Gestalt Entry

Alright time for some pictures. Though this picture is still very geeky in nature as it shows a combination of several hacks:


Minolta Dynax 7 with transplanted Vivitar 24mm F2.0 tilt-shift and Seagull iISO to ISO hotshoe adapter, and optical slave trigger, and Nikon SB-28 with externally wired battery pack.

The ISO adapter, optical slave trigger and Sony strap were from Digicolor, Mutiara Complex, Mile 4, Jalan Ipoh, for very cheap! Go there for some great bargains.


This is how I lit it. RM5 silver-inside umbrella from Masjid Jamek, clipped with wire rope clips (RM6.50) on RM40 tripod. Sony HVL-F56AM pointed at center of umbrella in Manual Power, which triggered the SB-28 on the camera… which bounced into the cardboard standing on the right. That way you get the highlights on the right.

Note that I had to shield my camera’s pop up flash from the SB-28 using my hand… but making sure it still is seen by the F56 flash.

So how did I put the SB-28 on my Dynax 7, which has a different flash mount? I used this:


It’s a Minolta/Sony iISO hotshoe to standard ISO hotshoe adapter with PC Sync port on the side.

This makes your Minolta/Sony bodies compatible with the ISO hotshoe everybody uses… and it adds PC Sync port support for studio lights. * note that the Sony A700 and Minolta pro/advanced amateur series have this already.

It said RM29 but I got it for cheaper. 😉


This is a Remote Shutter Cable, RM65. Good for tripod shooters and people who want to do HDR.

Note that A700 users don’t need this, as the A700 already comes with a remote control that does Bulb mode.

And now for the new Sony HVL-F42AM GN42 (105mm at ISO100) flash:


Note the very bright, vibrant, shadow-less light? It’s because I was taking a picture and forgot that wireless was on, so it fired a very powerful blast at the wall, which formed a very big surface area, making a very, very soft light.

Knowing how to bounce your light onto HUGE surfaces is far more important than buying any diffuser for your camera, trust me. That’s why people always point their flashes to the ceiling.


Rear panel, greatly improved – manual power and a fully articulate flash head added to the F36, built-in wide-angle diffuser, plus a zoom of up to 105mm instead of 85mm on the F36. Oh and the Test button, for whatever reason you’d need it for… 🙂

Same retail price as the F36. Street price would be cheaper in Sg. Wang!


Nope, still using 4 AA batteries, no funky Sony Lithiums yet. It would be interesting though. Oh and for some reason, the F42 looks like a black version of Transformers character Blurr.


A proud owner of a new Sony A200. Wireless flash from his 12 o’ clock and one more flash at about his 8 o’ clock (spot an Ian holding a flash in the mirror!)

4 thoughts on “Gestalt Entry

  1. ShaolinTiger Post author

    Test button is useful when you take the flash out of the dry cab having not used it, crank it to manual 1/1 and fire a few test flash to check the recycle time on the batteries.

    Reply
  2. Albert Ng Post author

    AHHHHH so that’s what it’s for. I also imagine the said person holds it up to his/her ear like a fish while doing this LOL.

    On my F56 I can choose 3 options on a dial – full, 3 strobes or many strobes. I use the Test button with the last option as a modelling light.

    Though, I guess you could make do with putting a lens cap on while flashing. 😀 Never actually timed recycle times much, but I carry spares anyway because people say NiMh batteries should be drained before charging.

    Reply
  3. Albert Ng Post author

    Ewin: Yes, you can! That should hook you up into the world of Nikon CLS with their groups and stuff. Though the Sony Wireless TTL system is great for SIMPLICITY.

    Reply

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