flash timing

[andydo]

if i was going to hand hold a flash pointed to the ceiling( because i havent got an adjustable 1) how would i time it to go off with the shutter on my camera would it just be a simple case of a long shutter speed then fire the flash

[beatnik69]

You would probably need a wireless flash trigger. What sort of camera and flash are you using?

[Cathus]

You either need something to sync the flash or try to time it when the the shutter is open and press the flash test button.

if you haven't got a sync cord, or a wireless system, and your flash can't fire off the flash from your camera's built in flash (if it has one) then you'd need to fire it manually. You should be able to do with with a shutter speed of half a second or longer, just press shutter button then press flash button before shutter closes. Much easier on shutter speeds of 1 sec plus, but to get that soret of speed depends on what light is available and what aperture & ISO you're using.

(I did reply to this just after you posted it but my browser crashed and when I refreshed I couldn;t find your posts any more)

[andydo]

the camera i will be using is an eos 550d after xmas im just using my old fuji s5800 at the min to test the idea but the flash is a vivitar auto 215 and is probably about 25 yrs old at least nd still works fine lol i bet it was even from a shop called tandy thats how old it is


cheers for the advice cathus its always vluable

[canoman]

As your hand held flash is so old it cannot be used as a slave. You have only 2 choices 1/ a sync cord, 2/ an optical gizmo.

[chris-p]

Originally Posted by andydo

would it just be a simple case of a long shutter speed then fire the flash

You could try. It's normally done in a more complicated way but it's called dragging the shutter. It depends on how long your exposure is, how much your subject is moving and a bit of luck. It's certainly possible though.

You can get a wireless trigger system that would do it for you. The Interfit Strobies i Sync 4 is far cheaper (£45) than some of the more showy systems and does both IR (optical) and radio. These would do the job fine.