Skyport & Random Flashes

Hi all,

I've spent the last hour reading on how the elinchrom skyport needs special cables because many flashes do something special with their sockets (i.e. no real industry standard). If I wanted to skip the whole specialized cable issue, couldn't I just get a hotshoe adapter and fire away on flashes such as the vivitar 285HV or canon 430EX?:

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …SF941_PC_to_Hot​_Shoe.html

Many thanks in advance and pardon my lack of knowledge, still trying to understand the whole electricity/connectivi​ty side of things.

Cheers

Noel

Almost, but you'd need to replace the PC connector with a mini jack to fit the Skyport.

René Damkot wrote in post #5497069
Almost, but you'd need to replace the PC connector with a mini jack to fit the Skyport.

Hah, always something Thank you for the response René, and I'm sure I can't get that at B&H. Only going for the weekend and would like to get all necessary then as I live on an island where they don't even sell camera gear (except for throwaways).

Or just buy the cable from www.flashzebra.com

The issue is that Skyports do not come with cables to connect them to the PC port of the flash.

martinsmith wrote in post #5497091
Or just buy the cable from www.flashzebra.com

The issue is that Skyports do not come with cables to connect them to the PC port of the flash.

I've considered flashzebra, but I'd like to have a one size fits all solution so that I can throw on old flashes I have as well as new ones I may purchase.

Noel_ wrote in post #5496990
Hi all,

I've spent the last hour reading on how the elinchrom skyport needs special cables because many flashes do something special with their sockets (i.e. no real industry standard). If I wanted to skip the whole specialized cable issue, couldn't I just get a hotshoe adapter and fire away on flashes such as the vivitar 285HV or canon 430EX?:

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …SF941_PC_to_Hot​_Shoe.html

Many thanks in advance and pardon my lack of knowledge, still trying to understand the whole electricity/connectivi​ty side of things.

Cheers

Noel

Get anything but the General Brand hotshoe adapter. I bought a few of those and they're all very cheaply made and will break apart when you least expect it. If there's a flash mounted on it when that happens, the flash will go crashing to the floor. If you're lucky (like I was), the cord connecting the flash to the remote unit will hopefully keep the flash from hitting the floor.

He'll make 3.5mm to hotshoe cables.

How many flashes are you connecting up? I only have one of mine connected to the Skyport RX. The others are fired with optical slaves.

Thanks for the info, guess I won't be able to sort myself out in a B&H trip then? (need multiple suppliers)...

Cheers

Noel_ wrote in post #5497156
Thanks for the info, guess I won't be able to sort myself out in a B&H trip then? (need multiple suppliers)...

Cheers

If you have to get your hotshoe adapter from B&H, they do have at least one supplier but it'll cost you. For example, the paramount hotshoe to miniphone plug cord:

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …iphone_to_Femal​e_Hot.html

Unfortunately, this stuff is never simple.

There is an issue, specific to the Skyport system and the Vivitar 285HV. If you want to use that combo, you need a special adapter cord like this:
http://www.flashzebra.​com/wizardcables/0071.​shtml

For most other hotshoe flash units, a hotshoe adapter like this will work fine:
http://www.flashzebra.​com/wizardcables/hotsh​oe.shtml

Curtis N wrote in post #5497465
Unfortunately, this stuff is never simple.

There is an issue, specific to the Skyport system and the Vivitar 285HV. If you want to use that combo, you need a special adapter cord like this:
http://www.flashzebra.​com/wizardcables/0071.​shtml

For most other hotshoe flash units, a hotshoe adapter like this will work fine:
http://www.flashzebra.​com/wizardcables/hotsh​oe.shtml

Curtis, are you saying that the 285HV cannot be triggered via a hotshoe? If so, is it the same issue as with the SkyPort and the 580EX II in one of the master modes I think it was?

Something odd happens when you connect up anything but a camera to the hotshoe of a 580exii. I cannot use my optical slaves on the hotshoe of my 580. I have both skyports and 580 but no means of testing this issue.

Thank you all for the feedback & responses, always very helpful around here.

PacAce wrote in post #5497221
If you have to get your hotshoe adapter from B&H, they do have at least one supplier but it'll cost you. For example, the paramount hotshoe to miniphone plug cord:

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …iphone_to_Femal​e_Hot.html

I think this is what I was looking for. The problem with shipping anything to the Bahamas is that it'll cost me a substantial extra (not to mention, many suppliers do not deliver here). Thus this would be my solution.

Flashes I have right now are: Quantanray QDC & Vivitar 285HV, nothing special but I'd like a universal system at the end of the day.

Curtis, do you still think I would have an issue with a 285HV and the above cord?

Many thanks again

martinsmith wrote in post #5497506
Something odd happens when you connect up anything but a camera to the hotshoe of a 580exii. I cannot use my optical slaves on the hotshoe of my 580. I have both skyports and 580 but no means of testing this issue.

Most optical slaves have problems with all Canon EX flashes. However, you will be able to use an optical slave with the 580EX II flash is it's connected via the PC port on the flash.

PacAce wrote in post #5497477
Curtis, are you saying that the 285HV cannot be triggered via a hotshoe? If so, is it the same issue as with the SkyPort and the 580EX II in one of the master modes I think it was?

My understanding is that the Vivitar 285HV can be triggered with a hotshoe adapter connected to a PC cord, optical slave or PocketWizard, but for some reason this doesn't work with the Skyport system.

I'm unclear on the details, but the adapter cord I linked to above is designed to overcome whatever electronic incompatibility is involved.

Maybe Lon can provide more detailed information. I'm merely repeating what I have read from credible sources, and I've been wrong before.