Copal #1 shutter not syncing to strobes?

[Klyment Tan]

Hello, all. =) I got some film back from the lab and found a few sheets of slide film that were totally blank. Coincidentally they were all shot using a Calumet Caltar-S 210/5.6 in a Copal #1 shutter. Shot at 1/400s From the same shoot, my shots lit the same but shot with my 75/4.5 in a Copal #0 shutter were all properly exposed. Shot at 1/500s. Is it possible for a shutter to not be syncing properly? It's triggering the strobes but there doesn't seem to be light getting to the film somehow. Thank you.

[Peter K]

Also the synch switch of a shutter can be misaligned. To check the synchronsation look through the camera without ground-glass and trigger the shutter with connected strobe. If the shutter is synced properly you can see it. Compare it with another shutter.

If the shutter is faulty it needs a CLA.

[Archphoto]

Or use a lower shutter speed if you can (existing light in a studio)
Try 250 and 125, is it below 60 your shutter needs a CLA.

Sometimes sync's go out of sync and have to be adjusted.

Peter

[Dan Fromm]

Klyment, early Copal #1s have a synchronization class selector. I have one such.

If your shutter has one, is it set to "X"?

[Klyment Tan]

Dan, there IS a selector with X as one setting and M as the other and it was set to M. I'm going to test it with a Polaroid and make sure it's okay. I'm sure that must have been it. Thanks, everyone! I love you people! =)

[Allen in Montreal]

Save the Polaroid.

Set the camera up and throw the dark cloth over your head, with the lens set to a wide aperture, fire the shutter and strobes while looking through the ground glass, on X you should see the shutter open and the burst of light, on M you should not see it as it will be out of sync.





Dan, there IS a selector with X as one setting and M as the other and it was set to M. I'm going to test it with a Polaroid and make sure it's okay. I'm sure that must have been it. Thanks, everyone! I love you people! =)