Promaster FTD5500 flash on Digital Rebel?

[Curtis N]

I have a Promaster FTD5500 flash with Canon module (which I bought for my 35mm Rebel) and a Promaster 7500DX for my Digital Rebel.

Is it ok to use the FTD5500 on the Digital Rebel? I know it won't have E-TTL capability. I only want to use it in manual mode, with the 7500DX as a slave (since the FTD5500 has no built-in slave, it won't work the other way around).

I am only concerned that it will sync. properly and not damage the camera.

[Bodog]

Check this for trigger voltage info: http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html

[Curtis N]

Jim, thanks for the link.
As I thought, the trigger voltage on the FTD5500 is under 6 volts. It is designed for modern electronic film cameras, such as the canon EOS line.

As long as there isn't some other issue, I should be fine. Mostly the guy at the camera shop gave me a story about the non-digital flash units sending voltage into the camera, and scared me into buying the 7500DX. Now I'm wondering if he wasn't just giving me a story in order to sell another flash.

[Curtis N]

Update:
I asked Promaster the same question via their web site. Their response is below. For what it's worth, I think it's bunk. I tested the trigger voltage on both units and both were around 4.6 volts. Still, I'm too chicken to risk a $1,000 camera to prove myself right.

"The Promaster FTD 5500 flash was designed for 35mm cameras and will not work properly or safely with the Digital Rebel. Promaster has 3 flashes designed specifically for digital cameras and their low sync voltage requirements. The FTD 5550DX is the digital version of the 5500 but was designed for the sync voltage requirements and the new TTL flash systems in todays digital cameras. This flash uses a removeable module like your 5500 but is designed specifically to fit the DX flash units. The module for the Digital Rebel would be the #5938 DX module for Canon cameras or the #2044DX module that was updated to work with the EOS 20D, Digital Rebel XT and Mark II cameras. This combination will be fully dedicated and ETTL with the Canon Digital Rebel.

There is a trick to using the 7500DX as a slave flash on the Digital Rebel. If you just fire the camera, the 7500DX will fire with the Preflash and be out of sync with the exposing flash. With the camera in the "P" mode, Push the * button on the back of the camera by your thumb. This will fire the preflash. Now when you fire the shutter the 7500DX will fire with the exposing flash."