Hint for using Nikon type SC-28 cables for off camera flash

[wlaidlaw]

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I hope that the following may be of assistance for those wanting to use a Nikon SC-28 cable or clone for off camera flashes (SF 24-D and SF 58-D) on M8 and M9 cameras. I just purchased a clone SC-28 cable called an i-TTL cable made by a company called Pixel. It did work "sort of" on my M8 (my M9 is away on holiday in Solms at the moment) but the contact was intermittent depending on wiggling the plug that mounts on the camera hot shoe. Also the locking pin was not locking in on this plug, into the locking hole in the M8's shoe. I measured the distance from the extending locking pin on the plug to the front of the plug and compared it to the same distance on my SF 58-D. I discovered that the distance on the plug on the cable was just under 1 mm longer than the distance on the flash. This was hitting the screw that stands proud at the front of the M8 camera shoe. I therefore ground a small curved recess at the front of the plug using a Dremel tool and small burr. Now the locking pin on the plug locks into the camera shoe and no wiggling interrupts the communication from the camera to the flash. See picture below for small recess ground onto cable plug.

 

Wilson