Hassy 503cw, D-40, 80mmCFE, Big Wedding, No Flashy...

[Gup]

Can you say "embarassment"?

Can anyone shed light on this problem for me? (No pun intended)

My Hassy 'kit' is 6 months old and the D-40 (bought used on ebay) has

worked with good results everytime so far. It's perched on a PM 5

prism and it was on a tripod. I fired a test flash for metering

purposes. I had the bride and groom posed and ready and click... no

flash. I fired another test flash. Obviously all wired and powered

up. I released the shutter... no flash! 6 times more, no flash.

Beads of sweat now. Feeling clammy under my suit. Going through a

rapid check list in my head. What could it be? We were set-up in

a corner of the lobby of the hotel after dinner and a crowd of guests

were gathered to watch the beautiful bride have her portrait

preserved for all eternity. The bride began telling them the camera

wouldn't work and some started to wander away, murmuring to

themselves what a shame it was because she was so beautiful and the

photographer had seemed to be such a nice young man. I quickly

switched back to my F5 and a Metz 70-5 and finished up... but the

damage was done. The bride asked what the difference was between the

two and I casually answered - auto-focus.

After they went back to the party I mounted the Hassy again,

determined to conquer it, and began to experiment. I found if I used

the depth-of-field button to stop the lens down and then released it,

the flash would fire correctly on command! I tried this method a few

more times with my trusty assistant as model and the flash fired each

time, providing I first went through the above ritual. Excited at

this discovery I quickly corralled the happy couple, dragged them

back in and shot 2 rolls with them and their families. It remains to

be seen whether the flash will be correctly sync'd, but I am truly

perplexed! I have read and re-read my Ernst Wilde bible and can't

find an answer, so I have again turned to you, hat-in-hand, for your

combined expertise. The lens was set at 1/60th and F8 and the red

light was illuminated. I used Portra 160 and Fuji NPS 400 with the

ISO dial adjusted accordingly.

I'm expecting to be told to check the sync cord, how exactly can I do

that, seeing as it is attached to the D-40?

Any other ideas on what went wrong?

Thanks a lot everyone.

Gup Jeffries.

[johnmarkpainter]

Well....

 

You should DEFINITELY have a spare sync cable and a spare flash. Since you have the Metz

already, you could get a cable to use with that.

 

You need to try different cables and flashes to narrow it down. Do you have another lens

to try it with? Maybe you could go to a dealer and try another lens there if not.

 

jmp

[coolmingli]

It might be some wrong with your lens, if it works when you stop down by using the depth of field botton, the contact insdie the lens could be loose, I will have this lens check out.

[bas1]

check out if the flashes with the test button, if it does then it is probably the lens since

that is what fires the flash. For the next time have your back-up ready to roll on demand

and switch to it immidiately after you notice something fails and make it seem natural. We

have all had failures of equipment at important moments. Key is to stay calm and relaxed

as it makes no have your clients see your panic.

 

Good luck

[neil_browne1]

I've had my flash not fired before with my 80cf. The pc sync had to be

replaced. I've also have had the flash not fire other times...batteries died in the

radio slave, faulty sync cord..etc... All of the times this has happened, you do

not find out until it is too late, just roll with it and have spares of everything.

[gene_miller2]

I had the same problem with my 50mm lens. I tried my spare sync cord and it still would not work. Fortunately, my Quantum Q Flash worked with my other lenses. I returned the 50mm lens to where I bought it, had it checked out and it's been working fine ever since.

 

Gene

[Gup]

Thanks everyone.

I did have spares with me, two Metz 70-5 flash units, and a Sunpak 120 J auto very similar to the D-40. Lots of power, too.

My question was: Why did I have to trigger the 'depth of field' button to set up the flash to fire?

I thought there might be a common answer that I was missing, being new to medium format.

I also mentioned this lens is only 6 months old and used about 3x's.

Also, how will I check a sync cord that is attached to the D-40 permanently?

I live 200 miles from a camera store and I don't even know who services Hassy in Ontario anymore! I bought the kit from Hong Kong.

Now does anyone have any answers?

Thanks,

Gup.

[danny_liao]

Well, why don't you attach the D40's sync cord to another camera and see if it fires?

Or attach the flash to a meter and trigger it from there? I had a D40, it sucked...had

some sort of electrical problem with it and it was only a year old and rarely used.

Better off with a Metz or Quantum Qflash.

[dermot_conlan4]

Experience...the only way you could have igured it out. sounds

tough but it's true. Pro's get paid a lot of money for Weddings but

we expect them to figure out these types of probelms. I did shoot

weddings years ago but had assisted on at least fifty before

doing my first and even then I was nervous. I had something

similar happen to me on a foggy day in deep in the bogs of

Ireland..the video guy told me my flash was working but only

some of the time..I carried xtra snyc cords and quickly

changed...end of the day I had 60% of my images the rest were

lost to a sticky lens shutter..ah yes my old Bronica ETRS how I

miss it.

[cwphoto]

I had the same experience with a 500CW & 80mm CF lens. The lens made two trips to the repair shop before a propper fix was made. Camera is fine, problem is of course in the lens sync. I had along a backup T* lens & saved the day. Fortunately for me the ceremony was outdoors & my wife noticed the flash failure. I have been keeping my wife around more often nowadays.