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503CW and D40 how limited is the D40

Hello, and thanks again for your useful answers, I tried with a pola back, Fuji FP100B and tried various options. I had to bring the asa up from 100 to 800 to get something really nice on a portrait taken with various apertures and speeds, in order to get ambient light/feel without catching the subject natural incline to move. I have to keep on practising to better understand the relationship between the ASA manipulation and the DOF, the zone system & speed... All my thanks from Paris,

Xavier Negiar
 
Xavier,

TTL-OTF metering makes use of the light that is reflected off the film (OTF). Not all film reflects to the same degree, producing slight variations in 'accuracy' when using different films. So you need to do tests with the film(s) you will use to find out the ISO setting to use with these particular films.

Polaroid tests are quick. But...
The reflective properties of Polaroid are quite different from those of regular films, so i'm afraid you cannot simply use your Polaroid test results to determine what to set for 'real' film.
Sorry!
 
Thanks, I was aware of this but in order to start getting a feel for it, it was a quick and dirty way... How about the 400 Tmax and the portray 800, any ideas before I throw away X number of rolls?

Xavier
 
> It is times like this that the 35mm back would be handy. Forget > about using it for regular picture taking, use it for short rolls > (6-12 negs) of film during test shots. Load your own 35mm spools > and doing test runs would be greatly simplified.
 
Robert,

I always thought that with 120 film, we already have conveniently short rolls?
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> With 35mm I've spooled 4-6 shots just to "fiddle" with something, > then just developed the strip in a large "dunk" tray. 12 shots of > 120 is easily usable for the same sort of thing, but it doesn't > seem as "bad" to snip off 8 inches fom a 100 foot roll to test > something as opposed to using a full roll of 120. Maybe its all > psychological :)
 
G'Day All:

This thread's most recent post(until now)is a year old. Just so you know.
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I do not have, and have never used, the D40 flash. I have a chance to get one that is clean and working well, at a VERY good price.

Although I have used flash in many, many ways on MF TLR, 35mm SLR and RF, starting way back with a pocketful of bulbs(unlike Simon who started with magnesium flares I've heard :) ) and more recently with the very good Nikon SBs to TTL etc., I am curious to know:

a. is the D40 is generally worth having (instead of about 25-30 rolls of 120),
b. is the TTL accurate with my 503CW?
c. will the D40 TTL work as a combo using slave fired fill flash to punch up highlights or emphasise hidden corners of rooms etc.

I'm sure many of the Forum members must have great experience with this unit. Even at the price, I don't want to just collect it and put it with the other 'stuff'. If I can use it for fill, or even off camera (I guess there is an extension cable) portrait helper work, and it is a reasonable unit, I may jump on the offer.

Comments welcome! Cheers,

Colin
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Colin:

To my knowledge yes! But, seeing is believing, elsewhere, and if I could remember which thread I tell you. Marc has posted a number of excellent wedding shots that he used with the D 40 and a 503CW.

I have been looking for a nice one myself.

I answered this because it is Saturday here and Marc may be working, and perhaps time is of the essence to you.

BTW-Where I went to school "the proof is in the putting."

Regards:

Gilbert
 
G'Day Gilbert:

Thanks. Not pressed for time - a friend/acquaintance has a full set up and he has a buyer lined up, but the buyer already has the flash unit so he would be OK if I took it. I have a few days to make up my mind.

Cheers,

Colin

Yes, Marc is out in the Saturday wedding crowd making enough $$$$ to buy another H39D
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No wedding this Mother's Day weekend.

Colin, the D40 is a horrible flash, not worth a penny.

However, out of sympathy for the poor things I give every one that I come across a nice home amongst my other gear.

To that end please tell your friend I will do the same for his D40.

: -)




Seriously, grab it. It's not the most powerful flash out there, but for the size ratio to usefulness, it is my favorite on the 503CW and 203FE.

I use a dome diffuser on the reflector, and many of the Quantum bare bulb reflector accessories work with the D-40 ... like the wide angle ones in silver or warming gold.

It is made for these cameras and as such the TTL is very accurate. The flash should come with a end cap with a grey square on it that you can use to test the flash level before burning film. The camera flashes an okay in the viewfinder when the exposure is good.

There are no compensation controls on the flash, but it is a no-brainer to accomplish by altering the TTL ISO dial on the camera.

For TTL using more than one flash or to use it off camera, you have to hard wire it with an extender cord or 2 flash splitter. There is no electronic sender.

I like it more than the Metz potato masher I also use because of the Metz's size and bulk.

Most all of my Hasselblad wedding shots in the Gallery were taken with the D-40.
 
G'Day Marc:

Sounds like this will be an OK thing to have, and many thanks for the report. The next Dentist I know who is selling his gear ... I will tell you first.

Is the dome diffuser a foam coffee cup, or something more substantial... ? ;-)

About the flash 'off camera'. Two questions.

One, I assume, like my SB's, I can get a long(ish) 'hardwire' extension cable to get the flash off the main axis of the lens. True?

Second. Have you fired the flash as the main (either on camera or adjacent hard wired), using other flash(s) elsewhere co-mounted with peanut triggers, fired by the D-40. If so, does the TTL adjust the D-40 output to correct the exposure? I'm thinking of some architectural work (50mm I guess) where I need "depth of light" and I could remote my Metz hammer and a Vivitar firing through gels. I am trying to minimize the amount of gear I need to carry if I do this "on spec" (not commissioned) work.

Just wondering if you or anyone else has tried this.

Cheers,

Colin
 
"You have to tell me what kind of wedding earns enough $$ do fund a H39D ? "

My ex-assistant just signed his first $10,000. wedding. He uses Canon 5Ds ... when he catches up with me, he'll pop for a H3D/39 too : -)

Just kidding, (except for the assistant signing his first $10,000 wedding ... Grrrr). Commercial work pays for the big digital guns. I charge $250. digital rental/capture fee every time I drag out the H system ... which is 50% of what many other photographers charge. The first step is the big one ... after tax write offs, I had to get about 80 days rental to break even. After that, the upgrades need about 8 to 12 days worth of rental fees to self liquidate the cost. All this is on top of any photography fee. It's just a line item expense like film and processing used to be.

Colin, yes there are long D-40 cords. The ones I have are 16' long. A set consists of two cords, the lens sync cord, and the one that plugs into the camera's TTL port.

I don't know if they ever made a longer one.

Yes, I have used other slaved flashes with it, and the TTL takes it into acount since it's through the lens control of the D-40. Obviously, it controls nothing on the slaved flash, which you have to manually balance.
 
Thanks, Marc.

Looks like it is a G for Get It! I can use the Polaback and/or Sekonic to get the balance etc. Philosophically, I don't like to use artifical light, but there are times when a lumen boost is a necessity. :)

Cheers,

Colin

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Cheers Colin!!
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First, answers to your questions:
1. I have to say that the D40 is very much worth having. The bare bulb / parabolic head is the nicest flash to use - leaves thyristor type flash for dead IMHO.

2. Yes the 503CW TTL flash is accurate. The 2 work very well together.

3. I have no idea about it's slave opportunities.

On a positive note: it is quite light to have mounted on the camera (relatively so); you can adjust the reflector for wide or normal lenses; you can fit some of the Quantum (IMHO the very best, very sophisticated, and very very expensive bare bulb / parabolic reflector flash in the game - maybe generally speaking the very best going full stop!) accessories to the bulb and reflector - Marc kindly gave me the measurements etc for things like the soft diffuser etc.. and they fit. It has sufficient head tilt and spin angles.

Do keep in mind that it is exclusively a TTL auto flash unit - no manual or aperture auto operation.

Now, there are BUTs that are in no way deal killers:
1. it is of mediocre power output - you find yourself shooting from f5.6 (or 8 at a real pinch with real distance limits) and wider. So, if you need real power to shoot big groups and some distance and / or want to use f8 and f11 regularly without "fast film" you might as well hunt down a Quantum.

2. you use the 503CW's ISO setting to achieve flash bracketing - so it takes some practice to judge balanced flash etc; but that is no stress when you put your mind to it. There are no output adjustments on the flash unit itself.

It fits quite well and conveniently on my PM45's cold shoe for hand held "mobile" shooting.

The light is really nice as is typical of such flash units. I have the Metz 45 CL-5 and the D40 is a much better light even if I add a Stofen diffuser to the Metz.

Finally, the KEY BENEFIT of the D40 is that the round shaped light thrown by it is ideal for square film frame coverage! The thyristor flash units are typically rectangular! So the D40 delivers a more even light.

Yep, it is a good thing to have in a Hassy kit!
 
Simon,

Referring to the "non-D40" flashes as thyristor flashes is a bit misleading.

I'm sure your D40 also uses a thyristor (which is just an electronics component, like a transistor or capacitor) as well. The thyristor serves as the switch to cut power to the flash bulb when the sensor (be it builtin the camera for TTL or builtin the flash itself for non-TTL) feels enough light has been produced.

BTW: anyone ever tried TTL flash on Hasselblad with a digiback? Wondering about that given the reflectivity of the sensor.

Wilko
 
> BTW: anyone ever tried TTL flash on Hasselblad with a digiback? Wondering about that given the reflectivity of the sensor.

I have the same question. On Paloroid the iso has to be change. On ccd the propertie should be different. And what about the 203FE improvement when they are upgraded for CFV back.
 
G'Day Simon:

Thanks for the feedback. Marc had convinced me, and you confirmed it. It is coming to my gadget bag in the next week. It was a chance conversation about 'a fella who knew a fella' and so the D40 was available. The price was 'right'. I'll hunt down the Quantum softbox attachment probably, and get an extension cable. Mind you, I've used the coffee drip filter papers many times for a softbox on Vivitars and Metz. You can still use the paper filter later on - especially if you want a 'light' caffiene fix.
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I don't do 'groups', but often do architectural interiors for designer showcases etc, and I think I will try the D40 plus some slaved flash (which I have) to experiment with filling in dark corners and recesses just a tad. I've done this a lot with my Nikon SBs, using a bit of gel here and there on the 'remotes' to cosy up the accents. (Yes, sometimes I have to use a 'real' 18mm Nikon lens on 35mm for bathrooms etc although my 50FLE covers almost all my work. Maybe a 40 would help me, so I always have my ear to the ground for a 'deal' somewhere. Can honestly say, though, that having a 50 and 'being there' is better than having a 40 and 'not' being there.)

I'll report back with my progress on the D40.

Cheers, mate.

Colin
 
The D-40 works fine on the 503CW with CFV back. Remember, you see the results immediately and can check the histogram ... then adjust the ISO dial accordingly when balancing between ambient and fill.

If you use the flash at more of a distance and want more light concentrated when using a medium telephoto, Quantum makes a Telephoto reflector that fits the D-40 ( it requires a spacer to push the bulb forward into the reflector). If I recall correctly, this adds about a stop or a little more over the standard reflector.

Also, when using a wide lens, the Quantum reflectors I mentoned above actually make more effecient use of the bare bulb since they fit snug against the back half of the bulb and push more wide light forward ... the gold version is particularly nice with groups of people in warm late afternoon light and in Tungsten lit environments.
 
Good point Wilko - I resorted to "common" nomenclature for hammer heads.

Yes Colin we often have a need to "calm" down flash light using all sorts of tricks - coffee filters, toilet paper, Scotch tape etc.. Marc's tips on the Quantum accessories are very useful and I intend to order the reflectors and diffuser he suggested since they are inexpensive too. I've just not got around to it yet since I am a low volume flash user (except the 550 EX on my EOS 1vHS and that I use with a Stofen soft box diffuser mostly).

I certainly agree with you about the 40mm. Frankly the 40mm is the one and only Hasselblad lens I do not like. My 50mm gives me joy and one day if I am a good boy, Santa may bring me an SWC!

Finally Colin, a question for an Aussie - have you seen Kenny yet? It is a sensation!
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I'll be keen to see how you like your D40.
 
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