Another Modest Idea-Fast Flash Sync

Although I could care less about fast flash sync, it appears to me
there is a fix for the sufficiently motivated.

Several MF cameras use in-lens leaf shutters. It should be possible
to adapt one to a 35mm system body. I didn't say easy, I said
possible.

A mechanical lens would require a way for the camera to open its FP
shutter fully,fire its shutter, close the curtain, then drop the
mirror and open the shutter for viewing. So would an electronic one,
but the extant body-to-lens systems might be usable with new firmware.

It would probably have to be a factory job. But, it could be done.
The Bronica RF or ETRsi lens ranges would probably be the easiest to
adapt in the electronic line, whereas the 67 Pentax has a leaf shutter
lens for the very abovementioned purpose as well as the Hasselblad and
others in the mechanical lines.

From: (Ted Azito)

Although I could care less about fast flash sync, it appears to me
there is a fix for the sufficiently motivated.

Several MF cameras use in-lens leaf shutters. It should be possible
to adapt one to a 35mm system body. I didn't say easy, I said
possible.

Why in the world would anyone want to do this?

My Canon 550EX will already sync at any shutter speed up to 1/8,000th second
with any lens in my bag (with the post-1993 camera bodies). Nikon and Minolta
and probably every other good camera system offer the same feature.

You have to go into 'high-speed sync' mode to get this and you lose a lot of
power because the flash has to stobe multiple times while the shutter moves
across the film plane, but it's there if you need it ... I use it often for
fill flash on birds.

Bill

Bill Hilton wrote:


Why in the world would anyone want to do this?


You have to go into 'high-speed sync' mode to get this and you lose a lot of
power because the flash has to stobe multiple times while the shutter moves


Didn't you answer your own question?

Nick

Ted Azito wrote:
Although I could care less about fast flash sync, it appears to me
there is a fix for the sufficiently motivated.

Several MF cameras use in-lens leaf shutters. It should be possible
to adapt one to a 35mm system body. I didn't say easy, I said
possible.


Doesn't Pentax make an adapter to fit MF lenses to 35mm K mount cameras?
Can't get any easier then that. Depending on how you're using the camera
then just stick a bellows on the front with a LF lenses in front of that.
Also fairly easy.

Nick

Ted Azito wrote:

Although I could care less about fast flash sync, it appears to me
there is a fix for the sufficiently motivated.

Several MF cameras use in-lens leaf shutters. It should be possible
to adapt one to a 35mm system body. I didn't say easy, I said
possible.

A mechanical lens would require a way for the camera to open its FP
shutter fully,fire its shutter, close the curtain, then drop the
mirror and open the shutter for viewing. So would an electronic one,
but the extant body-to-lens systems might be usable with new firmware.

It would probably have to be a factory job. But, it could be done.
The Bronica RF or ETRsi lens ranges would probably be the easiest to
adapt in the electronic line, whereas the 67 Pentax has a leaf shutter
lens for the very abovementioned purpose as well as the Hasselblad and
others in the mechanical lines.

We await the report on your success in the matter.

--
--e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch.--

(Ted Azito) wrote:

Although I could care less about fast flash sync, it appears to me
there is a fix for the sufficiently motivated.

Several MF cameras use in-lens leaf shutters. It should be possible
to adapt one to a 35mm system body. I didn't say easy, I said
possible.

A mechanical lens would require a way for the camera to open its FP
shutter fully,fire its shutter, close the curtain, then drop the
mirror and open the shutter for viewing. So would an electronic one,
but the extant body-to-lens systems might be usable with new firmware.

It would probably have to be a factory job. But, it could be done.
The Bronica RF or ETRsi lens ranges would probably be the easiest to
adapt in the electronic line, whereas the 67 Pentax has a leaf shutter
lens for the very abovementioned purpose as well as the Hasselblad and
others in the mechanical lines.


If I recall correctly, it was done in the late 60s and early 70s by
Topcon, one of whose SLR cameras had leaf shutter lenses and whose
fastest flash synch speed was 1/500 sec.

I don't think the camera was especially reliable and Topcon quietly
left the field of camera manufacture, although I worked with them on
the development of non-photographic optical equipment in the 1970s.

The advent of 1/250 sec fastest flash synch speeds (by Nikon using
?Seiko? shutters) spelled the end for any such ideas. 1/250 sec is
more than fast enough for 99% of flash applications. The extra
complication and expense of leaf shutter lenses, the difficulty of
making a reliable leaf shutter for lenses designed for 35mm SLRs and
the limited maximum speed of such shutters (usually a mere 1/500 sec)
meant that they just could not compete with focal plane shutters.