YS120 with Sea & Sea DX5D + Canon 5D

Thought i'd try out my old YS120 with new DX5D and 5D.

Connected it up to the two pin socket (NOT the convertor socket i hasten to add).

Flash fires fine at full power, half power. Camera is in manual mode at say 160th shutter speed. Exposures are consistant and i found i could bracket by using the flash to subject distance method.

Tried it in aperture priority, thinking that the camera/housing would recognise the flash is present and automatically switch shutter synch to 1/60th. Not so. Camera carried on as if flash not there and gave shutter speed in line with ambient light.

Is this correct? Does the housing purely 'fire the flash' and not give any other info?

Would a newer strobe like that of the YS110 or INON Z240 be any different?

not sure what the newer ones do, i think you need ttl circuitry for that. but your info is correct, and your gear is working correctly, the camera does not recognize the flash and you have to shoot manually.

I have been using my YS 120s like that with my D70 for a couple years now.

Phew! Thats a relief. Many thanx for confirmation.

Just to confirm, the 2-pin socket is just a simple X-sync connection just like the PC flash socket for studio strobes. All the camera does is momentarily short the two pins together when the shutter opens. The camera only works out that a flash is connected by talking on the other hotshoe pins. Once it identifies that a compatible speedlight is attached, it does the clever stuff with the shutter speed etc. The TTL Converters just pretend to be speedlights.

Martyn

Dear Rattus

i am on the way to buy more or less the gear that you all ready have...

(Canon 5D - Canon EF 100mm f-2.8 Macro USM - S&S DX-5D housing with TTL converter - S&S YS-110)

can please tell me if you are pleased with your gear, if you are... why and if you are not, why again... :-)

thanks for your help.

Hi Nicholas,

Lets move this to the DSLR/Housings forum, as what I have to say is more systems oriented...

Ups and downs of Sea&Sea DX-5D

Martyn