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Home: Video University Forums: Digital Photography for Videographers:
Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash?

Brackish
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Jul 11, 2007, 7:30 AM

Post #1 of 24 (1449 views)
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Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash?	Can't Post

I'm in the market for a flash and I came across this
model that seems to offer a lot of light for the money,
being cheaper than the Canon Speedlights:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/..._Pro_System_TTL.html

It's got a lot more power than the Speedlights, too, with

one review I have read saying it'll work out to 100 feet at ISO 800

and f/2.8. The head swivels and you can get 7 different

heads for it. One reviewer said the guide number given

for it by Sunpak (200) is probably actually even an underestimate

and I've heard that Canon and the rest do overestimate

their guide numbers considerably.

I've read some other reviews where they said the exposure is

pretty accurate with it:

http://www.photographyreview.com/...D_84013_3121crx.aspx

I've heard that the Canon Speedlights with

through-the-lens metering aren't that accurate anyways.

As a comparison, does anyone know how many feet out

you could shoot with the Canon 580ex or Nikon SB800 flashes

at ISO 800 and f/2.8?

This flash does seem to offer a cool pro look so as they'll

never ask "who's the pro?" Smile

Anyone used this flash or have any thoughts about it?

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

RustyB
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Jul 11, 2007, 1:58 PM

Post #2 of 24 (1437 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

I had a similar flash, the older version of it, and it worked great. I just didn't like the "hugeness" of it! No way I was gonna carry it around anywhere. It didn't look big in the picture, but in real life, it was massive. Laugh

Now I have a new model Sunpak Auto 383 Super, shoe mount flash, and it works great. I guess I'd rather have the powerful TTL flash that Olympus makes for my camera, but it costs 4X as much. The auto setting on the Sunpak 383 works extremely well, and all of the settings have manual switches...no LCD screen or menus to mess with.

It doesn't look as cool as a OEM flash either...looks like something from the 70's. But it's works, has a swivel head, and guide number of 120. Uses 4 AA batteries, so recycle time hasn't been a big deal. If I were machine gunning weddings, I'd get the Quantum Instruments battery belt pack for it. Plus, a battery pack will help make you look like a Pro, especially if you had some sort of Sac to carry it in.

The best part, the flash is only $80.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/...h.html#goto_itemInfo

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

Brackish
Veteran

Jul 11, 2007, 11:50 PM

Post #3 of 24 (1422 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi, Rusty.

I remember you sold that Sunpak on ebay a while back.
Which model was it?

So ... with that 383, you put the flash on your shoe
and then use a cord to plug the 383 into the PC socket of your
cam, which triggers the flash? Is it a universal cord that
comes with the flash? Are there electrical contacts on the
shoe of the 383?

For auto mode operation, you would set your cam at (for example)
f/4, and then you dial in f/4 on the flash so that it knows
what your cam is set at? What about ISO?

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

RustyB
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Jul 12, 2007, 12:41 AM

Post #4 of 24 (1418 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I forgot which model that old big nasty flash was. But yeah, since it didn't attach to the camera shoe, it had to be attached to a 35mm camera by PC cord, to the camera's PC terminal.

The 383 just uses X-sync off the camera's hot shoe, no cord needed. Then set your shutter speed, noting the max sync speed for your camera. I usually keep mine at like 1/125.

It has 3 auto modes: green, yellow, red.

For example, if your camera is set to ISO100, you set the flash to ISO100. Then the flash will give you an f-stop value for each setting, to match the camera's. On top of that, you can also tweak the flash output power, to better match the distance to the subject, but in auto you normally just leave it at full power and let the flash adjust.

Of course, you can also just use the flash in manual, which works better for some situations. But the auto exposure in the flash seems to work pretty well!

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

Brackish
Veteran

Jul 12, 2007, 10:14 AM

Post #5 of 24 (1394 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks for the details on that flash, Rusty.

You know how they say that your cam should
be away from the cam body to prevent redeye?
Does anyone know if the handle flashes like
the 622 are offset enough from the body
to prevent redeye?

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Brackish
Veteran

Jul 12, 2007, 4:10 PM

Post #6 of 24 (1383 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Here's a little more I've found out about the 622 Super Pro
in case anyone is interested.

The "zoom head" covers a 28mm lens (35mm equivalent) at
the wide zoom setting. It also has normal and telephoto
settings. At the telephoto setting guide number
is said to be 270.

There is no redeye with the flash because it is about
4 inches above the film plain when mounted in the
standard way, as seen in the Nikon D70 pic.

The head does both tilt (90 degrees) and swivel (270 degrees).

Supposed to have a very pleasant color temperature
to the bulb.

And here's a guy selling one with some more detailed pics:

http://www.trademe.co.nz/...10749/p-41805865.htm

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Brackish
Veteran

Jul 12, 2007, 4:13 PM

Post #7 of 24 (1382 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey, Rusty.

What's the ISO range on that 383?

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

RustyB
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Jul 12, 2007, 5:03 PM

Post #8 of 24 (1379 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Hey, Rusty.

What's the ISO range on that 383?

ISO 25-1000

I always see those news/paparazzi photogs on TV using flashes like the 622, I guess because they're often shooting from quite a distance. I think that big one I had took like freakin' 8 batteries or something!

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

Brackish
Veteran

Jul 13, 2007, 5:15 AM

Post #9 of 24 (1361 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

"The 622 will REALLY illuminate a

big room off of wall-bounce or ceiling-bounce.

Off of 16-foot vaulted ceilings, I can shoot

bounce flash at 200 ISO @ f/11 NO problem."

- happy 622 user -

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

(This post was edited by Brackish on Jul 13, 2007, 7:53 AM)

Postal Boy
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Jul 21, 2007, 8:56 PM

Post #10 of 24 (1265 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

any of you guys ever use one of these with an optical slave unit? I am looking for a 3rd flash for off camera lighting and don't want to fork over $250 for another canon...I need a decent optical slave unit that may be able to trigger this guy.

=Postal

Brackish
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Jul 22, 2007, 6:44 AM

Post #11 of 24 (1253 views)
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Re: [Postal Boy] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi, Postal.

I've thought about using it off camera, too. I have heard of a
cheap wireless trigger being use successfully.
I believe even The Pro uses a cheap wireless trigger with
a Sunpak flash at the reception dance area. The 622 might
even work nice with an umbrella, given all its power.

Unfortunately I didn't pay close attention to what the make and
model of the wireless trigger might be - it was maybe Sunpak
or some other third party ... might have been off ebay.

How were you thinking about using the 622 off-camera?

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Brackish
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Jul 22, 2007, 10:41 PM

Post #12 of 24 (1238 views)
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Re: [Postal Boy] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

..I need a decent optical slave unit that may be able to trigger this guy

Not sure but maybe I misunderstood what you're looking
for. You're looking for a trigger that is set off when
it senses the brightness of the flash from the other
flash units?

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Postal Boy
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Jul 22, 2007, 10:49 PM

Post #13 of 24 (1237 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

That would be my preferred solution, as a pocket wizard set would cost more than just getting another canon flash. I may just get another 430ex since with the canon flashes the main flash (on camera) can be used to change all of the manual flash settings of up to 3 other remote flashes. In other words, if flash 2 needs less power and flash 3 needs more power, the main flash can dial in and adjust both of them from the camera.

As to why I am looking at off-camera flashes, I have seen several portrait and wedding shots at the mpix photography forum that use several flashes of varying output and you can get some really great shots that way. Granted, they aren't "run and gun" shots, but set shots (bridals, portraits, etc.)

Just looking to expand my horizons I suppose and give myself a little bit of an upper edge. I have a couple of high school kids that are neighbors that are willing to be guinea pigs for my tests in exchange for a portrait or two and am looking for that 2nd off-the-camera strobe.

I recommend checking out strobist.blogspot.com and going through the "lighting 101" and "on assignment" sections. I spent about an hour there and learned a ton. I just need to practice some of the things now in order to actually be able to DO any of it.

-Postal

Brackish
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Jul 27, 2007, 4:49 PM

Post #14 of 24 (1180 views)
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Re: [Postal Boy] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Should add that, if someone is planning on using the
Super Pro through a hot shoe connection on a Canon,
I think that it would be a good idea to use a
Wein Safe Sync hot shoe adapter.

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

Brackish
Veteran

Aug 5, 2007, 9:21 AM

Post #15 of 24 (1136 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hey, Rusty.

Got another question about your 383. After you fire the
flash, how do you know that it is recharged? I've
seen some flashes where you can hear the
high-pitched sound as it re-charges and then
it makes a beeping noise when it is re-charged
and also a light then blinks on the back of the flash.
How 'bout the 383?

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

RustyB
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Aug 5, 2007, 12:22 PM

Post #16 of 24 (1132 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

That "ready/test" button lights up when it's ready to fire. If you're using auto you can press the "ready/test" button to fire the flash, and the other light next to it, "auto ok" button, will light up green if it senses there was enough flash for correct exposure. It's a good way to do a test shot when shooting film.

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

Brackish
Veteran

Aug 5, 2007, 5:00 PM

Post #17 of 24 (1124 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Does the 383 make any sound?

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

RustyB
Veteran

Aug 5, 2007, 5:03 PM

Post #18 of 24 (1121 views)
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Re: [Brackish] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

Does the 383 make any sound?

A little...I can barely hear it charging up after a full discharge.

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

Brackish
Veteran

Aug 6, 2007, 8:41 AM

Post #19 of 24 (1112 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks.

Hey ... I don't know what Olympus models you have used
but I saw on another forum where folks were saying
what cams they use for wedding work and there
were a few who use Olympus. The models were
E1, E500, E330, E510.

Any other Olympus shooters around here?

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

RustyB
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Aug 6, 2007, 12:05 PM

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Re: [Brackish] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I use the E-500. They make an extremely nice TTL flash, the FL-50, and a cheaper/lower powered one, the FL-36. I've had both...and of course sold them both. Laugh

I'm gonna get another FL-50 when I get the cash. Cheap Sunpak flashes work great, but the high sync speed of the flashes built for your DSLR are great for FP fill flash. Something to consider when buying a flash for your Canon, before forking out too much money for the big 622.

I don't think I've ever seen a wedding photog with an Olympus DSLR (their only prosumer model is the older E1), which is understandable considering they're apparently way more noisy at higher ISO's than Canon/Nikon.

When I went on the Carnival Cruise, a LOT of their photogs were using Olympus. Must have been 100 Carnival photogs on the boat. Crazy

I fired back at them....

He was taking this shot....

the People's Video Collective blog
wedding video and the means of production

Postal Boy
Veteran

Aug 6, 2007, 1:05 PM

Post #21 of 24 (1099 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

Anyone use high-speed sync on canon flashes when used as slaves? High speed sync works great on the CAMERA mounted flash, but I can't figure out if/how to use it for remote flashes. When I try my shutter always out-races my flashes. Maybe it isn't possible :(

Brackish
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Aug 6, 2007, 5:42 PM

Post #22 of 24 (1092 views)
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Re: [RustyB] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

In Reply To

I don't think I've ever seen a wedding photog with an Olympus DSLR

I haven't noticed any Olympus, either, but on this other forum it was maybe around 10-20% who piped in that they were using it. They mentioned liking the 4:3 format because it was closer to the common frame sizes than the 3:2 used by Canon/Nikon - though I think the common frames are actually 5:4.

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"We'll always show up at the wedding with a gift bag for the bride. Inside we have these incredible fuzzy slippers in the teal of our branding."

DarrenS
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Aug 6, 2007, 7:12 PM

Post #23 of 24 (1085 views)
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Re: [Postal Boy] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

If high-speed sync is the same as 'FP mode' on Nikon cameras then you should know this 'highspeed sync' thing on DSLRs is nothing but a trick. It's not real. It actually slows your flash speed down, in fact! I was shocked to learn this. It's the only setting on a camera that I know of that slows things down when you pick higher speeds. The flash stays on longer (pulses, actually) to allow the shutter to completely expose the frame at high shutter speeds. Consider the implications. You won't be freezing any action at high shutter speeds, which is one of the reasons one might want to use higher shutter speeds in the first place. High-speed sync is Totally counter-intuitive. In the old days when you pushed pass sync speed you would get a thin strip in the middle of the picture that was flashed properly...but the rest of the frame was dark. The shutter partially exposed the film and the flash fired, leaving a horizontal strip of properly-exposed image. Mechanical cameras let you do anything you want of course, even if it's wrong. But electronic cameras simply won't let you take the picture over flash sync speed, unless you have FP mode or high-speed sync mode.

I wish the D200 had faster TRUE flash sync. It's about the only weak point about the camera. I'd like 1/500th instead of 1/250th.

Postal Boy
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Aug 7, 2007, 9:09 AM

Post #24 of 24 (1068 views)
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Re: [DarrenS] Sunpak 622 Super Pro flash? [In reply to]	Can't Post

From everything I have read the high speed sync is not to freeze motion, but to allow you to crank up your shutter speed in outdoor, bright light in order to cut down over-exposure, and still use the flash for fill in shadows. So if you are in bright sunlight you don't have to use a shutter speed of less than 250 and blow out everything that is brightly lit. Sure, you can close the camera down some, but there is a limit on your F-Stop, and the more you close it down the deeper the DOF. I don't use the high speed sync really, but was out taking some photos the other day in broad daylight (playing with my new strobes ;) ) and was trying to bump my shutter speed up more because I was doing a shoot INTO the sun with a person there, and was trying to get the background almost dark and light up the subject with the flash...I wanted to crank the shutter speed up to dim the surroundings so the sun was a primary light on the subject from behind (at an angle), but not on everything else...did that make a bit of sense? I was up late...