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Fuji X-Pro1 with old Sunpak flash, Any risk?


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Hello internet friends, i just found an old flash that i have with an old Fujica STX 1n camera the flash is a "Sunpak Softlite 1600M" it had some dirty battery connectors but i fixed them and now is firing again, i would like to know if there's some risk of using this little old flash with my X-Pro 1 i understand that this kind of old flashes use a lot higher voltage than new ones so i'm really afraid to use it because i don't want to fry my camera, i like how it looks and feels because is really light/compact and i don't have to lug around my bigger nissin flash from my nikon system, sadly i don't have any tool to measure the voltage from the flash and i can't find too much info about it, i've only found about the 1600A not the 1600M.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Get a cheap digital multimeter  set it on DC Volts ( start with the lowest range) and fire the flash while putting the red + lead on the center contact then the black lead on the metal side contact. If the voltage is less than 10vdc you are likely ok. If higher I would not use it directly connected. You may also be able to find a website that will tell you the trigger voltage of many flashes. I had the address saved, but I noticed it had not been updated , just search .

I don't know how the connection is made in the Fuji but I assume it is electronic. Older cameras had mechanical contacts that could be" fried " by high voltage.

I use many old flashes , my preference is the Vivitar 550  ( trigger voltage 8.5 volts + or - ) but I don't connect them to my camera. I use a radio sync system very cheap on e bay , usually around $15 for one flash. connect the controller to the hot shoe ( < 5 volts ) and the other to the flash. Get that flash off the camera for best results. I use as many as 6 strobes. These units are all the same and fail occasionally . I have purchased about 10 in the last 10 years, still cheaper than the old WEIN units of yesteryear.

Hope this helps.....Bob

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