Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems

Comments about Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems:

This device looks like it was built at someone's the backyard because the construction is not really nice looking. The hotshoe is a printed circuit board and there is a black sticker that sooner or later will fall off. But the construction looks strong overall.
I have tested it with a Panasonic digital camera and it works fine. Now I can use a professional flash to get better pictures.

Comments about Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems:

I'd give this 0 stars is could, it worked OK at 1st with my 580's then died. The second one half the time and now doesn't work at all now that I switched to Nikon.
I recommended exploring other options.

Comments about Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems:

I purchased the Wein hot shoe slave to drive a non-TTL (older) flash in conjunction with a Nikon D90 (command mode) and SB-900 speedlight (remote)--for taking micro product shots.In a variety of situations, Nikon's TTL system recognizes a non-TTL source and locks the camera. The problem has nothing to do with digital pre-flash. When I researched the error, the manual says, "Optional flash unit that does not support i-TTL flash control attached and set to TTL." The older flash (connected to the Wein hot shoe) is not TTL (the reason for acquiring the Wein hot shoe slave).For [$] one expects a piece of equipment that is both functional and reliable--especially when it comes recommended for my specific needs by B&H before the purchase. Save your money if you're considering using the hot shoe as I am (or am not). I'm sure it works wonderfully in many configurations--just not the one for which I purchased it.

Comments about Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems:

For art work, perfect. I use them with my vivitar flashes to take photo models for painting portraits and works ok with digital canon.

Comments about Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems:

Tested with various digicams as triggers. Of course the master camera must fire the flash twice to trigger this device on that second flash. Some cameras use TTL flash and only have one flash so will not trigger the slave.

Anti redeye multiple flashes or cameras that use multiple flashes to determine focus/exposure will confuse the trigger and fire at that second flash seen and not at the final flash.

Tested on Olympus FL-50, Nikon SB-26 and Nikon SB-30 with no problems. The digicam was maybe 12 feet away and still triggered properly even when I blocked the camera flash fully with my finger.

A good gadget, very useful.

Comments about Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems:

works well

Comments about Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems:

Beware: This product will not fire Nikon hotshoe flashes such as the SB-800 or SB-600 (I've tried extensively). Note that the real cause of this is that most people try to trigger the Nikon hotshoe flash from another hotshoe flash. That is the fatal flaw. This unit has no internal battery. It is purely photo powered. The light output of a hotshoe flash is not enough to generate voltage in this units photo cell to trigger Nikon hotshoes. The only way this unit will fire is from a powerful (ie 300 watts per second or higher) studio strobe. Now, don't ask me why someone would want to fire a hotshoe flash when you have studio strobes on hand, but that is this unit's intended design.

I did get this unit to fire my Nikon SB-800 flash if I put it immediately in front of the trigger flash (literally like 3/4 inch away) and powered the trigger flash to 1/1 (full power). If moved the flashes more than an inch away from one another the Wein would not receive enough light to generate the trigger voltage to send to the remote unit. That is how I discovered that the cause is insufficient light output.

Comments about Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems:

These HSD slave units are NOT compatible with the Nikon digital flash units, such as the SB-800 and SB-80Dx. From the Wein tech guy himself:The only slave we have found that will work with the SB800 is the SSL. Part w930010, due to the low trigger voltage 3.3 volts that theNikon Flash has.This slave requires that the triggering light source Be a white light signal. In other words the main light can't have TTLsignals or other IR pre-flash. Meaning you must fire the main light in Manual mode.

Expertise: Professional

Problems Encountered: Is not compatible with Nikon digital strobes, such as the SB-800 and SB-80Dx.

Comments about Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems:

Brilliant product that allows me to fire studio flashes from cameras with no external flash connectors. Tested with my Fuji S5600 and it works flawlessly. It consistently ignores the the first pre-flash and fires the studio flashes on the second main flash.I can now check exposures and set up with the point & shoot before burning sheet and roll film.

Expertise: Advanced Amateur

Problems Encountered: As with the Wein hotshoe safe-sync I find the PCB female hotshoe contacts do not inspire confidence.Another problem is that the Aluminium hotshoe socket is a little wide. This might explain why so many people have problems with this product when they shouldn't. If the -ive contact on the flash hotshoe does not touch the aluminium housing on the slave the flash won't fire reliably.

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Various standard slaves

Comments about Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems:

It doesn't work with Nikon SB-28 and/or SB-800.

Problems Encountered: Simply doesn't fire any of those flashes from any distance and angle at all. Not even in total darkness.

Comments about Wein HS D Hot Shoe Slave for Digital Preflash Camera Systems:

Tried to use it on a oly e500 (w/internal flash) and on two different external flashes in a number of combinations ... and it did not work

Problems Encountered: Did not fire the external flashes reliably and could not find a angle or distance that it would work at consistently. Yes, it did work ... but 1 of 5 shot was the best ... and it could go for as much as 10 shots or more without firing the flash. Problem is even up close, right in front of it ... would not help the consistancy.