirk_keyes]

The digital sync looks linteresting, but at about $300, I'm hoping for something cheaper, more flexible, less dedicated....

 

I figured it must have been a preflash that was triggering the slaves. It's interesting though, that it did work sometimes and not others.

 

So a manual flash loks to be the best answer. And there are the two Sony flashes that will work - the HVL-F36AM and the HVL-F56AM. Will any Minolta or KonicaMinolta flashes work?

 

Or how about an adaptor from the Sony hotshoe to an older flash, like the flash for my X-700 (a 200X flash I think) or even my trusty, yet old, Sunpak 555 potato masher?

[michael_hohner]

The Sony Alpha HVL-F36AM won't work, either. It also has no manual mode. There are currently two flashes which are fully compatible and offer a manual mode: Sony Alpha HVL-F56AM and Minolta 5600HS(D) (not counting the macro flashes). Older flashes with a manual mode are the Minolta 5400HS, 5400xi, 5200i and 4000AF. These will work <b>only</b> in manual mode, not in any automated flash mode, and the 4000AF will require a FS-1100 adapter.

[simon_platt1]

Kirk

 

You need to buy an infra red trigger unit. These are small flashguns with a filter on the front. Look for the name Prolinca or Elinchrom. These should cost around ?50 ($100)

 

You need to get one of these and a Sony (or minolta) adapter to allow you to put a non minolta flash foot camera onto a Minolta camera. Thisd is because the trigger will be made with a standard falsh shoe.

 

Simon

[carl_sorensen1]

You might turn off the red-eye reduction and the autofocus, to prevent the pre-flashes.

 

Carl Sorensen

[simon_crinks1]

In one of the menues (available on the back, not the dial on the top) there is the option to change the flash metering from 'pre-flash TTL' to 'ADI-flash'. Perhaps changing this might work (let me know if it does!)?

[simon_crinks1]

How about this? http://www.sony.co.uk/view/ShowProduct.action?product=FA-ST1AM&site=odw_en_GB&pageType=Overview&category=DSA+Other+Accessories

[luis_morillo]

i just created a small studio in a room and i have 2 monolights and a sony a100...i get a bunch of preflash and its frustrating, everything comes out underexposed....