photophile Posted June 7, 2009 Share #1 Posted June 7, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Although 99% of my images are taken without flash, occasionally there simply is insufficient light. At an event recently, I rigged my M8 to a stroboframe with a nikon SB 800 flash - attached with the sc-17 cord. Flash set to Aperature/Auto. Head bounced and rotated with diffuser cover. Pictures were perfectly exposed BUT...only fired every other shot. Replaced with frseh batteries and ensured thyristor full - still fired only every other shot - every time. - all night. Any thoughts or suggestions? I just fired a blank in between images and made the evening a success but something must be happening to cause this strange behavior...thanks in advance. Very frustrating...CH http://www.focophoto.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 7, 2009 Posted June 7, 2009 Hi photophile, Take a look here flash firing quirk - looking for advice. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Jamie Roberts Posted June 7, 2009 Share #2 Posted June 7, 2009 Hmmm... a strange one... Not sure, but I've had bad luck with Nikon remote cables on the M8 (one broke off, one fired intermittently). There may be something in the signal being returned to the M8 that's preventing an immediate fire. That's all I can think of. I have to say, when I've tried an SB800 directly on the M8 it's been ok...so try that and see if you have the problem. If you don't, it's the cable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
photophile Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share #3 Posted June 7, 2009 Thanks - good suggestion to load directly on the shoe/camera. I tend to like the seperation the frame/cable offers but it will indeed show if the cable is the culprit. Best. Coos SmugMug Photo Sharing. Your photos look better here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adan Posted June 7, 2009 Share #4 Posted June 7, 2009 Weirdly - I had a similar problem, but with a Canon 5D markII. It only fires every 2nd-3rd shot with a direct ordinary PC cable that works every time with the M8 (via hot shoe/PC adapter on the M8, I tried both PC outlet and hot shoe with the 5D). In my case, I carefully checked that the flash was fully recycling, which it was, but the 5D would still only actually trigger it now and then. It did cause the ready light to flicker on those times that it did not fire (sometimes), which leads to the second part of what's below. I'd guess your combo was also recycling fast enough. The only other thing I can think of is some kind of discrepancy in triggering voltage between what the camera delivers/flash expects, or vice versa. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
photophile Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share #5 Posted June 8, 2009 Thanks Andy. I am still a bit befuddled. Best. CH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsteve Posted June 8, 2009 Share #6 Posted June 8, 2009 If you tighten the locking nut on some flash shoes too tight, it will cause the contact pins to pull away from the contact area on the camera side. Try it with the locking nuts a bit less tight on both the camera end and the flash end of the extension cable. On the Canon 1series this was a common problem and it sometimes went as far as to bend the hot shoe on the camera. This required the shoe to be take off and straightened or replaced. Robert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Roberts Posted June 8, 2009 Share #7 Posted June 8, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hey Robert--good suggestion, but it doesn't explain why every other shot doesn't work. If it's the shoe it shouldn't work at all (or at least inconsistently... but this is consistently off...) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicoleica Posted June 8, 2009 Share #8 Posted June 8, 2009 Hey Robert--good suggestion, but it doesn't explain why every other shot doesn't work. If it's the shoe it shouldn't work at all (or at least inconsistently... but this is consistently off...) Just a thought, and this may not apply at all, but, did you pause at the first pressure point before fully depressing the shutter release for every shot? If not, then this could be at least part of the problem. There is a note on page 112 of the M8 manual that explains this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted June 8, 2009 Share #9 Posted June 8, 2009 Hey Robert--good suggestion, but it doesn't explain why every other shot doesn't work. If it's the shoe it shouldn't work at all (or at least inconsistently... but this is consistently off...) Unless the contact is intermittent due to movement of the camera/flash/cable. - Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Roberts Posted June 8, 2009 Share #10 Posted June 8, 2009 Unless the contact is intermittent due to movement of the camera/flash/cable.- Carl ...in a consistently intermittent way I think Nicole got it... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
photophile Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share #11 Posted June 8, 2009 I would agree that Nicole's suggestion appears to have the most likelihood. The first shot activated the system, the second fired. I will re-rig this and try to reproduce using the aforementioned suggestions. Thank you all. Best. Coos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted June 9, 2009 Share #12 Posted June 9, 2009 Just a thought, and this may not apply at all, but, did you pause at the first pressure point before fully depressing the shutter release for every shot? If not, then this could be at least part of the problem. There is a note on page 112 of the M8 manual that explains this. I've got occasional 'failure to fire' using an SF-20 with my M8, and I have the flash set on 'manual'.....so I should not have to pause at the first pressure point, should I? (I must confess the excerpted portion of the manual is less than clear to me.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsteve Posted June 9, 2009 Share #13 Posted June 9, 2009 I would agree that Nicole's suggestion appears to have the most likelihood. The first shot activated the system, the second fired. I will re-rig this and try to reproduce using the aforementioned suggestions. Thank you all. Best. Coos The directions from Nicole are regarding GNC with a Leica flash, not a third part flash on Auto. Is it maybe something in the setting for the Nikon flash? Robert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Roberts Posted June 9, 2009 Share #14 Posted June 9, 2009 Rob--I've found that even with a Metz set to Manual with a Leica module installed, or a Pocket Wizard, I have to make sure the camera is "awake" to the flash setting before firing or I risk not getting the shot. If the camera has gone to sleep, you definitely need to wake it up (and sometimes it doesn't send the flash signal on wakeup either). But this regular intermittent thing makes me think it's an issue with the actual pins on the cable. When the camera is "awake" it usually fires for me just fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbaron Posted June 9, 2009 Share #15 Posted June 9, 2009 Rob--I've found that even with a Metz set to Manual with a Leica module installed, or a Pocket Wizard, I have to make sure the camera is "awake" to the flash setting before firing or I risk not getting the shot. If the camera has gone to sleep, you definitely need to wake it up (and sometimes it doesn't send the flash signal on wakeup either). So "wake it up" would be accomplished by the pause suggested by Nicole? --Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsteve Posted June 9, 2009 Share #16 Posted June 9, 2009 Rob--I've found that even with a Metz set to Manual with a Leica module installed, or a Pocket Wizard, I have to make sure the camera is "awake" to the flash setting before firing or I risk not getting the shot. If the camera has gone to sleep, you definitely need to wake it up (and sometimes it doesn't send the flash signal on wakeup either). But this regular intermittent thing makes me think it's an issue with the actual pins on the cable. When the camera is "awake" it usually fires for me just fine. But once your "asleep" camera is awoken, it fires every shot, correct? Perhaps something in the cable connection is making the M8 think it has a GNC flash mounted and it is acting like Nicole describes. If the flash works properly directly on the camera shoe, it is a problem with the cord. BTW, you need to carve a little notch out of the SC-17 end that goes into the M8 hot shoe so the pins align properly. This little notch is where the stop screw is in the Leica hot shoe. Robert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Roberts Posted June 9, 2009 Share #17 Posted June 9, 2009 {snipped}BTW, you need to carve a little notch out of the SC-17 end that goes into the M8 hot shoe so the pins align properly. This little notch is where the stop screw is in the Leica hot shoe. Hey Robert--yes, once the camera is awake, the flash fires every time. As for the notch, I find I don't need to do that on the remote cable at all for it to connect with the M8, nor on an SB800. ButI would need to do it on an SB900... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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