Using a Canon flash on a Nikon camera

Manual exposure mode and manual flash (1/16th power) works when using an incompatible flash.

If you read my last two blogs (blog-1 blog-2), you would know that I had ordered a Nikon MF-R76 ring flash but ended up with a Canon one.  I did not know it until today and the last two days my attempts at taking macro photos have been largely in vain.  The cause of my frustrations turned out to be because the Canon version made by Godox was incompatible with the Nikon Zfc camera I was using.

Normally I use my camera on manual exposure mode, set the shutter speed to the flash synch speed (1/200th for this body) and choose a small aperture.  The flash synchs with the camera and provides enough light to expose the subject.  The flash is set to communicate with the camera using the various contacts available or wirelessly should the proper choices be available.  This, a trusted system, did not work.

What did work though was me setting the flash to manual.  The trick here is that you have to keep your distance (lens to subject) and aperture constant otherwise your exposure will be all over the place.  It is important to also test the power settings on the flash before venturing into the macro-world.  I did all of the above and found that a lens setting of a 1:1 reproduction ratio and aperture set to f/40 gave me a proper exposure at 1/16th power.

Using these settings, I approached my various subjects as per normal and shot.  The flash worked, the exposures were correct, and everything seemed fine.  The new challenge was that the flash didn't always fire when I wanted it to and so it became problematic at best.  The upside was that I didn't hurt my camera by using the wrong flash and that I could take some photos.  The experience wasn't great, but at least I was getting somewhere.

I have to mention that old flash units with high trigger voltages run the risk of destroying your digital camera.  I had an old Vivitar flash and a fairly new Fuji S1 Pro back about 25 years ago and made the mistake of connecting them.  The 300 volts that the flash sent to my camera blew out the electronics and rendered my first-ever DSLR somewhat ineffective.  That was an expensive lesson.  Fortunately, the newer flashes built for modern electronics do not use such high voltages and the problem seems to have been relegated to the past.  

Thanks for reading.

Eric Svendsen     www.ericspix.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Harjit Bahia - Science teacher and colleague from Garibaldi died August 2, 2024

Image
You will be missed Mr. Bahia.  You made a difference and we are sad you are gone. I keep in loose contact with my fellow retired teachers from Garibaldi Secondary School.  I talked with my long-time friend, Mike Lynch, today, and discovered that Hargit died over the summer.  Unbeknownst to him, he had an underlying heart condition and passed away after working out on his treadmill.  The date was August 2, 2024. I was shocked to hear this.  He was only 49 years old, turning 50 some 3 months later.  It was a shock to everyone, for he was loved by all who knew him.  As a teacher, Mr. Bahia was kind and fun.  He contributed to students in many ways and was always available to help those in need.   For myself, I knew him as a fellow science teacher and taught in the adjoining room to him.  He was always available to help, share ideas, and work together.  Easy to approach, I found that I could talk to him about anything and appreciat...
Read more

I found a black widow spider in a plant pot today

Image
The spider I found is a western black widow spider, one of three species of black widow that occur in North America.  The fact that this one has another red patch on the back of its abdomen above the spinnerettes tells us that it is an immature individual. The one thing that people know about black widow spiders is that they are extremely poisonous.  Their venom is something like 15x more toxic than that of a rattlesnake.  The saving grace is that there is very little venom injected from a black widow bite than what a rattlesnake can deliver.   The good news is that black widow bites seldom lead to death.  You are more likely to suffer nausea, muscle pain, and swelling around the bite.  Symptoms usually last only 12 hours or so.  Death may be a result in people with compromised immune systems or in the very young or the elderly.   In 2018, it was reported that there were 1015 cases of people bitten by black widows.  Of those, there ...
Read more

The passing of a generation

Image
Kathryn's mom and dad with our children, Josh and Leanne. A generation, for North America, tends to be between 20 and 30 years.  During that time a couple will give birth and raise children to see them repeat the pattern as they themselves have done.  Each generation has its own set of standards, values, and ideals based upon their experiences and culture, and some of that is passed down to their offspring.  What changes are the life experiences of the following generation and the new customs and ideals that are blended together as a couple becomes a family. Kathryn's mom passed away a few days ago, she was predeceased by her husband several years ago.  Both of them were the grandparents of my children, the mother and father of my wife, Kathryn.  It was my pleasure to know them and to love them as my own, for to me they were Mom and Dad.  And they were there to welcome my children into the world just as my children were with them in spirit when they left it...
Read more