Hot Shoes? (designs?)

[ironic sobriquet]

okay... so this is my first post... :thumbup:
anyway I'm in the market for a new flash module but I noticed that it seems like hot shoes come in different proprietary shapes just like lens mounts... is this true because I own a Sigma SA-7n and an SD-14 and it seems like no one else does... I just need to make sure that I don't go blow $100 on ebay only to end up with a flash I can't mount...

thanks,
-Ian

 

[musicaleCA]

Er. Last I checked, hot shoes were one of the few things that actually ARE standardized in photography.

 

[PatrickHMS]

Er. Last I checked, hot shoes were one of the few things that actually ARE standardized in photography.

I always thought that to be the case too, but why do you see flash heads selling, listed as

"So-and-so flash for Canon"

or

"So-and-so flash for Nikon"

Just wondering...

 

[ironic sobriquet]

yeah... if you look on eBay you constantly find flash... ...for Nikon and so on. I understand some flashes have capabilities that only some cameras can use... but are the contacts the same?..
even doing a google search turns up very little... and what it does is about "What is a hotshoe?" or "How does a hotshoe work?" or "Whats the difference between a hotshoe and a cold shoe?" and so on... epic fail...

 

[musicaleCA]

Er...maybe you should read those articles.

Yes, the contacts are the same. The difference is trigger voltages, and if you're not careful you can mess up the camera, or the flash, or both.

 

[ironic sobriquet]

thank you very much.
would I just check the hot shoe voltages for the camera the flash is designed for and see if it matches mine? (I think that was rhetorical...)
thanks again,
-Ian

 

[UUilliam]

wait? so i can use an SB-600 on my canon?

 

[Dwig]

Er. Last I checked, hot shoes were one of the few things that actually ARE standardized in photography.

The ISO hot shoe specification defines that mechanical size and shape of the shoe and the center "trigger" contact. Almost all shoes follow the ISO specification, as far as it goes. Beyond that, nothing is standardized.

The additional contacts used by most modern cameras are proprietary. Each camera series has their own spec for the additional data communication between flash and camera. Usually this "series" falls along brand lines, but occasionally brands share a common data protocol and sometimes even within a brand there are differences between groups of models.

When you mix flashes and cameras, most or all of the additional data communication fails. The flash may fire, but not auto exposure signals are exchanged making the flash usable in full manual (manual flash and manual camera) exposure. I've seen a few cases where such mixes "confused" the camera and it would not function at all.

 

[Big]

The flash my grandfather used to use for film fits my camera but it doesn't turn on because the contacts aren't the same and also probably because it's ancient but it does still work when I test fire it.

 

[ironic sobriquet]

is there some inter-compatibility chart...
I have a Sigma SD-14 for digital and a Sigma SA-7n for Film
I'm looking at the Sigma EF-530 DG ST or the Sigma EF-530 DG Super
it seems they make their flashes for every camera out there except their own...
any advice or help would be appreciated.
-Ian

 

[Plato]

Er. Last I checked, hot shoes were one of the few things that actually ARE standardized in photography.

The ISO hot shoe specification defines that mechanical size and shape of the shoe and the center "trigger" contact. Almost all shoes follow the ISO specification, as far as it goes. Beyond that, nothing is standardized.

The additional contacts used by most modern cameras are proprietary. Each camera series has their own spec for the additional data communication between flash and camera. Usually this "series" falls along brand lines, but occasionally brands share a common data protocol and sometimes even within a brand there are differences between groups of models.

When you mix flashes and cameras, most or all of the additional data communication fails. The flash may fire, but not auto exposure signals are exchanged making the flash usable in full manual (manual flash and manual camera) exposure. I've seen a few cases where such mixes "confused" the camera and it would not function at all.

Yep. You beat me to it.