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Photo Forum / Digital Photography / DSLR Cameras / May 2007Sony a100 Flash problem. Need suggestions please.
Hello all, I just purchased the a100 a couple of days ago. My determining factor was mainly that I already had a couple Minolta lenses and a flash. So far, I am very pleased with the a100. I rarely take photographs above ISO 800, so I don't worry about the noise. The picture quality is phenominal. I have compared shots with the Nikon D80 and A200 as well as the Canon Rebel XTi, and the Sony shots just look better in my opinion. Of course, those are well lit shots under ISO 400. Anyway, my question is this: I have a Konica Minolta Maxxum 3600HS TTL Shoe Mount Flash that I am trying to use with the a100, but it seems to not be compensating correctly regardless of the lense I use. It will overflood the subject with light as if were using a full burst. I have to bounce the light off of the ceiling (pointing the flash head vertical) and cover it with wax paper to even get the light to adjust properly. What am I doing wrong? Do I just need to get a new flash? I was hoping that I wouldn't have to go that far, but it is looking like I may have to if I can't get this worked out. > Hello all, > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > like > I may have to if I can't get this worked out. Is it labelled HS (D) or just 3600 HS? Anything earlier than HS (D) will not work - it just fires on full power and you must set your aperture manually. If there is an error with an HS (D) gun, it is possible to have the gun recalibrated for correct operation, by the Sony/former Minolta repair service, and it's usually free. David >> Hello all, >> [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > Anything earlier than HS (D) will not work - it just fires on full power > and you must set your aperture manually. I thought the HS series were supposed to work as well with the digital cameras, no? > If there is an error with an HS (D) gun, it is possible to have the gun > recalibrated for correct operation, by the Sony/former Minolta repair > service, and it's usually free. > > David  Signature-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm -- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm -- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin -- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch. > I thought the HS series were supposed to work as well with the digital > cameras, no? No, unfortunately. Unless the gun is an HS (D) - which I actually think all 3600 units are but I'm not quite sure - I have one web reference only to a 3600 HS which looks like a 3500 xi - different style of gun. The 5400 HS definitely does not work with the digital bodies, and the 5600 HS(D) is needed. But - what was the '3' series gun which went with the 5400HS? I have a feeling it may have been a 3600HS with no 'D'. If so, that gun would not work with digital bodies. I do have just about every Minolta press release CD from the last ten years but the 3500xi appears to be identically dated to the 5400HS, and if there was a 3600HS with no D, it is later than July 1999. David >> I thought the HS series were supposed to work as well with the digital >> cameras, no? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > the 5400HS? I have a feeling it may have been a 3600HS with no 'D'. If > so, that gun would not work with digital bodies. The "D" being the "Distance Integration" compatible flashes... got it. > I do have just about every Minolta press release CD from the last ten > years but the 3500xi appears to be identically dated to the 5400HS, and > if there was a 3600HS with no D, it is later than July 1999. I bought my 5400HS a few years after the 3500 xi, but I don't recall the exact date. Cheers, Alan Signature-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm -- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm -- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin -- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch. > Anyway, my question is this: I have a Konica Minolta Maxxum 3600HS > TTL > Shoe Mount Flash > that I am trying to use with the a100, but it seems to not be > compensating correctly regardless of the lense I use. Assuming the A100 is similar to the KM 5D in this respect, have you experimented with the different ADI and TTL flash modes? Also does it make any difference at all if you change the flash compensation settings on the camera? I usually have to adjust the flash down a bit if not bouncing it. Hi, I had a similar problem with the Flash in my Camera but I found a solution in a tech support site which I found to be very helpfull. Here is the page for Sony Tech Support: http://www.fixya.com/support/sony/digital_cameras Hope it helps Jon > > Anyway, my question is this: I have a Konica Minolta Maxxum 3600HS > > TTL [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > settings on the camera? I usually have to adjust the flash down a bit > if not bouncing it. The flash is not an HS (D) model. It is just HS 3600. From a couple of other postings I have read that the new Sony HVL-F36AM is just a rebadged HS 3600. I don't know if that's true or not, but they do look very similar on the outside. I'm by no means an expert though. There's apparently something different though, since the HS 3600 will not work "out-of-the-box" with the a100. I did try stepping down the flash as far as it would go. I think -2 was the setting. I didn't change the aperture at all. Just left it in full auto mode to test the flash. No change. I have to currently bounce the flash (covered with wax paper) to have it work to any degree indoors. If the subject is within 4-6 feet, I can forget it. :- ( I guess I could try closing the aperture a bit as well. I haven't yet experiemented with the ADI and TTL flash modes. I guess the default is ADI? I will give that a try this weekend, and let you know how that works. Thank you for the suggestion. ::crossing fingers:: > The flash is not an HS (D) model. It is just HS 3600. From a couple of > other postings I have read that the new Sony HVL-F36AM is just a > rebadged HS 3600. I don't know if that's true or not, but they do look > very similar on the outside. I'm by no means an expert though. There's > apparently something different though, since the HS 3600 will not work > "out-of-the-box" with the a100. Rain- I blindly assumed my old Minolta 5400xi flash would work, and was surprised to have the same results as you describe. It seems that Minolta changed from an analog TTL exposure system to a digital one, even before they brought out a digital body. After the bad experience, I purchased a Minolta 5600HS-D which works perfectly. It is identical in appearance and specs to the Sony HVL-F56AM. As far as I can tell, the HVL-F36AM is the same except that maximum light output has a GN of 36 instead of 56 Meters for ISO 100. Your 3600HS would have the letter "D" appended to its number on the flash, if it was compatible with the digital TTL system. Fred > In article <1176388272.820295.199...@o5g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>, > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Fred Thank you for your reply. I finally got around to testing all of the suggestions mentioned in this post. I changed the menu settings on the camera to not use the distance flash metering and instead to use the TTL preflash. That didn't have any effect. I also tried locking the ISO to 100, and that didn't have any effect as well. It seems my model of the 3600 flash (which is not the "D" model) does not function with the Sony A-100. I also tried an older 3600xi flash I had (I was using it as a wireless slave), and it does not function as well (makes sense if the 3600HS didn't work I guess). I guess I am off to look for the new Sony Flash that is comparable. Just a quick sidenote (maybe I should start a new post, please don't bash me for this), does anyone have any good recommendations for a good flash (under $300) for the Sony A-100. Thanks for all of your help and responses by the way. Even though I wasn't able to get my old flash working. I appreciated the extra help that was offered. > > In article <1176388272.820295.199...@o5g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>, > [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Correction: I stated that I tried a 3600xi. It was actually a 3500xi. Sorry about that. > Hello all, > [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > to bounce the light off of the ceiling (pointing the flash head > vertical) Best way to shoot flash in any case. and cover it with wax paper to even get the light to adjust Wax paper? Hmm... the TTL would just increase in any case to compensate. Do you have flash comp on high? Flash on manuan and high power? > Hello all, > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > as the Canon Rebel XTi, and the Sony shots just look better in my > opinion. Of course, those are well lit shots under ISO 400. As a note to all. Flash incompatibility can be extended to most ofther companies as well. The TTL flash system measured light in several ways in a film camera, and one of those being light relected off the film in combination with lens focus distance, aperature, ambient light, etc. The TTL system in a digital camera is considerably different, as there is no film to reflect off, so the light is measured in other ways. The computer that is calculating the lfash exposure receieves different inputs and has a much different algorithm. Therefore flash systems designed for film cameras will not likely work well if at all on DSLR systems. Note, that in the Nikon world I do use my old SB28 as slave, as the SB800DX is doing the actual control and just signalling the SB28. SignatureJim <jen....not....home..remvdots...@....yahoo |
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