How can you easily and cheaply tell if your electronic flash fires at the correct "X" synchronization?

Take a piece if phosphorescent glowing tape (sold at theatrical supply houses or through the Set Shop in NYC) and fill a 3x5 card with the light sensitive tape. Then, with the camera back off or open hold the taped paper against the shutter gate on the film path. (Don't press too hard or you will interfere with the shutter when it fires)

Set your shutter speed to the highest that your camera will synch. (1/125 or 1/250 or whatever). Now point the camera without a lens towards the flash and fire.

Quickly look at the card. The full rectangle of the film gate should be glowing on the card. If it is a narrow rectangle then you are not synching properly. This is a wonderful field trick and it really works.

gary@panix.com (Gary Gladstone)

Related Posting from the Bronica List:
Date: Mon, 09 Aug 1999
From: geoff/camera tech info@cameratech.com
Subject: Re: [BRONICA]

>How do you check the flash sync in the Bronica etr and SQ-ai cameras?
>----- Original Message -----
>From: budd gottesman dophotography@yahoo.com

Take the back off your camera, mount lens to body, set body for double exposure, plug flash in, turn flash on, using a white piece of paper point the flash towards the paper and the camera lens, look through the back of the camera as you fire the shutter with aperture set wide open, you should see a full white disc of light. If not your flash is not syncing properly.

Works the same for all Bronica formats.

Best regards,

geoff/camera tech

2308 Taraval St. S.F.,CA 94116 USA
UNDERWATER PHOTO/VIDEO SALES-REPAIRS-RENTALS
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Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1999
From: budd gottesman dophotography@yahoo.com
Subject: [BRONICA] checking sync

The previous posting on checking sync is right on. You don't need the piece of white paper, though. Point the camerea w/ flash toward anything close by, (wall, ceiling, floor, etc.). With the camera set to multi exposure, back open (off, or with insert removed, etc.), with the diaphragm open, and flash on and ready to fire; fire the camera while looking thru the back (in essence, your eye is replacing the film).

If you see the full circle of light then so would the film. The thing that I don't think was mentioned was that I would normally do this check at at least 1/250th of a second and usually at 1/500th. If it syncs right at the fastest speeds, it's very likely to work right at slower ones. REMEMBER, you're checking to see that the shutter opens, flash fires, shutter closes; (IN EXACTLY THAT ORDER, ONLY). Any other order, you'd see no light (and neither would the film); and you're saved if its before the job...or you're dead if it's after....make your choice...you can/should do this at the beginning (before shooting) AT EVERY JOB, and at film changes every so often during a shoot ...just remove the shot (finished) roll of film, check sync and put in new the roll. (all of 2 seconds) or gamble...it's part of being a 'pro'.

Budd

From Rollei Mailing List:
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2000
From: Bob Shell bob@bobshell.com
Subject: Re: [Rollei] Flash Synch

Sure. Just open the back of the camera, point the camera and flash at a white wall with the lens aperture wide open and fire the shutter. If you see the flash it is set to X, if you don't it is set to M.

Bob

>> Is there an easy way to determine whether the flash synch on my Automat MX
>> is set to "M" or "X," other than the position of the little synch lever on
>> the front of the camera (and short of shooting and developing a test roll)?
>> The lever has become loose and spins freely.  I can get it to engage
>> intermittently by applying pressure to the pin holding it in place, but
>> this process does not leave me confident about the actual setting.