P3D Re: 2575 (Boris - twin synch)

[JNorman805@xxxxxxx]

Boris Starosta asks for a reliable way to get flash synch for twinned SLRs.
About 2 years ago, the PSA journal published plans to make an electronic
device to precisely synch two cameras for strobe.  The parts are commonly
available from Radio Shack.  I started to build one, but the project remains
unfinished because I came upon a simpler solution which "usually" works.  I
use two Canon EOS Rebel X cameras, with a Vivitar 285 flash attached to one of
them via a Vivitar remote sensor cord.  The cameras are fired by way of two
Canon electrical remote shutter releases that I spliced into a single botton,
so pressing the one button fires both cameras simultaneously.  IWhen I use
flash, I ALWAYS  use the manual exposure setting, choosing an f-stop to match
the flash power I want for the speed of the film I am using.  Usually (about
80 to 90 per cent of the time) the flash synch is dead on.  I find that by
usung speeds lower than synch, which I almost always do anyway to balance
avaailable light, I increase the odds of getting perfect flash synch to nearly
100 per cent.  Because I don't want to go to the trouble of manually focusing
two cameras and matching them up before each shot, I almost always use the
autofocus feature.  If the scene includes disparate focusing cues, so that the
two cameras don't focus simultaneously, that will screw up the flash synch.
But, truly, I find I waste remarkably few shots with messed up flash synch,
even shooting fast moving events like weddings, with people dancing, the kiss,
the bite of the cake, etc.  It's worth a try. 


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