I posted these questions in another topic, but they're too important (to me, at least) to bury there. This is a major issue, one that at times ruins my otherwise good experience using my V system with a digital back. Here it is:
1. Misfires, likely from the cabling from lens to back. I'd love to know if others have a misfire problem and what they do about it. I have an Aptus 54S on a 503CW (I've had the back for about two years now), and nearly everything I shoot is with strobes (so I'm also cabling from the back to a transmitter). Quality is usually very good. My biggest problem with using a DB on the analog Hassy is the occasional misfired shot due to a poor cable connection. Sometimes there can be a frustrating number of misfires in a row, even when I manipulate and tweak and move the cable between shots. If I stay on a tripod, there are usually very few misfires (but it does happen). If I go handheld, they increase dramatically, since the cable seems to get nudged by my hands. On an editorial shoot, it's frustrating, can cause missed good shots, and ruins the rhythm of the shoot. On a commercial shoot, it is an absolute deal-breaker.
If it were the DB-transmitter connection creating the problem, the shots would just be dark from the strobes not firing. But the problem is almost always that the back hasn't received an image at all, so it seems to be the lens-DB connection. I've had the sync ports cleaned on all my lenses, and I use gold-tipped sync cords special ordered from Paramount. Has anyone else found a better solution? When this happens, it makes me want to chuck all the stuff out the window and buy an H system. But I love the V system and am very deep into it, with an SWC, Flexbody, 40, 50, 60, 80, 110 and 120. All of which I use.
2. Using the 203FE. If I had my 203FE modified by the factory, could I use it without a lens-to-back cable (considering that my back is a Leaf, not a Hasselblad)? And what do I lose from the body if I do this?
thanks
ethan pines
