Nikon D200 and SB800 flash update

Last year I detailed my struggles with intermittent flashing from my SB800 mounted on a D200 hotshoe. The solution appeared to be to work on the flanges of the hotshoe to narrow the gap that that the flash fits into to eliminate short circuiting that triggered the random firing and activation of the focussing assistance.

Did I speak too soon? Sort of. The adjustment of the hotshoe did work for a while but now the problem is back. Another look at posts on the web suggests that the glitch is also affecting D700s - not a good sign as I was considering moving up to one of those. Some people have had replacement parts fitted. I wonder if they have worked long-term? Maybe it only affects models with pop-up flash as there is less room for a more substantial hotshoe pressing.

It seems to me that there could be a flaw in the design of the SB800 and the hotshoe as a combination. Examining my camera I see that there is more play, when the flash is mounted (particularly when unlocked), on the right side of the hotshoe and the pressing on the right is fractionally angled up compared to the one on the left. When I am working with camera mounted flash I often carry the D200 sideways in my right hand with the flash pointing forward. The SB800 is a heavy lump and my theory is that the when tilted from the vertical the gravity takes over and pulls down on the gun and gradually, over multiple instances of this action, levers the pressing open.

The lock may also contribute to this. If you look at the flash unit off camera and move the locking lever you will see a small lug move up within the channel on either side of the contact plate. These presumably should grip the flange of the hotshoe and make the assembly rigid. Without another new gun for comparison I can't say whether the extent of that travel in my unit is enough or standard but it isn't much. Not much of the lug appears. I wonder if the cam in the locking lever can wear? More seriously though, this is where I see what could be the design flaw...

The locking lugs do not extend out to the full width of the flash contact plate. When they push up to exert pressure on the hotshoe they are pushing up on the edge of the pressing and not into the corner of the formed channel. The dimension of the pressing is fixed at the inner corners - you can't stretch the metal at that point. The edge of the flange can move though. I can bend it in by pushing down (with a cramp - or a hammer...!) and conversely upward pressure from underneath can push it away from the camera body. If the lugs extended to the edge of the flash plate they would not be able to affect the angle of the flange. Just a thought.

Adding shims? Some others have found this short term fix has not succeeded in the longer term. The ability of the flash lock mechanism and the weight of the flash pushing at the pressing will push up the flange while there is any play between the gun and the hotshoe. Eliminating that play with shims may work but it could make insertion of the flash quite difficult. It also won't stop the locking lugs from pushing up and distorting the angle of the flange. My feeling is that the shim would need to be fitted to the underside of the flange so that there was no risk of the electrical pin contact being compromised. Getting something to attach that wouldn't just wear off or get dislodged upon flash insertion may be difficult.

What to do? Short term fix is to apply my previous solution of downward pressure to reduce the gap. Might try a fraction of a millimeter further this time and see what happens. Whatever happens it is pretty annoying and particularly worrying that Nikon haven't sorted the problem in later models. In the real world photographers will carry their cameras in ways that mean pressure is exerted on the interface between flash and camera. Nikon need to make sure that this cannot distort or affect performance over the lifetime of the units especially in semi-pro and pro models.

So I have gone ahead and reapplied the clamp to the right hand flange and pushed it down a bit more. I tried one application and fitted the gun. Now it was tighter but bizarrely the intermittent flashing seemed worse. It would fire if I nudged the camera as it sat on the bench and the red focussing light flickered on and off. I got some electrical contact cleaner and wiped it over the terminals and other parts of the flash and hotshoe to remove dirt and grease. It seemed a bit better after this but still would fire now and then if I pushed gently on the gun.

More use of the clamp and the flange bent down a little more. Barely perceptible but it does make a difference. Now there is no movement of the gun in the hotshoe when the locking lever is in the open position and the flash is a secure fit. I also remembered that the spring clip can be removed so I levered it out with a blade. The underside was a little dirty. Could there be some crud that was having an influence on the earthing or shorting it out? I cleaned it all up with contact cleaner and refitted the clip. Now when the gun is locked in I cannot get it to give out the random flashes no matter how much I manipulate it or shake it. Problem solved again - at least for the moment.

One thing - and I did double/triple/quadruple check that this wasn't the problem all along - I have the Func button set to FV Lock (so if you press it you get an exposure pre-flash). It is quite possible to trigger this accidentally, and no doubt I have on occasion. It isn't the source of the annoying mini flashes though. Definitely.

Umida Ahkmedova v Uzbekistan

The photographer Umida Ahkmedova is currently awaiting trial for allegedly bringing her country into disrepute. The authorities feel that her images, often of rural life and tradition, give a negative image of the country and insult the people. Yet, what can give a more negative impression than an over-bearing authority effectively trying to censor and sweeten its own image. You can see a few of Umida's pictures, hosted by the BBC, here and judge for yourself if they appear to be so bad.

Pure speculation, of course, but could it be because she is a woman working in a predominantly Islamic state? Her pictures certainly seem to express a very female perspective. Although Islam was not encouraged in Uzbekistan when under Soviet rule this sort of action may indicate that forces favouring a more patriarchal society are beginning to flex their muscles now that the country is independent. The state commission's particular sensitivity about the photograph of a circumcision ceremony is rather a male one, I would say, and is a rather traditional defence of an old practise that perhaps should be examined in a modern age. Again, this is ironic when the accusations against Umida are that she is making the country look backward. Some interesting facts about Uzbek society here.

The bad press that this will generate in other countries may shame the Uzbek beaureaucrats into looking again at what effect their action will have. If they want to look modern and progressive then allowing freedom of expression is one of the first things they should attend to.

Trip to Hong Kong

The most humid place that I have ever visited is Hong Kong in September. The classic expression "like stepping into a sauna" is a pretty accurate a way to describe that moment when leaving the comfort of an air-conditioned space and stepping into the heat of the coastal tropics. Within minutes my northern European metabolism was reduced to abject perspiration - so attractive. Some pictures from my trip are posted on my website. It was an amazing experience but one that I'd like to repeat during a cooler part of the Hong Kong year. That said, we did experience a typhoon which was an interesting event.

Kowloon and Hong Kong, especially at night, overwhelm the senses. Colour, noise, bustle, and people, people everywhere. A teeming metropolis that lives up to its Blade Runner reputation. Our explorations were largely in town but a day on the island of Cheung Chau was brilliant and felt like a more Chinese experience. Free of the attentions of people trying to sell us Rolexes and suits, we wandered in the narrow streets that presented, to us, exotic and curious shops and sights. The B&B on the island looked like a good alternative to the city hotels and would be worth a stay if ever I were to return.

I didn't acclimatise to the humidity at all but I believe that takes months. Air-conditioning makes the place bearable in the hot seasons but leads one to despair about its effect on the environment. Hundreds of thousands of individual machines pepper the buildings in the region and the energy burden is enormous. It seems to neutralise the small efforts that one makes in the UK to reduce one's carbon footprint. The profligate waste of energy in buildings with open doors allowing the cool air to escape seems almost criminal set against the growing consciousness of a world adapting to the threat of global warming.

Climb up to the Peak and you can look down over Aberdeen to the vast coal fired power station that supplies HK's electricity. It isn't a pretty sight and it will be interesting to see how the city responds to the pressure to reduce its energy footprint. The neon lighting, harbour light show, choking traffic, and afore-mentioned air-conditioning will prove hard to budge. It all makes for a double edged experience - on the one hand an excited energised feeling of being part of a vast metropolis, and on the other a slightly depressed sensation that one is part of a capitalist creation that is wilfully damaging the world around it. Lets hope the Chinese embrace alternative energies in a big way...

The arrival of Sancho Panza

There are times, in the Don Quixote style quest for interesting photos, that one doesn't want the burden of a hulking SLR. Heavy, big, black and obvious, it just shouts photographer. Sometimes this is a good thing and when the best quality of image is necessary there is no argument. At other times one wants something small, light and unobtrusive, that you can carry all day without ending up with a bruise on your shoulder. Yes, I've taken the plunge and bought a compact camera.

My first digital camera was an Olympus compact and was great fun but 4 million pixels just don't cut it these days, not to mention all the other advances such as image stabilisation. I began looking around for a potential camera with just a couple of criteria in my head. Stabilisation would be good but a reasonable price and the ability to shoot in RAW format were essential. Type compact camera and RAW into Google and you'll discover that the choice is severely limited. Canon have the powerful G10, Nikon have the less than enthusiastically reviewed P6000, and recently Olympus have launched the Pen model, based on the stylings of their old rangefinders. Amongst these, the camera that kept popping up in comments and reviews was the Panasonic Lumix LX3. Comparative tests showed it to be one that was rated highly again and again. I began to do some further research.

None of these cameras is exactly cheap, varying between £300-400 even on Ebay with the Olympus weighing it at twice that and effectively ruling it out of my selection. Besides, I don't need to be starting another whole system. The Nikon, despite my liking for their SLRs just had too many indifferent reviews when placed up against the Canon and the Panasonic so it became a two horse contest. I have a friend who has the Canon and a very nice machine it is too. However it is a lot bigger than the Panasonic and reviews suggested that it didn't produce images that were any better either. The LX3 after all has a Leica lens that goes down to F2 (indeed Leica have a camera model, the D-Lux 4, that is in many respects identical for double the price) and opens up to 24mm wide which is often the sort of angle I like to use. Granted, the Canon has a much longer zoom range, but if I want long zooms then the SLR is the better choice. It also has a viewfinder, but I'm interested to play with the compact and no viewfinder might encourage a different way of looking. One can get accessory viewfinders that fit in the hot shoe, albeit it at a pretty high price. I found myself leaning towards the Panasonic.

This isn't a particularly easy camera to buy new in the UK at the moment (summer 2009). It quickly became clear that most shops were awaiting stock and either had none or in a couple of instances still had the silver version. It looks better in black, no question, and the few shops that had them were asking silly prices. Ebay had a few hotly contested secondhand examples and lots from Hong Kong at prices that exceeded the average retail price here, along with the risk of duty being imposed above that. I decided to wait. Two weeks later I idly checked Amazon to see if they had stock and they did, at a high price. The Used and New list caught my eye though. A nearly new model with extras such as 4GB memory card, spare battery, filter and extension tube.... It sounded good, and a few days later it looked good when it arrived, beautifully packed and all for just over £290 delivered.

Now I'm really looking forward to trying it out and having it as a general carry around tool. The controls seem very comprehensive and it is neatly arranged so I'm off to find windmills with my new sidekick.

The Tour de Presteigne

That grand institution, the Tour de Presteigne, took place again over the 10-11th May weekend. The oldest established and biggest festival of electric bikes has expanded to accommodate all sorts of vehicles with a Green Wheels section. Among the four wheeled vehicles on show was a concept mockup of the new Morgan hydrogen fuelled car. The usual suspects were also there; 50 Cycles, Cytronex, Electric Mountain Bikes, Ezee bikes and now OnBike, Presteigne's very own electric bike merchant.

I have uploaded a gallery of images from the weekend to my website along with galleries from the preceding three years. This year's images are grouped chronologically so you have, The Hill Climb, shots from the main site including the Morgan car, racing at Kinsham "International" Racetrack, and the parade through town that wrapped up the event. Getting a decent focus is always the challenge when shooting cycles hurtling around at up to 40 mph (on the track) - makes me admire the snappers who cover the Tour de France even more. Mind you, they have lenses that are worth than all my bikes and car put together so that definitely helps.

Congratulations to Pete Mustill and his helpers for pulling off another successful and inspiring event. See further information at http://www.tourdepresteigne.co.uk/

Nikon D200 and SB800 flash problem solved

My Nikon D200 recently developed a very irritating fault when used in conjunction with the SB800 flash unit. The flash would fire at random and with a lowish intensity, often when the camera was moved, but sometimes when just framing a shot. Annoying for everybody in the vicinity, and me too.

A trawl around the web confirmed my suspicions. From new the flash has always been able to move very slightly in the hot shoe. Not a problem up to now and in the past I have seen others advising that the sloppy fit is not a problem. It isn't, until this intermittent flashing starts and then it appears there is no going back. The problem doesn't go away. The cause is the hotshoe itself. On other cameras the flash fits very snugly but on the D200 the pressed flanges don't, despite little springs existing underneath, stop the movement of the gun. I imagine that over time, the weight of the flash jiggling around in the hotshoe could actually increase the tolerance of the gap allowing further movement and thus start the gun shorting its contacts producing the annoying random flashing.

Well, that was my theory. What to do about it? Some solutions put forward on various forums (fora?) included adding rubber strips into the hotshoe, adding thin foil or metal shim into the hotshoe, or give up and let Nikon sort it out. Neither of the first two seemed very permanent solutions that would stand up to hard work, and both seemed very fiddly. Unless the camera is under warranty (and mine isn't) the Nikon path would be expensive.

So, in this situation, who dares wins. It seemed to me that the problem lay in the pressing of the hotshoe flanges and the fact that if they were pushed down towards the contacts by a fraction of a millimetre they would grip the flashgun properly eliminating the movement. Brute force is necessary to bend the pressing though so from this point on the cure is not for the faint of heart. I placed the camera body upright on a wooden table. Then I got a metal woodworking clamp, in my case a 12 inch Record Quickcramp and set the top fixed jaw onto the right hand flange of the hotshoe. I set the shaft of the clamp at a slight angle so that when pressure was brought to bear it would push down on the edge of the flange over the contacts. The ball and socket foot on the tightening screw compensated for the slight angle. Time to tighten. I made 3 or 4 small turns of the screw and checked the flash. It seemed a better fit. Another slight increase in pressure and then repeat the procedure on the other flange, with the clamp angled the other way of course. Check the fit.... job done. Now the flash fits snugly with no movement and I can shake the camera and gun without any stray flash being produced. The whole assembly feels much more secure.

As I say, not for the faint hearted, but the result is worth it. I figured the camera body is metal and can take a bit of pressure and that a pressing that has already been folded is more likely to distort before a casting breaks This is a pro camera after all and designed to take a few knocks. However the amount of distortion needed to effect the change is tiny, indeed barely visible, so one isn't putting the camera under sustained pressure for very long. So if you are having the same problem give this a try, but be careful. It goes without saying that this is a cure that you undertake at your own risk....

Snap

Added a selection of photos from my personal project on the camera in action to the website. I wonder how many pictures are taken around the world by people of themselves or the groups they are with during one day? There is an endless fascination that people have for being photographed at notable locations or sights. The urge to document travels with these posed shots must result in millions of images worldwide. For me the interesting thing is the relationship between the snapper and their subject in the context of the location. Some form elaborate groups, others are more casual. Some enlist the help of others to capture the whole party while the dedicated carry tripods to liberate them from outside assistance. The project is ongoing....

Sibos in Sydney, 2006

The last batch of Sibos images from my first year snapping the conference in Sydney, back when banking seemed more innocent, is now on the Photogallery page. Once again, these are not necessarily the ones used for SibosOnline but are some of my favourites from the week. Loved Sydney and the people I met there. It was unseasonably hot for most of my stay but turned cold and wet on my last day - interesting to see it in different weathers and a reminder of the reversal that happens down under where the cold winds come from the south and not the north as happens in the UK.

Sibos Boston 2007

2007 was the year that the banks discovered the sub-prime black hole and found themselves powerless to prevent themselves being sucked in. In the UK Northern Rock was the standout casualty of that year. At Sibos there was a buzz in the air but I'll bet not many foresaw the events that were to happen a year later. Some of the pictures I took in Boston have been added to my website on the Photogallery page.

Sibos Vienna

Finally uploaded some photos from my assignment as roving snapper at Sibos working for Sibosonline. These are the ones I personally like best and not all were chosen for use. Some others can be seen at http://www.sibosonline.com/news_in_pics.asp along with my pics from 2006 and 2007.

The Fear

Listening to the radio (again) and Lily Allen is on with The Fear. Such a good pop song and I never seem to tire of it - great production and a decent step on from the previous cheeky chapess sound. Lets see what images are hanging around on the net. Surprise.... lots of paparazzi shots chasing exposed skin. She has a very distinctive look even after softening the severe fringe. Once again it's interesting how the act of drawing a face, even from a photo, makes one appreciate those small elements that make a face unique. This is copying of course, not tracing or cloning. Cloning - as in the process that can be enabled in Painter - teaches one little about a picture as the computer does all the donkey work. Sure you get a result, and it might even look vaguely hand drawn or painted but it evades all the struggle to define the image structure which actually develops your hand and eye coordination. It has its uses but I don't use it much.