Hi,
I've got the Jessops 360AFDS flash from Jessops. I'm trying to use it off-camera with my Sony a37. The behaviour is random as far as I can tell... Can anyone please explain/help?
So I've tried putting the flash on the camera, switching on the camera and then the flash (or the other way round), then setting the camera Flash Mode to Wireless, and then removing the flash. Turning the Slave switch to on either before or after detaching. Then I pop up the built-in flash and take a picture. About 80% of the time, only the built-in flash records on the picture. I can see the Jessops flash firing, but it must be out of sync because it just looks like it's off on the picture. Tried various exposures ranging from 3s to 1/160s.
However, once in a blue moon, the flash will actually work in wireless slave and then I'll record both the built-in flash and the Jessops flash on the picture (in a mirror). I haven't been able to determine what makes it work, but once it starts working, usually all subsequent pictures will work too (until I switch something off). I've also noticed when it worked, that it probably fired multiple times in rapid succession (like: t-tt-T!), but I'm not sure whether it's the built-in or the Jessops one that does this.
Any idea how to make it work consistently?
I've also tried switching the camera on without the flash attached, and setting the built-in one to either Fill Flash or Wireless. In pretty much all cases, even though the built-in flash seemed to fire once only, and even though the Jessops flash could also be seen firing (in Slave Mode), the Jessops one never recorded on the picture :-( The reasoning here is that maybe the Jessops one doesn't register the Morse Code that the Alpha sends and works as a dummy slave, but I couldn't get it to work like that regardless.
I've also tried a SYK-6 trigger that I got on ebay. It attaches to the flash. It seems to trigger the flash fine, however again it does not register on the picture.
I'm quite confused about this whole wireless business.
Another question that I have: is it possible, ever (i.e. with a real Sony-branded external flash), to have ONLY the external flash to fire, while the built-in flash is used for signalling only? In other words, is it possible to not record the built-in flash on the picture?
Any clues will be appreciated.
I've got the Jessops 360AFDS flash from Jessops. I'm trying to use it off-camera with my Sony a37. The behaviour is random as far as I can tell... Can anyone please explain/help?
So I've tried putting the flash on the camera, switching on the camera and then the flash (or the other way round), then setting the camera Flash Mode to Wireless, and then removing the flash. Turning the Slave switch to on either before or after detaching. Then I pop up the built-in flash and take a picture. About 80% of the time, only the built-in flash records on the picture. I can see the Jessops flash firing, but it must be out of sync because it just looks like it's off on the picture. Tried various exposures ranging from 3s to 1/160s.
However, once in a blue moon, the flash will actually work in wireless slave and then I'll record both the built-in flash and the Jessops flash on the picture (in a mirror). I haven't been able to determine what makes it work, but once it starts working, usually all subsequent pictures will work too (until I switch something off). I've also noticed when it worked, that it probably fired multiple times in rapid succession (like: t-tt-T!), but I'm not sure whether it's the built-in or the Jessops one that does this.
Any idea how to make it work consistently?
I've also tried switching the camera on without the flash attached, and setting the built-in one to either Fill Flash or Wireless. In pretty much all cases, even though the built-in flash seemed to fire once only, and even though the Jessops flash could also be seen firing (in Slave Mode), the Jessops one never recorded on the picture :-( The reasoning here is that maybe the Jessops one doesn't register the Morse Code that the Alpha sends and works as a dummy slave, but I couldn't get it to work like that regardless.
I've also tried a SYK-6 trigger that I got on ebay. It attaches to the flash. It seems to trigger the flash fine, however again it does not register on the picture.
I'm quite confused about this whole wireless business.
Another question that I have: is it possible, ever (i.e. with a real Sony-branded external flash), to have ONLY the external flash to fire, while the built-in flash is used for signalling only? In other words, is it possible to not record the built-in flash on the picture?
Any clues will be appreciated.
