[Lepy]

Hello!

I have an older flash REVUE tron BC28 which was used on my old film camera. Yesterday I bought new Pentax K10D and would like to try this older flash on it. Will this work? I'm worried if this wil not damage my new camera. Any opinions?

[ivoire]

I'm not familiar with your current flash and can only recommend this test. You can test the flash voltage with a voltage meter. Attach the meter leads, fire the flash and read the voltage. If the voltage is above 30volts (according to pentax), don't put it on the camera as you may fry it.

[Lepy]

Unfortunatly I don't have voltage meter...will buy or borrow one in next few days...
This Revue flash uses four 1.5V batteries which gives 6V alltogether...can you draw any conclusion out of this information?

[Papersniper]

Unfortunatly I don't have voltage meter...will buy or borrow one in next few days...
This Revue flash uses four 1.5V batteries which gives 6V alltogether...can you draw any conclusion out of this information?

Here is a link showing many flash units' voltage, but I did not see that Revue model. The 1.5 x 4 doesn't give you the info you need for the flash voltage.

The two Review flashes listed at that link do not show encouraging data; I'd NOT use your Review on your camera until you can check its voltage. Radio Shack will be a good place to get a meter or have them show you how to use it on you flash.

[ivoire]

a flash contains a capacitor that can store a tremendous amt of energy. my vivitar macro flash uses 4 - 1.5v batteries and when fired tested at over 100volts dc. i use a wireless unit to trigger it as it would fry my k10d. you can get ebay triggers on the cheap and i have found them very reliable. papersniper has a good idea. radioshack (if theres one in croatia) can test it and show you how to use the meter. then buy one... they're inexpensive and mine gets used often for various projects. heres a link with flash testing info:

Lighting Equipment and Techniques Forum: How do I test the trigger voltage of a flashgun? - photo.net

[roy]

just because the bats only produce 6volts means nothing. the flash has a transformer and capacitors to make hi-voltage. IIRC the actual bulb of the flash fires at 30-40,000volts...i know i was working on one 20 years ago and got the tar knocked out of me.. tasers work on the same principle. see if your flash is listed here
Photo Strobe Trigger Voltages
if not, test it.

[Al Sutlick]

Lepy,
The base of your old flash would have to fit the hot shoe of your K10D. Even if you're able to
mount it on the K10D, I doubt if the results would be to your satisfaction. An excellent source
for information on the topic of flashes for the K10D is the Magic Lantern Guide book for the
K10D. In the section of the book covering flash photography, the author states that older
Pentax flash units designed for the 35mm cameras will only work with the K10D in a limited
capacity. The camera will trigger the flash, but will not necessarily provide a correct exposure.
Before I acquired this book and read the information, I had tried to use my Pentax AF330FTZ
on my K10D. At longer distances, the results were generally acceptable. At medium to closer
distances, the flash generally "washed-out" or over-exposed the subject. Quite recently, I
was considering the purchase of either the Pentax AF540FGZ or one of two Metz models. I
have finally decided to go with the Metz 58 AF-1 PS. Like the 540, the 58 AF-1 PS has tilt/
bounce capability, but the Metz also has a secondary flash below the power head flash, that
can be used for fill-flash when the power head is in the tilt mode. The Magic Lantern Guide on
the K10D lists for $19.95 USD, but I got mine from Amazon.com for $13.95 plus shipping. The
Pentax owner's handbooks cover all facets of camera operation, but the Magic Lantern Guides
go a step further and tell you what you can expect to ACHIEVE with the various controls on
the camera. I also have one for my older ZX-7 film camera. I highly recommend them.

[Mike Cash]

I'm not familiar with your current flash and can only recommend this test. You can test the flash voltage with a voltage meter. Attach the meter leads, fire the flash and read the voltage. If the voltage is above 20volts, don't put it on the camera as you may fry it.

I've never heard of testing the voltage that way.

All that is necessary is that the flash be turned on and the leads touched to the contacts. It isn't necessary to fire the flash.

[grhazelton]

Just to add a little caveat: as I understand it ONLY a digital meter is suitable. These can be found for about $20 and way up, but the cheapo's are fine. I seem to recall that Pentax says 30 volts trigger is safe. I tested my AF400T, P's big handle flash and it was about 7 v. By contrast a cheap itty-bitty flash from Wolf-Ritz was over 200v. That unit is "safe" on mechanical cameras, but not on most digitals, I would guess.

I saw an earlier post on ProMaster flashes. I have an old TTL 5200 (I think) series I bought for my LX. It is safe on my K10D. I've had it many years, used it a lot but not abused. It's held up well.

[ivoire]

I've never heard of testing the voltage that way.

All that is necessary is that the flash be turned on and the leads touched to the contacts. It isn't necessary to fire the flash.

Mike, heres a link for testing flash voltage. I used the method you speak of plus the one listed here. when i tested a vivitar 6000 AF P macro flash by touching the outer contacts it read 6.3 volts. Then I fired the flash and it jumped to 285 volts. This was to confirm what the seller told me, 'do not put this flash on your digital camera as it will fry it'. I also have a vivitar 285HV that is designed to work on a digital camera. this tested at 6.7 volts and did not exceed that when fired. I don't dispute your test, but from my experience using this method, firing the flash prior to putting it on the camera seems prudent. I'm no expert in this area.

Measuring the Voltage on a Vivitar 285 or 285HV Flash Head - Life is a Prayer.com