Users anger at hot shoe change...

Cabled, wireless, studio - anything do with using flash
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Users anger at hot shoe change...

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I believe the issue is the front contact pins, and the not really central sync area.
This shows the issue quite well
Capture hotshoe.JPG
(52.57 KiB) Downloaded 2962 times
You can see on the A99 the central sync contact is not erm central it's a bit forward v other makers.
The standard hot shoe refers to the dimensions and the central port which should be erm central

The other TTL pins vary from maker to maker. However I did fit my Nikon fit Metz to a Canon and it worked (and it worked fine in thyristor A mode)
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Users anger at hot shoe change...

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

Stumbled across this today.

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3623992

Unlike the other makes who have a full metal shoe on the flash, Sony have a plastic surround which doesn't look that robust.
I know this is only a few examples, but when folks said the new shoe might be stronger..well this is a bit worrying.

It's puzzling Sony didn't go for a full metal shoe to avoid this problem
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Greg Beetham
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Re: Users anger at hot shoe change...

Unread post by Greg Beetham »

Yeah I saw that thread already, I’d say the thing was designed to break where it broke, a purposely designed weakest point so that if the camera is dropped the breakage occurs where it doesn’t require a major repair to the camera body.
A break point is all well and good but the really disturbing point is nobody at Sony knows what to do about it when someone needs one fixed, I get the impression that nobody at Sony even knows what item those flash owners are talking about.
Does Sony run training and familiarity sessions for their own staff?
If Sony makes a flash with a purposely designed break point why don’t they have replacements on hand and have people who work for Sony informed as to what they are for?
Instead they run a moronic time wasting comedy of musical chairs passing the enquiry from one to the next back and forth inside and even outside of Sony without finding anyone capable of understanding the problem or being able to offer any solution to what should be a simple five minute fix. :shock:
Sony got rid of another 3000 staff worldwide not so long ago, it looks like they need to continue with that and then get some staff who knows something about cameras in general (instead of phone apps) and then give them some training about Sony cameras and accessories in particular.
Greg
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Users anger at hot shoe change...

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

Greg nothing would shock me. I learnt quite quickly that Sony seem to be rather disorganised with my little service issue.
At one stage they didn't even know if they had my A57 in their UK service centre! And it remained that way for a few weeks..no idea at all couldn't confirm or deny it.

I didn't think a tracking system and a computer were beyond the capacity of Sony, but evidently so.
I even got one email from a desperate A99 user asking for the direct contact I had in Sony (the guy who was phoning me to try to sort things out) His A99 went AWOL for a month and heard nothing at all.

I am surprised that they have a plastic foot on these flashes though, very surprised
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Greg Beetham
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Re: Users anger at hot shoe change...

Unread post by Greg Beetham »

Yes I remember the debacle you had Barry, but then you also had problems with Pentax and Nikon as I recall, so maybe Sony isn’t the lone ranger on debacles, they all seem pretty handy at them.
And yes the plastic shoe tangs will wear due to the sliding action one would think, so maybe they could have covered the wearing surface of the snap off tangs with metal, but not enough to prevent them breaking under impact of course.
A designed in break point is nothing new as a general principal, it just has to fail before something more important breaks, if the camera wasn’t subjected to enough force to break the point, it wouldn’t break.
Put it this way the break point shouldn’t break under normal use, it should take quite a good knock before it actually breaks. Dropping the camera with the flash attached will do it for sure.
Dropping a camera and system flash as a unit will probably break something with the Nikon or Canon flash shoe mounts as well, I just don’t know if they have a break point anywhere in their design, if they don’t have one then either the camera top will be broken or the bottom of the flash itself will break open.
But in any case whatever, the MIStake shoe is a dud despite the built in break point on the new flash, there isn’t much advantage if the manufacturer isn’t aware of their own product design and has spare ones available, the implication being that you are up for a new flash, when there is no need.
Also the lock lever comes loose from what I hear and the flash can fall off the camera, and the shoe itself is a water trap, it’s only a question of when, not if, someone gets a drop of water in there, bridging those contacts and doing damage.
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Users anger at hot shoe change...

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

Greg this is worth a watch, the guy seems pretty annoyed at Sony.
His flash lock isn't working, the flash overheats too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCcM9aYKKDM

Personally I'd never dump £400 on a flash unit, £250 odd I might that's as far as I'd go higher end flash wise.
I've yet to overheat any of my flashes either Metz or the Yongnuo unit (he has the same one I do)
Looks like Sony's problems extend beyond the questionable hot shoe design, into the actual units themselves.

Shooting a wedding the other week, I can't wait for 3 mins for a flash unit to cool down..neither would anyone in that situation.
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Greg Beetham
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Re: Users anger at hot shoe change...

Unread post by Greg Beetham »

Yeah he is not keen on the 60 that’s for sure, it’s pretty dramatic when the old flashes kept right on flashing without any problem while the very expensive Sony one stopped working. Sony’s response was that he was using it too much, he had to take fewer flashes according to them.
So there you go Barry if you ever end up with one of those for your wedding photography you will have to take 15 flash photos only, either that or have a few 60’s so you can swap them out back and forth, and take a heap of batteries along as well. Maybe that is the plan?
Not good for their top of the range flash at all, at the price it is it should mop the floor with the old flashes, and it shouldn’t have a lock lever that breaks and stops working either. :roll:
Greg
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bfitzgerald
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Re: Users anger at hot shoe change...

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I stick to what works Greg, so I'm stating with Metz (Even if I wasn't using A mount I'd use Metz)
No problems, no overheating issues and if there is an issue I know I can get it fixed quickly

For the price of a mid range Sony I can get the big boy Metz and it can do more than the Sony can, and works with my film bodies too.
Sony's flashes are out of date, they can't even do simple optical off camera slave, lacks the A mode the 58AF2 has (which is rather good)

I'm not pushed about sealing either, I don't use my flash in the wet much ;-)
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