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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Using old ext. flashes on 300D.
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 06/29/2005 06:21:56 PM · #1
My 300D arrived, and i noticed, that i have an old ext. flash. I have no idea what the voltage is. It is a Nissin HTB 460. It has switches auto(green)/M(white)/auto(green)

How risky is it using an old flash in new digital SLRs?
 06/29/2005 06:24:22 PM · #2
I don't know a huge amount about it, but I believe it is possible for a flash to put too much current through the hot shoe and fry something. I believe this is because sometimes the hot shoe itself acts as the switch, rather than a relay.

If it's a small ish flash you might be alright. I tried my old Practika flash and it worked fine.
 06/29/2005 08:01:21 PM · #3
Originally posted by PaulMdx:
I don't know a huge amount about it, but I believe it is possible for a flash to put too much current through the hot shoe and fry something. I believe this is because sometimes the hot shoe itself acts as the switch, rather than a relay.

If it's a small ish flash you might be alright. I tried my old Practika flash and it worked fine.


It's not the current, but the trigger voltage, which on the 300D is 6V. Exceed that at your peril, you may get hundreds of flashes before the high voltage fries your camera during some important shoot. Some older flash units can have trigger voltages in excess of 100V.

If you don't wnat to invest in a new flash, get a Wein SafeSync. It will allow you to use older flash units with high trigger voltages safely by isolating the camera's circuits.

If you go ahead and use your old flash with your new 300D and without verifying that the trigger voltage is 6V or less, don't cry when your camera gets fried. Canon will likely be less than eager to fix it under warranty as well, so it will probably be expensive.


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