Hi there, is there a technique or gadget that lets you trigger strobes when using shutters without sync capability? I suppose you can open the shutter and then fire the flash manually using flash meter. Or is there something more elegant (like a sound-sensitive trigger)?
Could also use the Sinar shutter I suppose...
In the early days of flash photography, shutters with a cocking lever that moved when the shutter was activated could close external sync contacts. Also, cable releases were made with sync contacts timed to close at the right moment.
I asked the same question about a year ago, and although I had some good answers none of them really worked for me.
The cable release with a sync cord wasn't one of them, and now that Jim mentions it I think it may be the answer for me.
However I use mostly old flash bulbs, which have a longer burn time than more modern systems. So a better chance of working if it isn't synced properly. On the other hand the shutter can still fire before my bulb, still leaving the subject in the dark.
Those are still around, usually of Russian make. Most have a variable delay intended to fire flash bulbs. The downside is that (those I have) require a conventional shutter release socket. Here is a photo from this site of exactly one of mine. The flash cord plugs into a socket on the back of the plunger, barely visible here.Originally Posted by Jim Jones
Then there is the Canon flash intended for early Leica-like screw mount cameras that trips through its own mechanical release because those early cameras often had no synch socket.
A search will show we have many posts here describing Packard shutters modified with a simple micro-switch for electronic flash.
So now the question is: What kind of shutter is Dirk considering? I'm sure we can come up with something.
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Trigger trap have some useful gadgets for triggering cameras or flashes using light, sound or other inputs. I'm pretty sure you can adjust the delay between the signal and the actual trigger so that you can get the timing exactly right.
triggertrap.com
PS: I was thinking in terms of using the sound of the shutter tripping, plus a delay, to trigger the flash.
Hi, thanks for your attention. It is a Betax No. 4 Shutter here
http://www.largeformatphotography.in...=1#post1139310
These guys are doing some cool stuff, but I cannot find anything suitable there. I have an ages-old optical trigger, but I agree that acoustic would be best. Of course it should trigger just once, when shutter opens, and not on close.
http://www.hiviz.com/tools/triggers/triggers2.htm
A sound trigger discharges a flash unit in response to a sound or vibration created by either the high-speed event itself or some other action that initiates the high-speed event. The three parts of a sound trigger are the microphone, the amplifier, and a silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR). The diagram above shows how the components are connected. The microphone picks up the sound of the event. The signal from the microphone is then amplified in order to gate the SCR, which acts as a switch.
Just had those guys from NYC put a sync on my #5 Betax..I sent a broken shutter with sync parts they could use if needed - not sure if they needed them as I'm waiting for the shutters to show up now
the Former Lens & Repo guys
they were done at the factory ( http://www.packardshutter.com/ ) and purchased with a sync. i worked with a portrait photographer decades ago
and that was exactly the set up ... single speed shutter, modern single post flash sync, and a handful of those photogenic strobe
that looked like hoover vacuum cleaners
Many, if not most, camera repairmen can add flash synch to an old shutter.
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