Sunpak flat panel flash–anyone tried them?

BB
Posted By
Barbara_Brundage
Jul 24, 2004
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319
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Just saw this in PopPhoto and it looks interesting. I understand Sam’s has them for $50, but it’s hard to tell anything from the over-compressed example in the article.

Any experience with these, anyone?
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KL
Kenneth_Liffmann
Jul 24, 2004
? link
GD
Grant_Dixon
Jul 24, 2004
http://www.tocad.com/fp_38_flash.html

http://www.popphoto.com/article.asp?print_page=y&section _id=4&article_id=875&page_number=1&preview=
BB
Barbara_Brundage
Jul 24, 2004
Oops. It must be catching around here. Sorry about the link. Thanks, Grant.
GD
Grant_Dixon
Jul 24, 2004
Barbara

Very interesting and the studio version have my mouth watering.

Three things that may be of concern. These are completely manual so there is a learning curve but once you get use to this it is not much of a problem. Secondly they are a little light in the power department (pun intended) a guide number of 38 is less than what I would like. Finally be aware to get the most out of them they do require stands and that will be an extra expense.

For my part I have purchased some second hand auto flash units (although not dedicated) for a very cheap price. With these I have added the stands, umbrellas and a slave units if needed. These strobes are much more powerful (guide numbers typically 140), the umbrellas allow for more diffusion of the light and there is the flexibility of using the lights with out the umbrellas. The down side is that the cost of each of these unit is about 100 US dollars. Also the umbrella flash units are not as compact as the Sunpak FP-38

Grant
KL
Kenneth_Liffmann
Jul 24, 2004
Barbara and Grant,
The device that I have been interested in is this unit:
<http://www.tocad.com/diFlashAdapt.html>
It allows one to use an already owned flash unit as a slave with minimal additional investment, and places the light source away from the center of the camera. Does anyone have experience with this unit?
Ken
BB
Barbara_Brundage
Jul 24, 2004
Thanks, Grant. Yes, I noticed the power level is a bit low, but it’s an interesting idea, isn’t it?

Hi, Ken. No, I haven’t had any personal experience, but as far as I know that is suupposed to be one of the few options that will let you slave to cameras that have a double-firing flash like most of the smaller digis.
GD
Grant_Dixon
Jul 24, 2004
Kenneth

I am not familiar with that unit as my cameras have hot shoes and when I use a bracket it is a Strobeframe Press-T. This flash bracket is good for both vertical and horizontal shooting. This system allows you to hold onto the camera not the bracket which is a big plus for me as I find using a handgrip a bit awkward. Generally if I am going to use flash I hold it in my hand tethered by a flash cable and bounce the light. I suspect Leen is having a conniption fit over this cavalier approach. 😉

http://www.tiffen.com/Stroboframe%20web%20catalog.htm
KL
Kenneth_Liffmann
Jul 24, 2004
Grant,
My Olympus C-750 has a hot shoe, but I am reluctant to combine it with flash not recommended by them, as I am told that the circuits may become "fried" . I have a good flash which I used with my Minolta film camera and thought that I could put it in service with the Tocad slave adapter.
Ken
LK
Leen_Koper
Jul 24, 2004
About the Sunpak flat panel flash: in my opinion this is just another gadget that will be sold just only to gather dust.
The idea of a larger light source for portraiture is OK, but the size of just only a few inches is way too small. You would be better off with a cheap flash in a cheap umbrella.
On the other hand, this flash system might be extremely useful when lighting small objects in macro photography. Due to being closer to the subject the size is relatively larger and it will provide a nice soft lighting.

My way of using flash? I thoroughly hate using flashlight and I always try to avoid using it whenever possible. I never understood how people were able to handle a camera with flash on a bracket, to focus and to release the shutter without using three hands. My former employer wanted me to use a Metz hammer head flash as "it looked more professional", but I never liked it.
So on location I use a Metz MZ 54 dedicated flash, attached to the hot shoe of my camera and always looking for an opportunity to bounce the light, either on a ceiling or a wall. Next to that, this flashgun has an extra small flash that brightens the shadows.
< http://www.metz.de/en/photo_electronics/mecablitz_54_MZ-4.17 1.html> This is a wonderful flashgun, probably the best I ever had.

Leen
GD
Grant_Dixon
Jul 24, 2004
Leen

I still have a Metz 402 in the house to ashamed to take it out of doors … it is soooooo big. Has a guide number of almost 100 at ASA 25, remember ASA? When it went off the flash tube made a pop almost as loud as a Smith and Weston. Had to carry a wet cell battery slung over you shoulder with nine built in floating balls to tell you much charge you had left. That and a 2 1/4" is the reason I was slim.

Grant
LK
Leen_Koper
Jul 25, 2004
Grant, I had to use almost the same one, the Metz 202. Later I had to use an even bigger animal, the Braun!
Indeed I do remember ASA, I even got used to DIN, but both are not such a long time ago. 😉

Leen
MM
Mac_McDougald
Jul 25, 2004
Thing is, ASA and ISO were same ratings, numbers didn’t change 🙂

Mac
GD
Grant_Dixon
Jul 25, 2004
Mac

Just a slight nit picking here.

In the old days there was ASA (American Standards Association) and European DIN number now there is ISO. For example a film rated at ASA 100 had a DIN number of 21. "American Standards Association" changed to "American National Standards Institute" and ISO was instituted in the 1980’s. Film of with an ASA 100 film is now referred to by most people as ISO 100 but it has a longer number it is if fact ISO 100/21° ANSI combined both numbers, but certainly in North America the last half is often truncated. The Different companies label their boxes slightly different, For a film of ISO 100/21° Fuji box labelling reads ISO 100, Kodak would say 100 DX, and Ilford labels theirs 100/21°. But inside, on the canister, in small letters they are all labelled ISO 100/21°. There is only one ISO number for a given film and if you should happen to push an ISO 100/21° film two stops it doesn’t become ISO 400/27° but EI 400. Of course this is probably much more that you wanted to know or needed to know about ISO, ASA, DIN, and EI

Grant
MM
Mac_McDougald
Jul 25, 2004
Good little history lesson, Grant.

I’ve been photog, mostly paid one, for about 35 years, mostly knew the score on that stuff (but hadn’t thought of it in a while).

Only meant that actual ASA/ISO speed numbers did stay the same; I would have thought that once an international standard was instituted, what with metrical units and all, was a little surprised that ISO numbers didn’t go to more precise numbers. But Tri-X was ASA 400/ISO 400, Plus-X 125 for both, etc.

Of course, some pro films *do* have additional exposure compensation factor, as tested for that particular emulsion run, so the "speed" is just really a "purt good" ballpark figure.

Mac
GD
Grant_Dixon
Jul 25, 2004
Mac

I did know what you were saying and was just having a little fun pulling your leg

Here is a not to technical link that explains why the change, why the numbering system is the way it is and why sometimes it may be better to use EI that are different than the ISO numbers.

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/service/faqs/faq0010.shtml

Grant
MM
Mac_McDougald
Jul 26, 2004
Thanks for additional link, Grant…

By the way, I was just thinking of photog class I taught once in previous incarnation: kids made pinhole cams with shoeboxes and whatnot, used enlarging paper stead of film. Got a real kick out of photos of downtown at noon, with absolutely no people or traffic ! 🙂

Mac

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