Slave flash for D2/LC1?

[enkeli]

I've been searching through the archives and recent posts, but am probably having a senior moment here and can't seem to find any relevant info. So...does anyone have any recommendations for a reliable and reasonably priced slave flash unit for the DMC-LC1?

I'm considering the Bower SF328AZ, but am concerned about the plastic bracket. Then again, that might be all I can expect at a $50 price point.

Suggestions and comments would be much appreciated.

[erl]

Ella, I am wondering if your description of "slave flash" is what you really mean. A 'slave' is a unit independant of the camera and therefore needs no compatability with the camera. It is usually triggered by a light sensitive "slave cell" which either 'sees' the camera flash fire, or a transmitter that fits into the camera hot shoe and sends a 'trigger' signal to the slave.

OTOH, you may be looking for an 'off-camera' flash cord that connects to the camera and allows you to hold the flash off to one side. Are you clear on which, if any of these you are interested in?

[elgenper]

Your biggest problem with a slave unit will be the pre-flash that the D2 (and presumably the LC1) fires just before exposure. It will trigger all normal slaves prematurely, leaving you without a charge when the exposure is indeed made a few milliseconds later.

There are slave units on the market that can handle this (I could give a Swedish source, but I doubt it would be helpful... ). Otherwise, the camera is said to handle quite high triggering voltages, so a hot shoe -> PC adapter might work for you; that´s what I use when shooting studio work with my D2.

[erl]

To follow up on what Per has said, the built in flash on the D2/LC1 is very elegant, with limitations. If you wish to progress your technique beyond that, I suggest using a separate flash in the hot shot, thus giving much more power and flexibility. To operate a slave, use either an independant flash in the hot shoe, which can trigger a slave (see above) as well as being either a main light or fill light, dependent on how you choose to balance them. Alternatively, use a transmitter in the hot shoe to simply trigger any independent flash in any position, which of course needs to be connected to a receiver of the signal from thr transmitter. This may sound complicated, but it is really very elegant in operation.