Want to use Sunpack 4205G on Rebel XT

[wardie]

I have recently got back into photography after a 13 year break due to marriage and new family. I used to photograph everything that moved or not and the costs in processing killed my hobby after my little one arrived. I kept all my gear saying that I would start again oneday soon but alas never got there.

I recently got a point and shoot Kodak as we were on holiday and the wife wanted photos of our daughter. When she saw how easy it was to blast away all day and cull out the mistakes she allowed me to look at a friends 1DmkII at a dance school shoot.

I now own a Rebel XT with Kit lens and Canon 75 - 300 USM zoom.

I am looking at my old gear now and would like to try using my Sunpack 4205G side mount flash that I bought to do weddings on the XT. What would I need to attach it to the hotshoe? My 1D mate has told me to get a module but I have not been able to find such a thing. Am I chasing ghosts?

Any advise accepted with gladness.

Wardie

[wardie]

After talking to many "experts" in camera stores who told me that this could not be done (digital camera will not drive an analog flash). I decided to research this fully myself and since I have had success post the details here to assist others.

The Sunpack flash is not E-TTL so has to be used in M mode solely. It has a trigger voltage of 6V so is compatable with my Rebel XT. All I had to buy was a hotshoe to PC sync cord adaptor. I would recommend that any older flash that has higher trigger voltages use an isolating hotshoe adaptor.

The modules that my friend with the 1D told me to buy were for remote triggering of E-TTL flash units and thus not compatable with the unit I have.

I have had to experiment with the shutter and aperture settings as the guides on the flash do not seem to be relevant (WAY overexposed) eg. guide says F5.6 ISO 100 1/125 @ 3 metres (10 feet) but I am using F8 ISO 100 1/250 @ 5+ metres (16.5 feet).

I hope that this is of some help to someone

Regards

John

[Raphael Emond]

I have used a old flash in manual mode on my old fuji S602. The flash was always firing at full power and it was a pain to shoot some christmas family party and have good results.

[Titus213]

Welcome back Wardie! Tis a whole new world in photography that is for sure.

[wardie]

This Sunpack flash is a TTL unit so does its own metering based on the settings that you chose. You set the ISO that you are using and the distance range you intend to shoot and read off the F-Stop to set on the camera. In theory the flash meters the reflected light and moderates the flash to keep the reflected light within parameters for that F-Stop.

On my Pentax ME Super it works correctly, but on my Rebel XT it seems that it is too powerful.

[Titus213]

wardie,
I'm not familiar with your Sunpak but I have a 555 that is designated an auto-thyristor. Would yours be the same? If so I shoot my 555 in auto mode, setting the ISO and f-stop desired. I then set the camera to manual and use those same settings. Works great and because the flash is measuring it's own output exposure comes out good with bounce, direct, or diffused.

In doing some searching I've found several references to the 4205G being the same as the 544 in the US.....