My flash frying my film SLR?

[burtharrris]

I've been reading all over the internet that Canon EOS DSLRs can't be used with a flash voltage over 6V. I have a Vivitar 285HV, and a Canon Elan 7. I used a voltmeter, it reads my flash lighting at 8.3V. My question is, do film SLRs have the same limitations as DSLRs? Can I use the 285 on-camera without frying the internals of my film SLR? Thanks

 

[Don Simon]

I believe the flash circuitry on most AF dSLRs (at least 'entry-level' ones) is not all that different from that on their AF film predecessors. I think a film EOS (or Elan) is likely to have the same problem as a digital EOS. This is probably the best site to check for 'safe' voltages, and they seem to think the problem applies to 35mm EOS cameras. Of course I don't know for sure, but you may want to use a voltage reducing 'Safe Sync', or just use flashes designed for the EOS system, to be safe.

 

[Big Mike]

Many of the EOS film cameras were rated at 6 volts, so that's why that botzilla list is based on 6 volts. I think some of them were rated higher but I'm not sure.

The early DSLR cameras weren't rated very high (like the 10D, for example). The 20D, however, is rated at 250 volts...as are all the newer ones (I think).

 

[jwkwd]

Supposedly a Wein hot shoe will prevent any of that. I guess that it would be the same thing that ZaphodB mentioned. In a short article I read somewhere, they mention that a Vivitar 283 has a flash trigger of 20 volts!