Please help with NEX info.

[Bugleone]

Could you NEX owners please help me with some vital info?

I am wanting to buy a NEX3 as it is apparently ideal for my uses except for it's flash facility. NEX, like many 'digicams', uses a preflash when in it's auto modes. This makes it impossible to use a slave triggered flash head, which is vital to me in a specific instance of use.

Could someone PLEASE see if NEX stil;l uses a pre-flash burst when in completely 'MANUAL' setting?

I have tried everywhere on (and off) the web to get a straight answer to this question and Sony chooses to ignore my question. If, like most 'digicam' models, NEX uses a single flash in 'MANUAL' then I can go ahead and buy one knowing that there is a certain workaround for remote flash.

Thanks for any help with this!

 

[AGeoJO]

Bob,
I got sidetracked and did do it before like I said I would. Sorry. Anyway, I just tried my NEX on manual mode and used the flash at the same time. The flash still fired a pre-flash "burst" even in that mode. Maybe another member can confirm this but again it certainly doesn't look like this camera will do it for you. Sorry.

 

[hot]

My NEX works well with extern flashes ...

http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19544&highlight=nex5+flash

 

[douglasf13]

You can use strobe heads if you buy a trigger that ignores preflash, like this example:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1042&message=37907943

 

[Bugleone]

AGeoJO,...thanks for gettign back to me and trying to help,...I really appreciate it.

douglasf13,...thanks for that. It does look like a very possible solution, albeit with a time-lag for the preflash (presumably?) It shoud be quite possible to put together an enclosure for the NEX flash with slave,...or even with slave to radio tx. So, a very possible workaround, thanks

hot,....I saw and responded to your flash item when you first posted it some time back but you were unable/unwilling to supply any synch details when asked and claimed to not use flash(??). those Chinese flash guns have built in slave which can ignore the preflash. However, I require a solution so that I can use my own manual flash units including ring-flash.

 

[Millsart]

Optical triggers that can ignore a preflash do work, however, keep in mind that they result in the subject blinking far more often, as the preflash reaction is to blink, so that the eyes are then closed when the main strobes fire. Not everytime, and each subject is different but it happens far more noticeable.

Its just like when your shooting with a DSLR and use the flash in manual vs a pre-fire ETTL type mode. Far less blinks.


Not a deal breaker, but at the same time, if your going to do a lot of shooting with external flash, I probably would suggest looking at other options than the NEX as its really not ideally suited for that type of thing.

 

[douglasf13]

To get around preflash blinking with strobe heads, you can either use an IR filter (like an exposed piece of film) over the little flash, or you could build a tiny enclosure with the device I linked above directly in front of the flash, and then run the sync cable to a flash or wireless trigger.

Really, the main negative to me about using NEX for studio flash photography is that you can't control the LCD gain, so you'll need good ambient or modeling lights.