Older Novatron 240 with 5D3

First of all, I am no portrait photographer, although very interested in it. Unfortunately, it is one type of photography that requires a lot of equipment before you can experiment. I have access to an older Novatron Fun Kit, with an extra light, stand, and umbrella.

I have read here, and other places about compatibility issues with older power packs and newer dslr cameras. I have received somewhat of a mixed reaction. I have read that it would be fine, and I have read that it can burn out the sync trigger over time.

I am having trouble finding a lot of uselful info on the Novatron power pack, but from the tag, it says..

Serial #3249
120vac
60HZ
1.0 amps

I have two of the lights hooked up to the box. I tested it, had the fill light on and fired the main light with the TEST button, but do not have a sync cord, so it has never been connected to the camera.

I obviously don't want to burn up my camera. Will this be alright? If not, what are my options. I cant hook it up with a wireless system, as there is no place on the back of the lights to plug in the Rx. Is there any options with the sync cord being energized remotely instead of the lights themselves?

I appreciate any help, info, or suggestions. I am stoked, and want to have some fun with it, but not sure what to do.

Thank you

You should be fine as the PC sync port on Canon cameras can take a lot of volts. However, if you are worried, there are (moderately expensive) safe-sync adapters that drop the sync down to a very low voltage.

You might also consider wireless triggers, but you'll have to check max voltage for those as well. And you certainly CAN use wireless triggers as nearly all of them have a PC sync cable output of some sort.

Thank you very much for the answer. I am also no electrician. lol Last night, I read somewhere that the pc port on the Canons can withstand 250v. So, with the power pack being 120vac, does that mean it would be alright?

I am just trying to make sure of what I need. I know I have to at least get a pc sync cord, because I do not have one. If the Novatron power pack is under 250v- which it looks like it is, I wont need the safe-sync adapter which I have never heard of until your response. Man, there is so much to know within the realm of photography.

120V is the power from the wall. The sync voltage from the flash to the camera will be something different.

I can't find an exact number in a google search, but I would highly doubt it is over 250v. I've never heard of any that high.

Again, you can use the wireless triggers, which are handy anyway. That removes all possibility of frying the camera.

Also, if you have a hot shoe flash that can do manual, you can set it to the lowest power and then trigger the novatron with an optical slave. That just triggers the novatron when it sees any other flash go off. those are like $15.

Flash zebra is a good place to get cables and optical slaves. And for wireless triggers, everyone seems to like the yongnuo rf-603's, which are like $35 on amazon. You'd also need a pc-sync to H prong cable to trigger the novatron, which is the same thing you'd need to go to the camera, only shorter for the triggers.

So straight from Camera to Novatron: http://www.flashzebra.​com/products/0239/inde​x.shtml

Wireless triggers: http://www.amazon.com …r=8-1&keywords=yongnuo+rf and this cable: http://www.flashzebra.​com/products/0132/inde​x.shtml

And for optical triggering with a different flash: http://www.flashzebra.​com/products/0256/inde​x.shtml

Wow, that's awesome. Very informative. Thank you again for both your time trying to find the voltage, and the useful information. If that information doesn't sum it up, I don't know what would!

Thanks again, Taylor. I eventually got a hold of Novatron, and they informed me that the highest voltage on any Novatron power pack was 24V, which is obviously not close to 250V that the Canon can handle.

Anyway, being satisfied with their answer, I opted for a custom made 15' Paramount cord with the HH plug on one end, and a screw-in PC plug on the other. I wanted something long enough to give me some freedom in moving around. I then checked out the Yongnuo RF-603 C3, and purchased them from Amazon. They just came in the mail, so I have not tried them out yet, but will this evening. I did some research on them, and they seem to be nice. The tranceivers also have the threaded fitting on the PC port, which is cool.

The long cord was nice, but not nearly as unrestricted as the wireless triggers. Thanks again for the information, as I had no idea I could utilize a wireless system with an old Novatron kit.