Flash setup for Diavert

A forum to ask questions, post setups, and generally discuss anything having to do with photomacrography and photomicroscopy.

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Steve West
Posts: 545
Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2004 9:23 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ USA

Flash setup for Diavert

Post by Steve West »

I've finally got all the pieces in place for using flash.

I'm violating site rules by posting more than 1 pic, but I suppose Tom will have mercy on me.

Luckily, I found a PVC fitting that simply needed the 2"-ID tube cut off. It has a press fit for a 3/4-ID PVC pipe built right in! I needed only to sand about 0.02" off the OD to get a nice fit with my Diavert. The 3/4 PVC was cut at 45-deg with my mitre chop saw.

Image

From Charlie's previous message, http://www.photomacrography1.net/forum/ ... .php?t=872, I built up a rotary switch with resistor values for up to 5 stops of light attentuation. The switch has plenty of room for more resistors, but I thought I'd stop here for now.

Image

Two D-connector males pins are pushed into the vivitar's connector holes that Charlie pointed to.

So here's the whole setup:

Image

I accidentally ordered the Wein flash slave hot shoe, so I'm triggering with the camera flash. I have the Wein hot shoe safe sync coming so I won't need the camera's flash, and that will extend battery life immensely.

Steve

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twebster
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Post by twebster »

Hi ya' Steve :D

I hate to be the one to point this out to you but...you've got your microscope assembled upside down. :shock: :D

Your setup looks good. Have you shot any images with it yet? How's the color balance? I'll be interested to see if you get green images like Ron and Mike.

Post some images :!: :D
Tom Webster
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Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

Think about this...maybe Murphy is an optimist!!!

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Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

"Must have gotten that scope from Danny, Tom?" :lol: :lol: Nice set up though. You guys are giving me ideas but I am waiting for everyone to get the bugs out before my attempt. That way I'll have something to draw on. 8)
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Kenneth Ramos
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Kens Microscopy
Reposts of my images within the galleries are welcome, as are constructive critical critiques.

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Mike
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Location: Northeast Ohio, USA

Post by Mike »

Hi Steve,

Great looking setup! It never ceases to amaze me how people with microscopes can manufacture professional looking equipment out of common items found at Home Depot or Ace Hardware. The inventiveness and ability to adapt leaves me in the dust.

I would guess this will work very well, and I'm looking forward to seeing your shots. Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Tom, Thanks again for the tip on the magenta filter - it definitely seems to do the trick.

Best,

Mike

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twebster
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Post by twebster »

Hi ya' Mike :D

You're more than welcome for the info on the magenta filter. I'm going to be honest with everyone here. I haven't posted an image of my flash setup because I cobbled it together with cardboard, an empty Rx bottle, and a glue gun :!: :shock: Not too professional looking but it works. :wink: :D

Best regards to all, :D
Tom Webster
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Phoenix "The Valley of the Sun", Arizona, USA

Think about this...maybe Murphy is an optimist!!!

Steve West
Posts: 545
Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2004 9:23 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ USA

Post by Steve West »

Thanks guys. I hope this works out well -- we'll see.

Awh come on Tom--we love cardbard and duct tape!!! Let's see it!!

Also, I thought everything was upside down but just couldn't figure out if that was really the case :)

Steve

Charles Krebs
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Post by Charles Krebs »

Lookin' good :!:
Now let's see some flash pictures of something moving faster than an amoeba :wink:

Steve West
Posts: 545
Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2004 9:23 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ USA

Post by Steve West »

One more thing. Here's another picture of the vivitar wiring. I found that putting resistors across the pins that Charlie showed allowed the "test" button to fire the flash, but the hot shoe slave would not fire the flash! I had to short the additional pair of pins in order to enable the hot shoe. Charlie verified this.

Image

So the black and green wires are to my resistor box, and the white wire shorts the other pair of pins (there's nothing attached to the center pin).

Steve

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Post by Guest »

At Charlie's urging, I experimented with the shutter sync speed for my Nikon cp 4500 camera.

The tungsten illumination was turned off, so the only light was from the flash

flash stop // fastest shutter speed that loses no light

0 // 1/250 sec
-0.5 // 1/500 sec
-1 and less // 1/2000 sec (shortest for this camera)

"P" mode on the 4500 has a flash sync of 1/60th. The issue here is in leaving the microscope illumination on so that you can see what you are doing. Extra exposure time beyond that required to capture the flash has the potential to pick up unwanted light from the tungsten lamp -- further blurring the image and changing the white balance.

Steve

Steve West
Posts: 545
Joined: Sun Oct 10, 2004 9:23 pm
Location: Tucson, AZ USA

Post by Steve West »

I think this photo will just about do it for this thread. I now have the 4500 talking to the vivitar by wire rather than flash slave.

Here's a pic:

Image

The cord connecting to the flash port of the cp 4500 is a Nikon SC-18 which is 5 ft in length. The SC-18 connects to the Nikon AS-10 multiflash adapter. On top of the mutiflash adapter is the Wein Safe Sync hot-shoe to hot-shoe adapter which protects the cp 4500 from the high voltages of the Vivitar flash. The port sticking out of the Wein is pc flash port (and the ports coming out of the as-10 are more of the nikon ttl 3 wire ports).

The as-10 has a 1/4-20 thread at its base for connecting to the tripod.

The AS E900 standard external flash port is just a very short 3-wire nikon cable connected permanently to an as-10, but the wire is too short for this application. This is better since I can keep the e900 in my camera bag.

Without having to use the internal flash of the 4500, the battery should last a LOT longer.

Steve

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