Need Hotshoe Adapter for *istDS. Which One?

A friend just donated an unused complete Novatron studio lighting system, umbrellas, softboxes, pulldown backdrops, etc.

I've rented an old art gallery, built a very nice darkroom and am planning on doing portraiture in the large gallery space.

Immediately discovered there's no way I can connect the istDS to the Novatron system without a hotshoe adapter.

Is the Pentax hotshoe adapter FG the one to get? Looks rather strange.

Are there others?

Ted

two best options:
wein safesych adapter
Radio slave.

I've not used studio flash but I'm assuming you need an adapter with the PC (or X-Synch) socket. As far as I know, the only one Pentax make (or made) is the Hotshoe Adapter MV. You can see one here. It only has two contacts, trigger & ready.

Now all you have to do is find one. Personally, I'd take Don's advice. Radio slaves will keep the studio relatively free of cables which is safer for equipment and humans, and allow greater flexibility for camera positioning.

Regards,

test out the equipment for exposure as studio flash guns can over expose with digital cameras and flash meters arnt always acurate the the cameras metering system

i have photax guns in my studio and the *ist d/ds/dl sometimes over expose i do use my vivitar flash meter and with practice i now get perfect results every time

so please test out your kit before doing serious shooting remember a digital camera cen take test shots

Ali, thanks for the heads-up on over-exposure.

I learned on another (Spotmatic) forum that some istDS owners routinely use the Wein Safe-synch 990-550 hotshoe adapter. It reduces voltage to the camera to 6 volts and they have no problems.

I ordered today from Adorama the 990-560 which is apparently a newer iteration of the product. At $57.95 delivered to the door it's not exactly cheap, but then neither was the camera.

After it arrives and I put it to use I'll report back on how it works.

Ted

exposure for digital is not unlike slide film. meter your highlights, and your shadows to get your light ratios correct then expose for the highlights.