The reality is 'it depends'. Older, pure mechanical cameras do not have issues. More modern cameras are typically safe with either a sync voltage of up to 250V or one of up to 12V (Canon's typically are the latter). Most 70-'s era electronic flashes have sync voltages in the 200-300V range and may or may not be safe to use. This also applies to many cheap 80's flashes (even the Vivitar 283 and 285 made before the late 1980's have ~300V sync voltages). Most 1st party electronic flashes from the 80's and pretty much all AF-series flashes are safe on everything
Pentax cameras are mostly 250V-safe, some of the cheap MZ/ZX stuff may be a little more sensitive though. -Adam On Sun, Sep 27, 2009 at 2:39 AM, Joseph McAllister <[email protected]> wrote: > I've read somewhere in the past that the "high-voltage" warning on virtually > all cameras that have any digital electronic circuits in them is a > precautionary, cover our asses statement the manufacturers use. In essence, > any reasonably modern flash that has digital electronic control circuitry in > it will do no harm to the camera. That goes back to the Honeywell Strobonars > > I would not use my old spring loaded hand cranked ratcheted winder, hand > grenade shaped unit, that rapidly spins an armature inside a coil to create > the voltage and current that fires the flash bulb unit on any of my Pentax. > Ever. But I'd use it on my Speed Graphic! Pochwinga...zik zik zik. :-) > > Don't use this unit either — > http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/ModernMechanix/8-1932/head_lamp.jpg > > > On Sep 26, 2009, at 22:29 , William Robb wrote: > >>> oddly the net has failed to give me any information on my IMAGE TB-100 >>> flash. I have tracked down all sorts of oddities before but nothing >>> useful has come up. >> >> They were sold by Astral Photo during the mid 1980s. >> Your TB-100 is a hammer head style flash that has a bounce-swivel head >> with a second wink light below the main unit to provide catchlights when >> bouncing. >> I don't recall the guide number, nor do I know what the trigger voltage >> is, and I've forgotten how many auto ranges it has, I suspect only two >> though (red/blue). >> >> Sorry I don't recall more than this. > > Joseph McAllister > [email protected] > > I couldn't remember most of what I know today > if it weren't for others sharing their knowledge > of my past on the Internet. Thank you… > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and > follow the directions. > -- M. Adam Maas http://www.mawz.ca Explorations of the City Around Us. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
