Question to Kevin P since you seem to be up on gadgets and gizmos... do they make a slave strobe for a digital camera that does not have a hot shoe? I used to use a Sun Pac Thrystor remote flash with my 35mm slr that flashed when my main flash tripped.. My digital flash is so puny. just ..wondering

Well, I'm more up on Google searching than I am on camera gadgets , but here's the top page I found when I searched on "slave flash":

http://www.srelectronics.com/[/URL]

They seem to have what you're looking for... slave flashes that work with digital cameras.

BTW, although a lot of the flashes shown on the site have hot shoe connectors on them, they don't require them.

[ January 01, 2004, 03:50 PM: Message edited by: Kevin P ]

Thanks Kev ... but are you telling me that Google is where you get your brains?? LOL

Had ya fooled there Alan! haha =) Yeah, my IQ is really 65, I can barely assemble a coherent thought, but I can toss a mean Google search! haha, just kidding =)

I don't know everything about everything, such as cameras. Most of my expertise is in computers. And even then, I go to the web to learn more, as there is always new stuff to read about.

Heck, most of what I know about the paranormal I learned right here on SpiritKeep! =P

My Rich uncle came to visit us back in 1993 .. he lives in Cal. Back then he had the top speed best of the best computer and was flaunting his wealth by showing me what all he could do with a computer. I told him I had always wanted to get into computers, but could not afford it. About a year later I recieved a large box via UPS. My uncle had sent me a computer... well sort of. It was a server tower motherboard memory and Pentium 100s CPU, disassembled. I looked through the parts.. no instructions.. I called him and thanked him but asked where are the instructions ... he said there are none .. if you really want to get into computers you will figure it out. Since that time I have bought my computers by parts and put them together. Never have I bought a Mame brand computer from the store. I guess .. I am on my tenth upgraded system since then. Him including no instructions was the best thing he could have done for me ... I learned so much from going and seeking the knowledge I needed. When I got that first Pentium 100 system built and running my friend wanted to trade me his AMD 133 system for it. He had previously wanted to sell it to me for 3000.00. I built my first PC for just under 300.00. And even now I rarely spent much more than that upgrading. I usually stay about 2years behind the latest greatest stuff.
PS.
thanks for the info and the webpage link... I wonder if any slave strobe would work with a digital camera ... since light travels faster than the shutter speed.. I would think so. I was in St Augustine on New Years Eve and it was late in the evening and overcast .. my puny lil built in flas just wasn't cutting the mustard... none the less the darkness.

[ January 02, 2004, 09:10 AM: Message edited by: Alan64TN ]

Well, according to the link, standard slave flashes won't necessarily work with digital cameras. A lot of digital cameras flash more than once when you take a picture. The first flash allows the camera to adjust itself (white balance, exposure, etc.) and then the second flash actually takes the picture. Also, if your camera has red-eye reduction, this also triggers a series of "pre-flashes" to cause the eyes' pupils to close before the final, picture-taking flash. A slave flash needs to "know" which flash is the actual picture-taking flash and fire at the right time. A regular slave flash for a film camera will have fired and gone dark before the camera actually takes the picture. Slave flashes for digital cameras know the difference between the pre-flashes and the brighter "picture taking" flash and fire at the correct time.

Geez, I sound smart again. All because I did a google search. =)

P.S. You said you have a slave strobe for your 35mm, right? Have you tried using it with your digital? It should be easy enough to find out if it works for you.

[ January 02, 2004, 09:31 AM: Message edited by: Kevin P ]

I said I used to have a slave flash. it bit the dust about 10 years ago. I was just doing the same reading as you were on the flashes. My lil digital camera has 3 different flash settings 1 single 2 auto and 3 Red-eye or what I call Super Flash which it pulses three times. I normally use the number one setting as it uses less battery power for one flash pulse than three. And I am not too happy with the Auto setting because the camera will take a pic in near darkness without flashing at times. So I keep the flash in the number 1 position mostly. I think I have settled on the Vivtar DF 200 .. That I can order with a bracket for about $75.00
Says it will increase the lit area anywhere between 35 ft to 100ft. which is lots better than my 12ft if I am lucky. That way taking pics of cemeteries over fences may produce better results.

Sounds like fun, Alan. I would think with your flash in the single mode then any slave flash that fires optically would work, but it wouldn't hurt to get a flash that works in the other modes as well, to maximize flexibility.

If you're serious about ghost hunting and taking pics of cemetaries at night, maybe you should consider investing in a digital SLR, then you'll have more flexibility as far as lenses, flashes, etc. go. More money, of course, but you'll likely get better results as well.

I wanted to get a new digital camera for Christmas this year, but with my job woes I ended up putting off that purchase for another year most likely. But then it depends on whether I'll get the opportunity to take ghost pics somewhere. So far I haven't.

Know what you mean on the Job woes ... been unemployed for over a year now ... but I go to work this Monday.. But first I gotta pay the bill collectors ... squeezing through by just a hair at the moment.