What kind of hot shoe is this?

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hans98ko
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p.1 #1 · What kind of hot shoe is this?

I got myself a really cheap (< US$10) and powerful used Suntax 328DTZ Thyristor flash to be use as a slave, but can't find the type of camera the hot shoe was design for.
Looking at the hot shoe is like:
One main center pin and three smaller pins below and to the left of the main pin
Just look at the main pin "O" and the 3 small pins "o" and ignore the horizontal lines I use for alignment.
__________________________________________
_____________________|____________________|

_______________________________O
____________________________o
______________________________o
____________________________o
_____________________|____________________|

So far I was able to use it with success together with a photo sensor (about US$10) by masking out the three bottom pins with Kapton tapes and mounted on a tripod or minipod, but would like to add in a DIY delay circuit to cater for the pre-flash for red eye reduction and at the same time modify the related pins and hot shoe to be use on my cameras.
http://www.dulcemelos.ca/personal/inventions/digiflash.asp
This setup can be use by most event, wedding and studio photographer without having to spend thousands on lighting equipment, not only that they are very portable having a sensing range of more than 10 meters (depending on the photo sensor and location where the flash is mounted) as well as ease of color temperature compensation during processing (if only one type of lighting is used).

Thanks in advance for any information provided.

Regards,
Hans

Oct 28, 2009 at 08:25 AM

hans98ko
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p.1 #2 · What kind of hot shoe is this?

Seems like not much hope in finding out the pins assignment.

Nov 01, 2009 at 04:57 AM

Craig Gillette
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p.1 #3 · What kind of hot shoe is this?

Well, without clicking the link to see, the post looks like spam. It doesn't look like the Minolta nor Nikon shoes I have so maybe Canon or Pentax? Nor did I click through on the link so don't know if you're spamming or not. Since the last part of your post looks like it might be, that may lead people to pass on answering.

Nov 01, 2009 at 06:07 AM

paulhodson
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p.1 #4 · What kind of hot shoe is this?

Can't help - but the link is fine.

Nov 01, 2009 at 07:35 AM

hans98ko
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p.1 #5 · What kind of hot shoe is this?

First, I would like to thanks both Graig and Paul for the reply.
So far after serving the internet and asking a few used camera stores here, I was only able to confirm that it is not Canon, FujiFlim, Leica, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus and Yashica. One camera store owner told me that it could be an old Pentax, but from what I saw so far from Pentax there is no match. I also wonder if it is from Contax RTS or RTS II which I previously own, sold and traded? I remember it has some unusual pattern.

Nov 02, 2009 at 09:11 AM

jcolwell
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p.1 #6 · What kind of hot shoe is this?

It's not Contax RTS II, which has one big and two small pins L and R at the back, symmetrical w.r.t the lens axis. It's not Pentax, see http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/technology/hot-shoe/index.html for the more complex patterns. Older Pentax M42 screw mount bodies had two contact shoes (one pin + ground). I think it must be a relatively recent camera interface, as 4-pin flash control hasn't been around very long.

Having all three small pins to one side of the centreline is very unusual. Maybe it's designed to be compatible with two or more hot shoe layouts: two pin (3 contact) with the centre and single pin nearest the centreline; three pin (4 contact) with the centre and two left-most; and, etc...

Nov 02, 2009 at 12:34 PM

hans98ko
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p.1 #7 · What kind of hot shoe is this?

Thanks! jcolwell for confirming that it is not from Contax RTS/II and Pentax.
Yes, I do agree with you that it must be from some very recent camera because multi pin hot shoe only came out around the mid 70s during the time of the Canon A1, Contax RTS and Yashica FR period, not only that the particular flash is still listed on the local Suntax website but without any hot shoe info.

Nov 03, 2009 at 03:24 AM


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