converting from nikonos to digital...? strobe

I am looking to buy housing et al for my new canon 20d. I have a nikonos V with attached SB103 strobe. Since I plan on using a double strobe setup does anyone have any experience with using one stobe eTTL synched to the canon and the other using my old sb103 unsynched? <_<

Hi Erick,

Sorry, but I'm afraid that won't work. The SB103 has a slave sensor that will fire when it sees a flash.

The way the eTTL works is that it puts out a small flash, and then a few milliseconds later, it puts out the real thing - the flash that is used to expose the shot.

What that will mean for you is that your SB103 will fire milliseconds before it's needed, and then be recharging and not ready to fire when you need it to fire.

Your best bet would be to sell the SB103 or else abandon eTTL and use the SB103 as a manual hardwired strobe.

HTH

James Wiseman

Erick,

In the very least, check with nikon. All 103's were recalled years ago and you could trade them in with Nikon for a free 105. See if that is still possible. I am not sure if anyone will want to buy a 103.

Stuart

I think you can get it to work if you buy a DA2 from HeinrichsWeikamp:

http://www.heinrichsweikamp.net/blitz/strobes.htm

The DA2 can convert many TTL strobes to highly configurable, mimic, slave strobes. The DA2 can be configured to work with manual strobes as well (as a slave trigger).

Compared to a new strobe a DA2 is cheap!

/Anders

Hmm...I don't think the Heinrichs idea will work either. I'm sure the converter will tell the strobe to fire at the preflash and the main flash, but that won't help. No matter what, you can't get that strobe to fire two flashes within milliseconds. I could be wrong though.

If the Heinrichs converter can be configured so that it ignores the preflash and just tells the strobe to fire on the main flash (like a YS90DX) then the SB103 could be used as a manual slave.

Cheers

James

I think you are wrong. The whole idea of the DA2 is that it mimics whatever it sees. Possibly the SB-103 can't handle the double-flash thing, but the DA2 can be configured to ignore up to 3 pre flashes.

Read this:

http://www.heinrichsweikamp.net/blitz/da-o-n-english.pdf

/Anders

For Preflash-TTL a double-flash compatible strobe is required. What means double-flash compatible? Two TTL flashes have to be fired within about 100ms. Some camera systems use a short-delay preflash (about 80ms) other a long-delay preflash (about 130ms). Full double flash compatible strobes are listed at the Strobe Database. long-delay preflash compatible strobes like the Nikon SB105 or the old Ikelite 50 (not DS) will NOT work in TTL mode with short-delay preflash cameras. Many non-preflash compatible strobes will work in manual (With ignore preflash function), as well.

and this...

Due to the complexity of the ETTL protocol currently only the Canon 300D/Digital Rebel and Canon 10D is officially supported and the following strobes: Sea&Sea YS60/90/120, Inon Z220 (AF-assit light/laser is fully supported!), Subtronic Mini and Ikelite DS-125. More cameras (G2/G5/20D) and strobes might be supported in the future. A free firmware upgrade will be available.

So you might have to wait for 20D compatability...

My reading of this is that the SB105 (and by inference) the SB103 will not work in TTL mode with the adaptor mentioned. I agree with James that you should at the very least get a new SB105 from Nikon. It should then be very easy to sell (should you choose to) because it will be brand new in the box.

I was commenting on the possibillity of a DA2 equipped strobe to function as the second, slave triggered, strobe. (I don't think it has to be "manual". The DA2 should be able to throttle the strobe.)

To find out if I'm right or wrong contact HeinrichWeikamp.

Of course you should trade the SB-103 for a SB-105 if that's possible.

I do not know anything about eTTL converters or what strobes might be compatible with it.