Thank you both for the quick replies, I have already tried a wireless kit (mini magic) and the kit toasted that, unfortunately warranty doesnt cover when using a strobe kit

McBrian, you mentioned using an additional flash on the camera to set off the slaves on the strobe kit. I have a pentax 400ftz would this be sufficient for that purpose? But wouldnt an additional flash give the same problems as using the built in pop flash, ie firing the flash before the camera is opened up?

I have sent an email to Wien to check compatibility with Strobex and am hoping this would be the simplest solution.

Regards

Hi, I was hoping anyone could shed some light on how I would set off a studio setup (with slaves) using the on camera flash on my Ds.

The flash sets off the studio lights via slaves as it should, however the camera only records the flash from the inbuilt baby flash and not the main flash from the studio lights.

I have tried various settings such as long exposures however it gives the same result of only recording the on-camera flash.

Ps: the reason I am using this method is because my flash is a strobe kit which gives off too much sync power for the DS to cope with and the kit has been known to fry little DSLR's, especially those with the flash sync connected via hotshoe.

Any help would be appreciated!

Of course metering throught the TTL would be easiest however if you have the earliest extention tubes the ttl doesnt work for some reason, think the older ones do not tell the ttl what aperture the lens its on.

The hyperfocal focusing is because focus increases the further away you go. Therefore if you focus half way you will tend to loose focus far more infront of the focus point compared to after the point. The golden rule is to aim about 1/3rd into the scene.... and that goes with everthing where there focus is critical over the entire scene.

Do you not have a ttl head on your 6x7? If you do then I would just go by the meter in the camera.

In case you dont I would assume you would need to apply bellows extention factor that applies to large format....the principle is the same.

From what I remember it is something like (V/F)2

V = is the distance between lens and film. I would assume back of lens in medium format considering their size compared to a large format lens.

F = Focal Length of lens ie 105mm standard lens

eg. if lens is 210mm away from film (unlikely unless you have loads of rings!) and you are using a 105mm standard then its 210/105 = 2 then square this = 4

Therefore 4x more light is needed ie 2 stops!!

A very good place I have found that does all medium format repairs is in Farringdon, near Kings Cross. His name is Graham Playford and has a small workshop below a guy that works on flash units.

To give you an example, to fit a Beattie screen to my 6x7 Pentax UK wanted £140+Vat and he did it for £20+Vat which included checking and adjusting the metering and even replaced the TTL rubber seal for free!

In case you are interested his number is 02083494568

Hi Does anyone know how to do multiple exposures on the mirror lock up version of the 6x7?

Someone suggested you need that key that looks like a plectrum however I thought that was just to fire it while the back is open.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Drew, I feel that is a very valid point and something I tried to raise when asking George as to why he liked these photographs of the bullfighting so much.
Personally I am not fond of the technical style adopted by the photographer and secondly I do not like the subject being photographed.

I have taken a look at his other street photography which I like. To be honest I feel the bullfighting to be the weakest in the series... which was why I was asking your opinion why you liked it so much.

I am far from locked into a style where sharp prints is my main concern, however a lot of the work contains detail which I feel important for the viewer to see and therefore use the optimum equipment to achieve this.

I think it quite easy to judge art colleges by considering famous artists such as Damien Hurst and Tracy Emin as the product of the 'art' system, however what you must understand is that most people within the 'art world' regard their work to be junk (literally in the case with Emin's work).
Rather than judging art colleges as 'a waste of time' by looking at the works of famous artists who generally become famous for producing crap work in the first place, go to dome degree or master shows where you will get a true incite to the work produced at art college.

Speaking from someone that has spent 4 years at art college, if anything they try to push boundaries to encourage a Beethoven rule breaking style in students.... (which you seem to be in favour of). Personally I believe it has been taken too far and comparing my work to that of others at art college my work is considerably more reserved.

George, just checking did you link us up to the correct web page?

To be honest I am surprised it is taken with a 2mp p&s looks more like a 0.6mp phone camera.
If it had been taken on a plate camera you would see the sweat on the guys face or the individual hairs on the bull.

Not to sound patronising but what is it you like so much about the shots?
- That they are out of focus to the point of looking like a water colour painting
- The subject of bull fighting?

John I think what you are saying is very true about a printing. While digital printing has come a long way I do not believe digital files or in-fact digital prints contain anywhere near the same tonal range that can be represented with traditional printing.
As with all media and technology quality is always sacrificed for convenience!

With regards to the Jessops Fuji machine their main concern is to produce batch photograraphs at ultra high speed... they have no interest in quality but only to get as many printed as possible.
For those you that require a really good print from a digital file for any reason (exhibition etc) there is a very good lab in Covent Garden called Michael Dyer, who will do countless proof prints before the final to ensure everything is perfect. This is the same lab that will create a negative from a digital file.