count_chocula

Thanks all for the continued discussion, and especially to Harris for the awesome breakdown of his setup. My original question centered around the need to have an extended rechargeable battery pack for use in the field. I have 622s now, but am still open to changing equipment. I have no problem switching to some speedlights if they're a bit easier to deal with, and if extendable battery packs are available for use in the field. The discussion above doesn't address the possibility of the extendable packs for speedlights or otherwise. Any thoughts on that? Thanks in advance.

Great info - thanks Gary. Makes complete sense. I've actually just 3D-printed an insert for the battery pack, which accomplishes the same thing as the doweling (just because i have a printer readily available). I've also emailed quantum's UK rep to see if they have those cables... but damn they're expensive! What rating fuse do you use? Must be something like 20A or so, given the potentially high currents involved? Does anyone have an AD26 adapter? Wondering what voltage it outputs to which pins... Thanks all...

Thanks for the replies, folks. I'm an electrical engineer by training, but have zero experience with flash circuitry. I'm well aware of the dangers of large caps, and was thinking (furthermore) that the charging circuitry may have such caps of its own... so adding more may not accomplish anything. I'm not sure. The reason for so many flashes is that my application is for photogrammetry. I have an automated turntable setup, and would like to take pictures as fast as possible (up to 1 pic/sec) to speed up processing times. I plan on taking around 600 photos of each subject, and plan on shooting multiple subjects per day. 2-3k flashes is pretty reasonable for my application, but maybe not so reasonable for the flashes. The whole 510v battery thing is a bit of a mystery to me. 4 C cells in series = 6V, yet both the 510v and the C cell compartment plug into the same 8-pin square plug. Perhaps some of those pins are used for the 6V circuitry, and the others for the high voltage circuitry... Would be cool to figure out how to DIY one's own high-voltage input. Looks doable (though not in my current timeframe - maybe a project for later): DC-DC converter, 12V to 400V? Is this possible? Regardless, as you say, the fast charging may not be the limiting factor. I'll keep an eye on the heat, etc. But what I really need, first, are either some of those 8-pin connectors, or a dowling setup. @paul ron , might you have any pics you wouldn't mind sharing? Thanks, Allie

Thanks all. I'm running with a Yongnuo 622Y + TX i-TTL setup. They have PC sync ports... will report back!

These are amazing recommendations, and with special props to @Andrew Garrard for an insanely wonderful breakdown. I'm running with the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 for now. The Sigma ART would be wonderful, but I can't fit it in the budget at the moment... it's on the wish list though. Thanks all. I'm sure this thread will be useful to others looking for something similar in the future.

Thanks Wilmarco. I’m sure they work well, but they’re pricey. Hoping there’s a good but more economical solution out there...

Hi all, I'm looking for a fixed focal length lens - something around 80mm or so - for my D810. I have around £500 to spend, and would like to get something as sharp as that budget allows. It's for a photogrammetry project. I already have a sigma ART 24mm, but need a longer focal length to complement it. I'm on a tight timeline, so probably need something I can grab off amazon here in the UK or similar... Thanks much in advance. Allie

thanks... yeah, EZ Green Screen worked for me before... might go back to it...

Hi all, Looking for recommendations to remote trigger 2 Sunpak auto 622 pro flashes from a nikon d810. Would a Yongnuo trigger of some sort work? I have the PC syncro cords... Thanks, Allie

That square cable connector, as far as I can tell, is the only power input to the flash. Both the C cell battery pack and the AC adapter plug into it... The dowel solution is just a way to access that port when you don't have a cable connector to work with... please correct me if i'm wrong... [uSER=2403817]@rodeo_joe|1[/uSER] , do you know how the 510V battery actually works? Is it actually a 510 volt battery? Interested to find out... maybe it's charging a capacitor quickly or something? I was thinking about putting a big capacitor in parallel with a 6V battery to potentially allow for faster charging...

Thanks all. Yes, voltage converters are readily available. What I don't see are power cables that plug into the 622 that must look something like the square end of this: Quantum Instruments CS6 Cable for Sunpak 622 CS6 B&H Photo Video The other option is to go rodeo_joe's route and use some C-size dowels... I'd prefer a cable interface, but if not possible, good to have the other option. I wonder if the flash has circuitry inside the handle between the C-cells and the plug that might alter recycle times? Or, perhaps it's just a straight electrical connection? Thanks, Allie

Thanks Paul, I think i saw some of your posts in the past. I'm not able to find any AC adapters here in the UK or Europe, unfortunately. But I may give the motorcycle battery trick a try...

Thanks rodeo... i'm not super tied to the 622's in theory, but time is short for me, so if i'm going to switch, i'll have to do it quick. I'm just looking for a flash that will work for me in the field. I'm not a photographer, so am not familiar with the various options... Accessories for the sunpak's do seem to be hard to come by. If there were a setup that was more easily accessorized, worked well enough, and didn't break the bank much more than the 622's, i'm game...

Cool idea Wilmarco... unfortunately, a number of my sites will be a couple hours hike in. The AC adapter could work in the sites that do have good access, and for those I'll look for the adapter... though I'm not finding any available in the UK/Europe. Wondering if anyone might have thoughts of where to find them? Also, how many cycles do you get out of a set of C cells? And, what is your recycle time on those? re: the manual, i see a few options... i don't imagine the 510V cells are readily available? thanks...

Hi all, I picked up a couple sunpak 622 pro's, and need to outfit them with batteries. I'll be off in the field, so need something to power around 2-3k flashes per day, before heading back to recharge. All the posts I've found are quite old now... Wondering what folks are doing these days for these flashes... Ideally I'd like to use motorcycle batteries that I can pick up around the world, though I understand the duty cycles of the flashes may be low with those batteries? Any thoughts greatly appreciated... thanks, allie

Hi all, I have a project for which I'm taking thousands (upon thousands) of photos and need to remove green screens from them. I'm running a pilot project on 2600 DNG photos. I bought a license for Photokey 8 Pro... but it just sits there and thinks for days on end when I try to import that many photos, or try to process them in every way i've tried. Wondering if anyone has suggestions for software that deals better with large batch jobs? Thanks, Allie

yeah, i think that's the default solution now, if there isn't a smoother track solution that would fit the bill... thanks...

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I can get the job done with a simple tripod, or an aluminum tube with a manfrotto clamp that I move up and down. The camera has to be reoriented at each position regardless, so it doesn't need to remain perfectly oriented between positions. My interest in a slider is to: 1) allow relatively quick position changes, and 2) allow consistent positions between shoots. This is for a photogrammetry project in which I'll be shooting hundreds of subjects (branches in my case). Consistency of position makes the tripod solution less tenable. The pole + clamp solution will probably work, though I was thinking that a slider would make quicker and easier work of it. Another option would be a pole with a few fixed manfrotto super clamps, and moving the camera by moving the entire the stud+ballhead assembly from clamp to clamp. Not great, but maybe not horrible... Still, those studs aren't as easily removed as I'd like... More thoughts?

Hi all, For a photogrammetry project, I’m interested in positioning a Nikon D810 at a few different locations along a vertical transect spanning at least 2 meters. The lowest position would be around 10-30 cm off the ground. I could use a tripod to do this, but a slider would be more convenient, repeatable, and less prone to error. Would anyone have some suggestions for equipment that might do the trick? Thanks in advance... Allie

also, wondering if a yonguo trigger setup or similar might work? those pocketwizards seem pretty pricey...

That's great - thanks Wilmarco. Sounds like there are some ways to wire it to an external battery, though not super straightforward (https://www.photo.net/discuss/threads/diy-power-supply-for-sunpak-622.458333/)? Do you think it will have the heating issue that Gary raised? I may (try to) trigger them every few seconds for up to 60-100 photos at a time...

Hi all, I'm running a project to do photogrammetry of tropical tree branches. This involves field work in tropical forests sometimes far from power. Hence, I'll need to run off motorcycle or small car batteries. I'll either have the branches in front of a green screen or inside a large (2m cube) photo box, mounted on an automated turntable. The flashes are necessary to speed up the process (long exposure times slow things down when I need to snap 300 pics of a branch). I'll need the flashes on their own stands with softboxes (the latter at least when the photobox isn't being used), and to be able to be trigged by a Nikon D810. Wondering if folks here might be kind enough to offer some recommendations? Something under $1k would be ideal. Hope the above info is enough to go on. Thanks very much! Allie

Hi all, I'm looking for a peli case (or equivalent) for a Nikon D810 with a Sigma 24mm ART lens. I'd like for it to be able to hold another lens, as well as some little accessories (batteries, charger, sd cards, dessicant, etc.). The iM2200 Storm seems to fit the bill (just 6" tall, but should be enough), but wondering if there are other, better options? Thanks, Allie

<p>Hi all,<br> A colleague of mine bought a Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG Circular Fisheye for use on her Eos 50D. It turns out that the lens is made for full-frame cameras. whoops.</p> <p>She needs to get the full 360 degree hemisphere on the sensor, but right now it's being cropped. Is there anything she could do to modify the setup to make this work? Extension tubes do the opposite of what she wants. I expect she'll either have to get a new lens or a new body, but wanted to check here first before doing so. Thanks for any thoughts!</p>

<p>Hi Rosa,</p> <p>Nope, never did. There should be other fisheye alternatives for you, other than buying a high-end DSLR, though. Even something like a fish-eye attachment for a cellphone cam might work for you. CAN-EYE has a routine that lets you calibrate lenses, i think, so doesn't have to be perfectly spherical, etc.</p> <p>good luck - let us know what you come up with!</p> <p>allie</p>