Re: [Rollei] Question to the group

[Sven Keller <nc-kellersv2]

So, here is what I eventually found out. That the flash did 
not fire was the fault of the lens! 
Pentax lenses are designed such, that in the moment before 
the shutter is opened, a little lever 'releases' the iris and 
the iris blades are then closed to the preset f-stop by means 
of an internal spring. On this particular lens some grease 
had gotten onto the iris mechanism and made it a little stiff 
in operation. When the lever let go the iris, it simply took 
the spring 'a while' to close the blades, to the effect that 
the TTL meter took its measurement with the iris still 
(almost) open and consequentially did not fire the flash. 
The reason why I think this could not have happened on a 
Rollei is that on Rollei QBM lenses the iris is forced to 
close by a push rod.

Sven Keller  

- ---- Original message ----
>Datum: Fri, 17 May 2002 18:03:41 -0400
>Von: Phil Stiles <stiles  >  
>Betreff: Re: [Rollei] Question to the group  
>An: rollei  us
>
>
>
>Sven Keller wrote:
>> 
>> Well, I have already found the mistake. But it took me a
>> while and I thought I present it to the group as a puzzle
>> (and as a 'thread-starter').
>> As I said, it had nothing to do with the flash nor with
>> electrical conections. The camera was a Pentax LX, the 
flash
>> working in TTL mode and the wedding took place near 
Hamburg.
>> And it cannot happen on Rolleis.
>	I don't really know the Pentax LX, but the picture 
here:
>http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/penta
xlx/html/map.htm
>shows several flash sync options, and my guess you had the 
wrong one.
>However, folks were saying "your flash isn't working." The 
wrong sync
>would still have the flash going off. My guess is that the 
answer is
>rather camera specific.
>	By the way, when I do a wedding, I check the flash 
and sync by firing
>some shots with the back open, just to be sure I see the 
shutter all the
>way open when the flash goes off.  All of my problems with 
not getting
>the shot have been flash problems, so I'm quite sensitive to 
those
>issues. Guide numbers are more accurate in small rooms with 
plenty of
>bounce light, too. Get into a large reception hall, and you 
better open
>up another stop.
>	Regards,
>	Phil Stiles NH USA
>
>
>> Sven
>> 
>> ---- Original message ----
>> >Datum: Fri, 17 May 2002 12:08:01 -0700
>> >Von: "Kotsinadelis, Peter (Peter)" <peterk  >
>> >Betreff: RE: [Rollei] Question to the group
>> >An: "'rollei  o-
>> alto.ca.us>
>> >
>> >Gee, I forgot the obvious. Have you tried another flash to
>> eliminate that?
>> >
>> >-----Original Message-----
>> >From: Kotsinadelis, Peter (Peter) 
[mailto:peterk  ]
>> >Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 11:32 AM
>> >To: 'rollei  
>> >Subject: RE: [Rollei] Question to the group
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >If connected to the PC connector maybe the PC connector is
>> not connected
>> >internal or the pin is bent.
>> >If the shoe, you need to get the x-contact reapaired.  
Could
>> be a
>> >wire/connection or something else.
>> >
>> >Peter K
>> >
>> >-----Original Message-----
>> >From: Sven Keller [ mailto:nc-kellersv2@netcologne.de
>> ><mailto:nc-kellersv2   ]
>> >Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 11:08 AM
>> >To: rollei  us
>> >Subject: [Rollei] Question to the group
>> >
>> >
>> >I recently took some photographs at a friend's wedding,
>> which
>> >I attended as a guest. Somebody else did the 'official'
>> >wedding shots. Not to embarrass the professional
>> >photographer ;-) I did not take a MF Rolleiflex, but a 
35mm
>> >Pentax SLR and a lens I had not used for a while (a 
2/85). I
>> >also took a small TTL flash. When shooting, I was 
told 'Your
>> >flash is not working'. I played with it a little (under a
>> >table) but could not find any obvious mistake. With the
>> >aperture set to f 8 or 11, the flash should have clearly
>> been
>> >firing, although it was not dark, only late afternoon.
>> >
>> >Question to the group - what was wrong?
>> >
>> >Rollei content: I should have taken a 35mm Rollei SLR, as
>> >this failure mode cannot happen on a Rollei.
>> >
>> >Sven Keller
>> >

------------------------------