Using older flash units with modern DSLRs
Apr 30, 2016 22:09:01 #
I have a Vivitar 283 and I measured the trigger voltage at 264 volts. I was using it with Cowboy Studios wireless flash triggers with no problems. Then I tried it with some Altura triggers and promptly fried two triggers.
Apr 30, 2016 23:06:32 #
I have several older Sunpak flashes that I use quite often, but all are triggered by Yongnuo flash triggers instead of the camera. No problems yet.
May 1, 2016 01:36:52 #
I am an electronic engineering technician, so I know electronics. I also have been doing photography for almost 50 years now. I brought this issue up to Popular photography several years ago and they researched it to confirm my evaluation of this subject.
Older flash units (the Vivitar 283 is the classic example) do trigger at much higher voltages than they do now and WILL burn out you DSLR and later film cameras. They might not do it right away because the duration of the voltage going to the camera is very short, so it may take multiple times to burn it out, but each time you fire it, you are slowly creating more damage to the camera and will eventually damage the electronics in the camera. There is no general rule here for what units will or will not work in a camera model. Each is different and needs to be researched.
Testing the voltage can be extremely dangerous because depending on the specs of the test equipment and how long the flash delivers the charge, one could get a totally false reading that does not show what is really being discharged. (To get a real proper reading from the flash you'd have to know the time it delivers the charge for and have an oscilloscope that will properly read the voltage amount and the time it is delivered.) The only safe way is to check with the manufactures of both the camera model and the manufacturer of the flash (will need model and serial numbers of each piece) and ask if they are compatible. (Some camera manufacturers refuse to comment on other manufacturers equipment, so this could be a serious block to get a true answer too.) If at all in doubt, don't use the older flash; it's not worth damaging the camera.
The newer cameras have so many new features to work with flash and the flashes themselves have so many newer features that it doesn't make sense to try to use an older flash anyways, and put with it the risk of damaging the camera, it only makes sense to get a newer flash for that newer camera.
Older flash units (the Vivitar 283 is the classic example) do trigger at much higher voltages than they do now and WILL burn out you DSLR and later film cameras. They might not do it right away because the duration of the voltage going to the camera is very short, so it may take multiple times to burn it out, but each time you fire it, you are slowly creating more damage to the camera and will eventually damage the electronics in the camera. There is no general rule here for what units will or will not work in a camera model. Each is different and needs to be researched.
Testing the voltage can be extremely dangerous because depending on the specs of the test equipment and how long the flash delivers the charge, one could get a totally false reading that does not show what is really being discharged. (To get a real proper reading from the flash you'd have to know the time it delivers the charge for and have an oscilloscope that will properly read the voltage amount and the time it is delivered.) The only safe way is to check with the manufactures of both the camera model and the manufacturer of the flash (will need model and serial numbers of each piece) and ask if they are compatible. (Some camera manufacturers refuse to comment on other manufacturers equipment, so this could be a serious block to get a true answer too.) If at all in doubt, don't use the older flash; it's not worth damaging the camera.
The newer cameras have so many new features to work with flash and the flashes themselves have so many newer features that it doesn't make sense to try to use an older flash anyways, and put with it the risk of damaging the camera, it only makes sense to get a newer flash for that newer camera.
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