Nikonos versus S6 connections

Hopefully I am not starting a new old topic as I could not find this in the archives.

It seems a while back that I saw a discussion of nikonos connectors versus S6 connectors. The nikonos to a certain degree seems to be the connector people love to hate because of the springs. From this I heard comments that some folks wished that a connection such as the S6 would be come the new de facto standard. Then the other day I learned that there is a European version of the nikonos.

So I guess my question is where do folks think connectors are going????

Hopefully I am not starting a new old topic as I could not find this in the archives.

 

It seems a while back that I saw a discussion of nikonos connectors versus S6 connectors. The nikonos to a certain degree seems to be the connector people love to hate because of the springs. From this I heard comments that some folks wished that a connection such as the S6 would be come the new de facto standard. Then the other day I learned that there is a European version of the nikonos.

 

So I guess my question is where do folks think connectors are going????

Fiber optics, to answer you question. Should be cheaper to build, no need to move electrons through bulkheads, works better with topside strobe protocols (optical communication).

You were thinking of this: http://www.seacamusa.com/s6-connector.shtml

The S6 is probably the best solution for those that one to shoot only manually.

Fiber optics, to answer you question. Should be cheaper to build, no need to move electrons through bulkheads, works better with topside strobe protocols (optical communication).

 

You were thinking of this: http://www.seacamusa.com/s6-connector.shtml

 

The S6 is probably the best solution for those that one to shoot only manually.

Thanks, I can not remember if this article is what I read or not. FO is great but with some housings it is not possible. Plus there is the whole internal flash issue.

Seems to me the long term answer would be a hotshoe converter that creates a FO output that could then be pickup externally. Something like what INON made at one point.

In the mean time ... nikonos or s6.

Indeed there is a Euro version of the Nikonos connector – on the camera side it has 5 rigid pins rather than 3 rigid and 2 spring pins. The male ends have 5 holes to accept these pins, rather than the 3 holes and 2 flat contacts of the traditional Nikonos connector. Therefore the male Euro Nikonos (from the strobe) will fit any Nikonos female bulkhead on a camera housing – whether it be Euro or traditional Nikonos. However if you have a Euro Nikonos female bulkhead on your camera you will have a problem when you come to connect a traditional Nikonos cable as these will only take a Euro male connector.

For example if you use a Subtronic flash with Euro Nikonos cables it will connect to a housing with either a Euro or traditional style Nikonos bulkhead. However if you have a housing with European style Nikonos bulkheads on it and you try and connect a traditional Nikonos socket, for example a Sea and Sea cable – you can’t, because the rigid “Euro” pins will jam the connection.

S6 is a superior connection to the Nikonos and readily available on many European strobes such as Seacam and Subtronic. It uses 6 pins – which is required for Canon eTTL and also for Nikon iTTL operation if you want dual strobe iTTL compatibility.

There are 4 o-rings sealing the connector, as opposed to 1 on standard Nikonos cables (although the Euro Nikonos variant uses 3 o-rings)

The problem with S6 is that it will limit you to strobes with S6 cables. You can get traditional cables converted to S6 for a price, but if you are travelling light and your strobe breaks, you’ll find it difficult to just borrow somebody elses – as N5 is far more common.

If you are planning on using Subtronic or Seacam strobes exclusively and all your housings are S6 capable I would recommend S6. If you use strobes from other manufacturers then you will either need N5 or consider getting your cables converted.

Or you could go for a more creative solution as outlined in this thread:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t14746.html

Theres some pics of both at the bottom of this page on the Seacam USA site:

http://seacamusa.com/products.shtml

Cheers

Steve

Steve,

Thanks for great explanation on the connectors - especially on the Euro nikonos variant which what I will be getting on both my housing (UW-Germany) and strobe (Subtronic). What I found most interesting which I learned today (just before reading your message) was that the Euro nikonos have three o-rings rather than one. On this side of the pond we do not hear much about these features.

Cheers,

Allen