Nikon SB20 speedlights on other cameras

[seany65]

I was wondering if anyone could please tell me if Nikon SB20 Speedlights can be used in Auto and Manual modes on cameras other than nikons, such Agfa Super Silettes and Fed 3A's using an SC-11 or SC-15 cord?

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Garden Maniac]

Yes nikon lights work great on other cameras, just have to dial in film speed / aperture used according to the charts on the back of the flash or however it's set up depending on the model. I use a nikon sb 900 on a cheap hotshoe to PC cord adapter with my rolleiflex in A mode all the time and it works perfectly.

Best thing to do is test it dry firing on your camera to make sure the system is working (tip: open the back of the camera and look through the lens when the shutter opens to see the flash pop) and make sure don't exceed the shutter flash sync speed on whatever camera if it is focal plane shutter like the Fed 3A, the agfa should be fine at all speeds since it is leaf shutter

happy shooting

 

[trix4ever]

I bought my SB-24 when I was using my F4 commercially back in the 1980's and have never felt the need to buy another flash for any of the systems I've used, whether film or digital. I reckon used on auto it works better than Nikon's modern flashes. Their digital flash system was crap and still is in my not very humble opinion.
I'm certain the SB-20 will work fine for you.

 

[rulnacco]

I'll support the answers above--in general. I have an SB-20, and have used it on other cameras--normally in auto mode, and occasionally with the SC-15--and it has worked just fine. As long as the camera's hot shoe has the central contact for triggering the flash, all should work well.

That being said, I just looked at photos of the specific cameras you mentioned, and neither one of them has a built in hot shoe--only a cold shoe for holding various accessories, it will not fire a flash. They appear to pre-date the standard inclusion of hot shoes on cameras. So you won't be able to use the SC-15, or the flash's hot shoe foot, to fire the flash. Not only that, the Silette has a screw in the front middle of the cold shoe that would prevent you from inserting the flash all the way into it, unless that screw was removed.

It appears that both the Fed 3a and the Agfa Silette have PC sync sockets on the front of the camera--and the SB 20 also has a PC socket. You could still use the flash in manual or auto modes with those cameras, but only by using a male-to-male PC cord to trigger the flash. What you really will have to use is something like this (or a shorter version, six feet is a bit awkward for what you're talking about doing).

 

[seany65]

Thanks to everyone for the replies and the useful info.

I also have an L-bracket and a straight bracket for using a flash off camera using a pc cord, so I don't really need hotshoes, just flash and cameras with sync sockets. My Altissa II (or III depending on what info you read) also has a sync socket, but it's thin and sticks out a bit so I'm not sure it's modern enough. Still, the differences add to the whole thing of having more than 1 (oh, alright, 13) cameras.

 

[seany65]

Hmmm, I've just been looking at Nikon's SC-17 ttl cord thingies, from what I can see, the receiver thing that sits on the camera's hotshoe has a hotshoe foot, the sender thing which has a hotshoe on top, which accepts the flash, dos not seem to have a coldshoe fitting for fitting to an L-bracket or anything, just a thread for a tripod. Would I have to try and find a coldshoe fitting for it?

I'm aware that the sc-17 is of no real use with any of my old (non nikon) cameras and I'm on the trail of a couple of sc-15 cords.

 

[Garden Maniac]

I recommend something simple like this for working on a bracket

There’s no need to use Nikon branded cords with the flash, any generic pc type connection will do

You can even use cheap (20$ yongnuo) wireless triggers if you put the transceiver on the flash adapter and receiver with the flash and the flash will still fire and function perfectly in A mode with any camera that has a pc socket

If you must use a Nikon hotshoe cord with the flash I would still recommend that simple generic pc to hotshoe adapter and run it that way

 

[seany65]

Hello Garden Maniac, Thanks for the info. I do have a couple of "flash on Hotshoe to pc socket on camera" adapters so I can use my Nissin 360tw flashes on brackets and connect them to various camera's pc sockets, I also have a couple of Nikon AS-10's so I can use my flashes on brackets and still fire the flashes from my Nikon F301 which doesn't have a pc socket, but I want a sync cord to use with the SB20 flash which uses a standard pc socket rather than the "special" pc sockets on my Nissin 360TW flashes, which is why I bought an SC-15. I also wanted to use the TTL capability of the SB20 and F301 combo even when the flash is on a L bracket, but it seems th SC-17 which would allow that doesn't have a coldshoe fitting on the bottom of the hotshoe bit which the F301 slides onto, though it of course has a hotshe bit on the bottom of the camera end.

I'm writing this at 04:19am so if it's not so easy to follow, that's the reason, lo.

 

[rulnacco]

I'm aware that the sc-17 is of no real use with any of my old (non nikon) cameras and I'm on the trail of a couple of sc-15 cords.

Ohhh, you can definitely use your SC-17 on other cameras--as long as they have a hot shoe. I use that cable and my Nikon flashes on Minolta and Leica cameras as well as my Nikons. It's just that the two cameras you mentioned up top don't have the hot shoe, so you'll have to use a PC cord to connect your flash to the camera body.

I also used to use my SC-17 with a Stroboframe bracket--they (and many other flash brackets) come with holes for fitting a thumbscrew to screw into the bottom of the SC-17.