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Archive 2012 · will this melt or explode flash ??

  
 
winman3
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · will this melt or explode flash ??


I'm looking at buying a Quantum battery or a Pixel td-381 battery for my 580 EX and other flashes.

It has been noted that if a flash is fired in quick succession many times it will melt down or blow up the capacitor. The above battery packs claim a recycling time of 1 - 4 seconds. This means the flash can keep up with a 7D or a 5D II camera - well, almost.

How many rapid flash shots can be taken before flash (580 EX) is buggered for good? At what number should one stop?


Thank you.




Nov 16, 2012 at 12:45 AM
BigPurpleOne
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · will this melt or explode flash ??


Have you considered a Black Box to power your flash ?


Nov 16, 2012 at 01:07 AM
cordellwillis
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · will this melt or explode flash ??


May I suggest a video light with a video camera

I mean really, if you're shooting a movie with your camera in still photography mode yes you certainly will kill something in your flash. That's simple running and gunning without thought and hoping for one good image. Otherwise shoot with flash and be smart about it you should be perfectly fine....up to a point. These battery packs work. Who they don't work for (killing their flash) are those who are not so ..... ummmm, you know.



Nov 16, 2012 at 08:43 AM
swoop
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · will this melt or explode flash ??


Many modern high end flashes have a temperature sensor that turns off the flash when it gets too hot.

I own 3 Lumedyne TinyCycler batteries. When I had them with Vivitar 285HV flashes it gave me a 1.3 second recycle time at full power. I never pushed my luck with them or burned one out but they would get hot.

Now I use those same batteries with Yongnuo YN-560 II's which gives me a 1.7 second recycle time and the YN-560's turn themselves off for about 5 minutes after about 4 high power flashes. It can be annoying but in the end it's probably better than starting a fire.



Nov 16, 2012 at 01:29 PM
BrianO
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · will this melt or explode flash ??


winman3 wrote:
...How many rapid flash shots can be taken before flash (580 EX) is buggered for good? At what number should one stop?


My 580EX manual says not to fire more than 10 1/4-power stroboscopic mode flashes in succession, and then allow a 10-minute cool-down period. I imagine the same would be safe for firing in regular mode at 1 second intervals. If you're firing at less than 1/4 power, you might be safe shooting more than 10; if you're shooting at full power, I'd stop at 3 or 4.



Nov 16, 2012 at 04:01 PM
Rodolfo Paiz
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · will this melt or explode flash ??


winman3 wrote:
How many rapid flash shots can be taken before flash (580 EX) is buggered for good? At what number should one stop?


That depends. How much power is going through your flash when you use it at this rapid rate? 1/128 won't give you the same results as 1/4 or full power.



Nov 16, 2012 at 07:00 PM
ukphotographer
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · will this melt or explode flash ??


I just recelled a Quantum Turbo battery.

I've charged it, then discharged it using a Quantum T5d-R fired by radio from a camera body set to shoot on a 4s interval.

Set to Ultra Fast, the battery provided 156 full power flashes... 10 minutes.

The T5d-R flash tube was hot at the end of this, but nothing was melted and nothing cut out.

If you feel that you might need to use any sort of burst mode or use full power outputs as fast as your flash can recycle then you would be advised to buy a flash that can cope with this rather than shut down when you most likely will least want it to happen.

You will get more successive shots from a Speedlite at night in low temperatures than you will at midday in the dessert, so it would depend on a number of factors before you reach your burn out point.



Nov 16, 2012 at 07:55 PM
winman3
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · will this melt or explode flash ??


I was not planning to use a flash macinegun style, blinding folks, I just wanted to know the limits of using said equipment. Like with anything else, it is good to know how far you can push it.

I do the odd wedding and lots of events and social gatherings. Having the battery pack is to ensure continued/extended flash capability. To capture bullets in flight I'll switch to "strobe" mode.
I ordered the cheap (?) Pixel unit on E-Bay.

Thanks for the tips and comments!



Nov 17, 2012 at 08:22 PM
wilt
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · will this melt or explode flash ??


The 580EX does not have a thermal abuse protection, it simply melts down. I exchanged posts with someone on another forum, who 'melted down' THREE of the flashes before he wised up and followed Canon's recommendations in the user manual!
Canon recommends not more than 20 full power flashes before a 10 minute resting time. They also recommend not more than 10 stroboscopic bursts -- regardless of power level during stroboscopic mode! -- before a 10 minutre resting time. It is the inability to sufficiently dissapate heat build up, and that heat accumulates to about the same level with both 20 more leisurely full power flashes and 10 very rapid stroboscopic flashes!
The open faced Quantum flash units don't have the issue of enclosed heat accumulating flash tubes in flash heads.
Canon had so many episodes of thermal destruction that they built in thermal protection into the 580EXII to force the photographer to slow down.



Nov 18, 2012 at 01:15 PM
cordellwillis
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · will this melt or explode flash ??


wilt wrote:
.... followed Canon's recommendations in the user manual! ....


And this is why people end up complaining and calling it QC issues.....they don't read the manual It all starts there

Life is easy



Nov 19, 2012 at 11:33 AM





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