Reading mode: Light Dark

FL-40 help needed......

Go to last post
Theresa K

Theresa K

Forum Pro
Messages
29,593
Reaction score
5
Location
US
I am trying to learn how to use it manually so that I can use it with my FZ20. It seems to work fine until I turn the camera sideways, then it refuses to fire and continues to refuse until I turn it off, remove it from the camera, and start all over. Any idea why it could be doing this?
--
Theresa
Constructive criticism always welcome! :)
http://www.pbase.com/theresa_k
Panasonic FZ-20, Oly C-5O6O & FL-4O

 
that the contacts ( being different on the flash and Panasonic ) when leaning the flash are making making contact when they shouldn't and sending the flash or camera into a failsafe mode? I have read comments from some when using dedicated flashes on equipment that it was not designed for have had to make a insulating shim ( out of 35mm film tab ) with a hole punched just for the main contact thereby eliminating any possibility of shorting out other circuits.

Just venturing a guess.

Regards
Mickey
-- A PICTURE IS WORTH A 1000 WORDS,
but it uses up 1000 times the memory.--
--And it's harder to spellcheck!--
 
Theresa K said:
I am trying to learn how to use it manually so that I can use it> with my FZ20. It seems to work fine until I turn the camera> sideways, then it refuses to fire and continues to refuse until I> turn it off, remove it from the camera, and start all over.
Click to expand...
You don't say if the camera is vertical or horizontal when you "start all over".

Either way, it would appear that the problem is mechanical. The centre contact is not doing its job. It is probably missing by about 1/100".

Ensure the centre contact has some spring in it. It is reasonable to have about 1/16" of travel.

At the risk of sounding patronising, ensure the flash is properly locked down in the shoe. Note that this in effect lifts the flash up away from the camera contact but at least stops it moving about.

If no result, loosen the lock device and try the flash while pushing it against the bottom of the shoe, i.e. sideways.

As a last resort, you will see the ground contact on the side of the foot immediately above the square plate. A wire between this and the cetnre pin should fire the flash when it is on its side. If not there is an internal problem.
 
When turned the contacts just weren't doing the job. I cranked that baby down good and tight and it worked just fine. Thanks a bunch!

--
Theresa
Constructive criticism always welcome! :)
http://www.pbase.com/theresa_k
Panasonic FZ-20, Oly C-5O6O & FL-4O

 
nickoly said:
hairy chested world of the thyristor automatic!

You are ready to leave those TTL Nancies behind......

(I've gotta say, I was wondering how you would go with that plain
vanilla hotshoe......)
Click to expand...
I am whining EVERY step of the way! But I do like this new camera and I refuse to buy another flash so I better figure this sucker out!!!

--
Theresa
Constructive criticism always welcome! :)
http://www.pbase.com/theresa_k
Panasonic FZ-20, Oly C-5O6O & FL-4O

 
hairy chested world of the thyristor automatic!

You are ready to leave those TTL Nancies behind......

(I've gotta say, I was wondering how you would go with that plain vanilla hotshoe......)
 
Ten points for attitude
Theresa K said:
and I refuse to buy another flash so I better figure this sucker> out!!!
Click to expand...
More to the point, with that camera, the operational problem is the same no matter what flash you've got so you might as well stick with the one you have.

And reflect on this:
The only time I have ever actually seen an FL40 in service, it was on a Nikon.
 
Glad you got it working, Theresa! It's a powerful flash!
nickoly said:
And reflect on this:
The only time I have ever actually seen an FL40 in service, it was
on a Nikon.
Click to expand...
I use my FL-40 on a C-5050, E-10, and now on my Nikon D-70! I miss the auto TTL on the Nikon but it works like a charm so long as I remember to change the settings! :)

****:)

--
http://www.pbase.com/richardr
D70&E-10&C-2100UZ&C-5050Z&C-3000Z&D-40&Fuji2600Z
PBase Supporter
 
Theresa K said:
I am trying to learn how to use it manually so that I can use it
with my FZ20. It seems to work fine until I turn the camera
sideways, then it refuses to fire and continues to refuse until I
turn it off, remove it from the camera, and start all over. Any
idea why it could be doing this?
--
Theresa
Constructive criticism always welcome! :)
http://www.pbase.com/theresa_k
Panasonic FZ-20, Oly C-5O6O & FL-4O

Click to expand...
Theresa -
Glad to hear you got YOUR problem sorted out.

Now - in as few words as needed - you know I've got a similar situation with the FL-40 to go onto the LC - just HOW do you find what settings you need to use - what is set on the Pana and what is set on the gun ??

Suppose really it mainly depends on location but assume such as a normal average domestic room where you should anyway get some sort of light bounce-around apart from any up/down YOU set it for ?

--
eric
 
but so far the approach that seems to work best is to shoot in aperture priority, then change the f-stop on the flash to increase or decrease the output.

--
Theresa
Constructive criticism always welcome! :)
http://www.pbase.com/theresa_k
Panasonic FZ-20, Oly C-5O6O & FL-4O

 
Try setting
shutter to 1/250
ISO 100
See what the flash offers at ISO 100, f8 is likely.
set camera to f8
flash away......
 
Theresa K said:
but so far the approach that seems to work best is to shoot in
aperture priority, then change the f-stop on the flash to increase
or decrease the output.

--
Theresa
Constructive criticism always welcome! :)
http://www.pbase.com/theresa_k
Panasonic FZ-20, Oly C-5O6O & FL-4O

Click to expand...
Yes - thought it might be something on those lines but haven't had chance to experiment at all yet. We'll persevere ..

--
eric
 
Theresa K said:
but the camera manual said to use aperture priority for some reason.
Click to expand...
You may find this comment refers to flash fill but I even have doubt about that. It could be that you have a special setting for external flash that locks the shutter speed. In that case, aperture priority makes sense and the end result is the same as manual mode.

Clearly, if it is in aperture priority in the normal style, like the 5060, it will be trying to give the correct exposure by available light. Not a good idea when the flash goes off.

Your flashgun will tell you the aperture to use when you tell it the film speed. These settings will vary according to the zoom setting of the flash head. Set that to 35mm and forget about changing it for the moment.
 
Theresa K said:
but the camera manual said to use aperture priority for some reason.
Click to expand...
The reason is a design decision by Panasonic (one of two serious complaints I have with it). In manual mode, the EVF and LCD display using the lens opened to the aperture specified so that you can see depth of field. However, in low light shots where you are going to use a flash, this is not helpful, since it means that you can't see anything on the screens. For example, Konica-Minolta increases the power level of the display so that you can see the result and goes into a black & white mode if the aperture does not provide enough light. In aperture priority mode, the lens is kept to f/2.8 until you half press the shutter, so that you can see what you are framing. The downside of AP mode is that the speed is locked to 1/60, which freezes moderate movement, but may not be enough for some children. Also 1/60 means more background light is used, which means you have problems in balancing the colors from two different light sources. In general, I favor bumping up the speed to 1/250 so that more of the light comes from the flash itself, and all is at the same color temperture (5600K).
 
Member said:
Yes - thought it might be something on those lines but haven't had
chance to experiment at all yet. We'll persevere ..

--
eric
Click to expand...
After pushing my mind to do something I've just finished experimenting a bit for first time ...and I'm not sure if I'm feeling like recommending anything !!

Hadn't a clue what to do of course so started from absolute scratch and got lousy results. Anyway, without all the gruesome details I can tell you that with many different trials I finished in this position -

FL40 set in Manual Tele - GN set at 15 - Pana set in Manual mode with 1/30th f4. TOTAL guess (although after a few prior duff tries, I got the below. This was at about 13-14 inches or so, and so the gun had to be set for bounce straight up/down, but it gave near as good as I got in a very similar (indeed good as identical) 'easy' go when in TTL on the 8080.

But oh what a paraphernalia .. and of course so easily put out by any noticeable change in subject or distance.. is it worth it I wonder ??



--
eric
 
Michael Meissner said:
The downside of AP mode is that the speed is> locked to 1/60, which freezes moderate movement, but may not be> enough for some children. Also 1/60 means more background light is> used, which means you have problems in balancing the colors from> two different light sources. In general, I favor bumping up the> speed to 1/250 so that more of the light comes from the flash> itself, and all is at the same color temperture (5600K).
Click to expand...
So I guessed right, there is a shutter lock. I can't say I'm impressed with the logic of this and even less impressed with the 1/60. Granted, it is comparable with your average 1960's SLR, but unforgivable in the 21st century. I assume E. Leitz had nothing to do with this.....

I still think the P'sonic is a good companion for the 5060, goes fine with a flashgun. I guess that's because it was designed by a camera manufacturer.
 
nickoly said:
I still think the P'sonic is a good companion for the 5060, goes
fine with a flashgun. I guess that's because it was designed by a
camera manufacturer.
Click to expand...
It is a perfect companion for my 5060, not even sure how much I will use it with the flash given that the 5060 works extraordinarily well with it, but I do want to be comfortable enough to use it if I need to.

--
Theresa
Constructive criticism always welcome! :)
http://www.pbase.com/theresa_k
Panasonic FZ-20, Oly C-5O6O & FL-4O

 
I'm sure this will all work out in manual mode, 1/250, f8 and perhaps manual focus at 2m. With the FL40's GN of 40, you should be able to work with those settings.

Now that it is back on air, I see that Steve's Digicams studiously avoids all of this issue in its review. It never occurred to me that working thyristor auto flash would be any different from, or more difficult than with the 5060. I'm not impressed but I would still like one.

While the 5060 does what I need with a thyristor flashgun, the Panasonic should do most of that and a little bit more because of the wider aperture. So I await your results with interest.
Theresa K said:
It is a perfect companion for my 5060, not even sure how much I> will use it with the flash given that the 5060 works> extraordinarily well with it, but I do want to be comfortable> enough to use it if I need to.
Click to expand...
 
nickoly said:
Michael Meissner said:
The downside of AP mode is that the speed is
locked to 1/60, which freezes moderate movement, but may not be
enough for some children. Also 1/60 means more background light is
used, which means you have problems in balancing the colors from
two different light sources. In general, I favor bumping up the
speed to 1/250 so that more of the light comes from the flash
itself, and all is at the same color temperture (5600K).
Click to expand...
So I guessed right, there is a shutter lock. I can't say I'm
impressed with the logic of this and even less impressed with the
1/60. Granted, it is comparable with your average 1960's SLR, but
unforgivable in the 21st century. I assume E. Leitz had nothing to
do with this.....
Click to expand...
I can sort of understand why they did it -- for the same reason Olympus defaults to 1/30 or 1/60 even when using flash. It is so the ambenient light will illuminate the background while the flash illuminates the foreground (ie, dragging the shutter). However, I would prefer to have an option that says use a faster shutter speed so that I can control the light source that is illuminating the subject.

BTW, my other major gripe with the Panasonic is putting the memory slot in the same chamber as the battery, and putting the tripod socket right next to that chamber, which means you have to take the camera off of the flash bracket or tripod if you are using them (I do) in order to change memory cards. Also such an inconvient location means it is hard to use a quick release mechanism. With my C-2100UZ, I can change cards in a couple of seconds, and change batteries in a minute or so (and using an external battery pack, means I usually don't have to change batteries at all).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top