Question |
Answer |
| HOW should i connect my camera to Studio flash units. |
1."USE" the Sync lead provided with a hotshoe adaptor if you don't have a P.C. Sync socket on your camera. (All Interfit flash kits are supplied with sync leads) (Interfit Standard hotshoe STR115.)
(Sony minolta uses need a special hotshoe adaptor because they don't have standard iso hotshoe) Therefore use the Interfit Strobies STR114 Sony to Standard Hotshoe.
2. Use an Infrared trigger such as an Interfit INT411 ideal in darkened rooms.
3. Use a Radio Transmitter set Such as an Interfit INT412 use where light may be present in a room. |
| Why i should not use the on board flash to trigger STUDIO flash units. |
1. Firstly if you can get it to fire the studio flash units it will create very flat looking lighting which is not very flattering to your subject.
2. Most on board flash units are now controlled by the camera though the lens metering systems, these use a PRE-Flash systems to control the level of flash for the on board unit and may also set focus on the camera, this takes 2 or more flashes to do this. Studio lighting systems do not know that you are using this system and will fire when it sees the first flash.
3. So what's the big deal? well the shutter does not open on the first flash, so will not record what "you think" you have taken, therefore it is not in sync with the flash or camera.
4. You can not use the SU800 or ST-E2 either as these do exactly the same as above, nor can you use the built in Commander to fire the flash |
| What camera settings should i use on my Digital camera. |
Most Digital cameras need to be set as follows
Please note this is a general assessment of the best setting available on most of today's cameras. Please always follow the camera manufacturers instructions.
1. Metering mode set to Manual Mode
2. Select any Shutter speed less than or equal to the manufactures recommended setting for flash, I.E. 1/125th second or below. consult your camera instruction manual.
3. Aperture should be set according to a flashmeter or grey card reading using a light meter. But can be found by experimenting, changing the aperture only and firing the flash / strobe until correct exposure is found. Do not adjust the Shutter speed.
4. White balance should be set to Flash or Daylight ( do not set to AUTO)
5. TURN OFF AUTO ISO SETTING.
6. Shutter frame rate set to "Single frame firing"
7. Set the ISO to the lowest possible I.E. 100 iso is best for quality images.
8. Always "Turn off the camera before connecting" to a strobe or flash head, once connected please turn on the camera before shooting commences.
9. In low contrast lighting set ups, Auto focus should be turned to manual.
10. If you are using a radio triggering system ensure you set the correct shutter speed as recommended by the trigger manufacturer. (INT412 = 1/125th) |
| Do i need to connect both SYNC leads to the camera with Interfit Flash heads? |
No you only need to connect one sync lead to one of the Flash head, when the flash is triggered by pressing the button on the camera, the infra red sync on the 2nd or 3rd head will receive the white light from the 1st head, and will be triggered.
Please note the Sync is an input and not an output terminal |
I do not have a P.C. Sync socket on my camera, how do i connect the sync lead. ? |
Most digital "consumer" cameras are now being shipped without a P.C. sync socket, three methods below allow you to trigger the flash.
1. Use an infra red trigger such as the Interfit INT411 on your hotshoe of the camera.
2. Use a Radio transmitter set such as Interfit INT412
3. Purchase a HOT SHOE ADAPTOR from most good photographic stores.
Note: Konica Minolta / Sony camera owners please see below |
| I have a Sony camera which does not have the standard hot shoe what do i do? |
INT411 |
INT412 |
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SONY/ MINOLTA OWNERS
SEE STROBIES
Hotshoe SONY to STANDARD adaptor
STR114 introduced June 09 |
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Sony/Minolta cameras do not have a standard Hotshoe on the top of the camera.
This means you will not be able to fit many useful accessories like standard Infrared triggers, radio triggers etc so you will need one of these to enable their use.
Most of the Sony / Minolta range of cameras also do not have a P.C.Sync cable socket, so we have built one in to the STR114 adaptor to enable you to use this with Interfit Studio lighting kits such as the EX150 MKII kits. |
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I have replaced the bulb but it still does not work should i send it back for repair? |
Please check the Fuse on the head - when the modeling lamp blows it is designed to blow the fuse to protect the head from further damage. Most heads have two additional fuse's when the product is sold to you as new. The fuse panel is shown below under the mains plug socket which easily pulls out to allow you to change the fuse. (80% of repairs are due to blown fused, please check before returning the head back to Interfit).
If you have confirmed that the modeling lamp is working in another head (if possible) then please return only the head that is not working for repair. |
|
Interfit Fuse Chart |
Product |
Description |
W/S |
Fuses |
Remarks |
INT407 |
Product Discontinued 2008
Stellar MK1 range
|
150W/S |
6.3A |
|
INT408 |
300W/S |
6.3A |
INT409 |
600W/S |
10A 220 volt (20A 110V) |
|
INT414 |
1000W/S |
15A 220 volt (20A 110V) |
INT170 |
Venus |
150W/S |
6.3A |
60 watt lamp (INT515) |
INT172 |
300W/S |
6.3A |
INT118 |
EXD200 |
200W/S |
6.3A |
INT120/182 |
EX150 MKI or MKII |
150W/S |
6.3A |
(MKII only 100 watt lamp INT038) |
INT095 |
E40Tungsten1000W/S |
|
10A |
E40 Tungsten Lamp1000W (INT329) Standard
E40 Tungsten Lamp 500 W (INT328) |
INT105/SXT3200/ INT100 / INT184 |
Tungsten 500W/S |
|
3A |
500 watt lamp (INT032) |
HL1300 |
Product Discontinued 2008
Twin Lamp Halogen1300W/S
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Halogen 650W lamps (INT035) x 2 |
HL1000 or INT189 |
Halogen1000W/S |
|
10A |
Halogen Lamp1000W (INT036) |
INT111 |
Product Discontinued 2008
Prolite 3"120W
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6.3A |
|
INT112 |
Product Discontinued 2008
Prolite 5"200W
|
24W lamps (INT033) |
INT113 |
Product Discontinued 2008
Prolite 9"360W
|
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INT116 / 7 |
Super cool lite 5 |
|
6.3 A |
24 or 28w lamps (INT033 / 4) |
INT216 / 7 |
Super cool lite 9 |
|
6.3 A |
24 or 28w lamps (INT033 / 4) |
INT415 |
Stellar X MKII range |
150W/S |
6.3A |
150 watt lamps (INT499) |
INT421 |
300W/S |
6.3A |
INT438 |
600W/S |
10A 220 volt (20A 110V) |
250 watt lamps (INT500) |
INT442 |
1000W/S |
15A 220 volt (20A 110V) |
INT450 |
Stellar XD MKII range |
150W/S |
6.3A |
150 watt lamps (INT499) |
INT454 |
300W/S |
6.3A |
INT458 |
600W/S |
10A 220 volt (20A 110V) |
250 watt lamps (INT500) |
INT462 |
1000W/S |
15A 220 volt (20A 110V) |
INT471 |
Stellar Xtreme |
150W/S |
6.3A |
150 watt lamps (INT499) |
INT472 |
Stellar Xtreme |
300W/S |
6.3A |
INT470 |
Xtreme Battery Pack only |
150 or 300 W/S |
2 A |
PLEASE SEE NOTE NO 29 BELOW |
INT155 |
Stellar X 750 watt |
|
6.3A |
3 x 250 watt lamps INT500 |
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| How and where do i connect a Sync cable to Tungsten, Halogen or Cool-lite's |
You do not need to connect a sync lead, these are Continuous lights and do not require a sync lead. |
| Can i use Tungsten and Halogen lighting in the same set up? |
Yes you can, both are 3200k units and can be mixed in the same set up. This will allow you to use 1000 watts and a 500 watt to archive a 1 f~stop modeling. |
| When i am using my digital camera i get a strange yellow colour cast from the Tungsten or halogen lights, what have i done wrong.? |
Digital Camera's: Please set the "white balance" on the camera to the Tungsten setting or Auto white balance. Please refer to the camera instruction manual on how to set up the white balance.(WB) click here to see a colour balance chart |
| Film Camera's: Using colour film you will need to purchase a "Screw in 80A colour adjustment filter" to fit on to your lens, this converts the colour rendition of the films values to that of 3200k lighting. Alternatively purchase Tungsten balanced colour film or Black & White film requires no conversion filters. |
| Can i use a Tungsten head as a background light with my flash heads.? |
NO! Flash heads are balanced to have an output of 5600k (Daylight) whilst the Tungsten heads have a 3200k colour balance, you will have a yellow colour cast in the background of your picture's. The background light may not be strong enough to be shown in the image being overpowered by the flash. |
| Why are Cool-lite's and Pro-lite's not dimable.? |
Fluorescent tubes are not designed to be dimable as they need a constant power supply to function correctly. |
| How long does it take for my Cool-lite to be fully up to colour temperature.? |
Like all Fluorescent lamps these have to be energized, to maximize the colour temperature, which is constant after about 5 minutes. |
| What is the colour temperature of Cool-lite's or Pro-lite's and how long should the bulbs last. |
The Colour Temperature is 5000-5200k and should last up to 5000 hours. |
| Is your Infra red trigger compatible with other companies flash products.? |
In most cases yes as long as they will receive infra red light then it should work with most studio flash heads. |
| When using Flash what should i set the white balance to on my camera.? |
You can set it to Flash or Daylight (Do not set it to AUTO) as the flash duration is to short for the camera to react to the flash therefore setting the white balance incorrectly for the tungsten modeling lamps, causing incorrect colour casts usually blue or yellow. |
| When i take a picture i get a black or dark band across the top or side of the picture or frame. |
Confirm that you have set the correct "Shutter Speed" on your camera for flash most of today's digital cameras can be set to anything below 1/250th, i.e. 1/60th, 1/125th or 1/250th. Most DSLR's must be set to or below 1/250th to synchronize with studio flash. |
| When i take a picture with my Digital camera with flash, it comes out to bright no matter how i set the aperture or shutter speed on the camera.? |
Refer to your camera instruction manual: Most new DSLR's now have an "AUTO ISO SETTING" to fine tune normal exposures.When using Studio Flash this must be turned OFF. This is a very common mistake. |
| Why can't I use Honeycomb's, Colour gels or snoot's with Tungsten or Halogen continuous lighting.? |
The use of these products is not recommended due to the amount of heat each head produces, the Honeycomb will burn, the gels will melt and the snoot will over heat the head. Each of these will shorten the expected life of the bulb. |
Why are there no prices on the your website?
|
We do not sell our products directly. Instead we have a network of dealers and distributors around the world who set the prices of our products in their regions according to local market conditions. It would be impossible to have all of their prices on our website and to constantly keep them up-to-date. |
| Why do I get under-exposed pictures when I use my compact camera with a studio flash unit.? |
Your camera may send out an infra red focusing beam or a pre flash to avoid red-eye. These will trigger the studio flash before the camera shutter is opened. Consult your camera instruction manual to see if the pre flash and focusing beam can be switched off. Alternatively use the Interfit EXD200 flash unit that can be programmed to ignore this problem. |
| I have a lighting kit and one head is not working, should i send the full kit back.? |
NO! please do not send the full kit back we only need the head that is not working, Please ensure that it is packaged carefully and well protected. We will investigate the cause and send a replacement inside the 12 month warrantee period. |
| I have a Canon digital camera is it compatible with Interfit flash heads.? |
Most camera manufactures us a positive sync voltage to trigger flash, Canon is an exception and in most cases uses a "Negative" sync to trigger the flash head. You may require a reverse polarity sync lead with some of our older or discontinued products. You can easily make this yourself by reversing the cables in the sync leads.(Please also read FAQ 27) |
| Is Stellar being replaced by Venus and what are the differences between the two units? |
No! We have no plans to replace the Stellar range.
Stellar is built to professional standards which is capable of standing up to daily use in the busy studio, Stellar has a metal body and the important fan cooling for prolonged use, which Venus does not have.
Venus is a high quality product, designed to offer advanced amateur photographers the optional of high quality lighting at an affordable price with features not normally seen at this price point.
(User changeable flash tubes, "S" type bayonet fittings sharing Stellar's accessories, three head kits and with good looks too!!!!) |
| Is EXD200 replacing the EX150 kit? |
No! We have no plans to replace the EX150 kit. |
| I am Female Photographer and i need a lightweight Flash kit to carry around which kit do you recommend? |
EXD200 is a small and compact lightweight portable kit, ideal for taking in to peoples homes etc. |
| Are Interfit flash heads safe for Digital cameras with low sync voltages which my camera instruction manual states should be less than 6 volts? |
YES! all Interfit Flash heads have SAFE Sync voltages of 5 volts or less:
EX150, EXD200 & Venus 150/300 = 5 volts
Stellar = 4.3 Volts "currently the lowest in the industry" @ Sept 2005.
"To date INTERFIT have seen no evidence of a camera being damaged by any of our new or discontinued flash products"
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What is the deference between 'none UV coated' flashtube's and UV coated flashtube's.
. |
Interfit only uses "None UV flashtube's" with our units because they are “Daylight balanced,” producing light having a colour temperature of 5600º Kelvin ideal for 99.8% of all applications in the studio.
UV coated flash tubes are used in two applications to cut down ultraviolet emissions and produces a light that is around 500 degrees warmer than standard uncoated tubes used by Interfit. i.e. (not colour balanced to daylight)
UV coated flashtube's used for Portraits this will give a colour shift that is unnatural and displeasing to the end user results.
UV coated tubes should only be used in the following applications.
1. If you are using Ektachrome slide film (E-6 process) it has a marked color shift with uncoated tubes.
2. if you do multi-process work in reprographics, where several shots are made in the process of creating artwork. |
| My unit flashes when the TEST button is pushed, but it won't fire at all with the sync connected to my camera. What could cause this? |
First, confirm that the fitting is tight when fitted to the camera.
Secondly you should check your sync cable by plugging it into your light and shorting the PC male connector center pin to the circular sleeve that surrounds it to confirm that the cable is functioning correctly. You can use a small metal object like a car key or similar to do this. (don't worry, no dangerous voltage is present at the P.C. sync socket end).
This should cause the flash to fire. If the flash unit fires, but won't fire from the camera, then please read on.
Some of the newer Digital cameras are sensitive to sync polarity. The sync cable that comes with the lights is center positive. Some Canon EOS; Olympus; Bronica; Minolta Si 6000, 7000, 9000, & some in the Nikon range may not fire the flash. We recommend purchasing an Infra red transmitter like the INT411. This will not only cure the issue but allows you full unrestricted movement in the studio without cables. INT411 Uses 2 x AA cell Batteries. |
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INT411, IRX Transmitter |
| What is the difference between Super Cool-lite 5 and the Pro-lite range |
Super Cool-lite comes complete with a Softbox and high contrast reflector which the Pro-lite does not. Pro-lite does not require additional diffusion due to the Plexiglas front panel is very efficient at reducing specula highlights.
Super cool-lite 5 is available as a kit or as a single head,Pro-lite's are currently only available as a single head.
Pro-lite is designed for the busy studio where high use is expected and has a strong metal body to compensates for the hard working life of the professional studio. |
| Battery Packs for Stellar Extreme, is it possible to fit this to any Interfit Products |
The Simple answer is NO, as the head would need to have been made to accommodate the lower voltage of the heads then the normal mains power.
So for this reason it is NOT possible to use the Extreme battery pack with any other Interfit unit in the past or current ranges apart from Stellar Extreme Units. |
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