Inspiration strikes VS-560C WIRELESS TTL FLASH User’s Manual
Copyright © 2014 Gradus Group. Bolt and other names of Bolt products are trademarks of Gradus Group. Other product and corporate names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective holders.
Introduction Thank you for choosing the Bolt VS-560C Wireless TTL Flash. This advanced digital flash unit puts creative control in your hands with a broad range of automatic and manual features. It can be used as both an oncamera flash and a wireless slave flash.
Contents Overview ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6–9 Warnings ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10–12 Installing Batteries ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 12–14 Mounting the Flash �
Using the Autofocus-Assist Light �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 26 Bouncing Your Flash �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 27–29 Using Rear- or Second-Curtain Synchronization ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 29–30 Using Your VS-560C as a Wireless TTL Slave ���������������������
2 15 1 3 45 60 75 VS-560C 9 16 18 11 10 17 14 19 20 8 13 12 4 5 7 6 6 | Overview
Overview 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Flash head Reflector panel Diffuser panel Battery compartment cover Wireless sensor (optical) Mounting foot Mounting foot lock Mode button Up button Down button Zoom position button Ready light / Test button Power switch Automatic exposure confirmation light 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
21 22 H S 27 23 24 TTL GROUP A GROUP B 25 26 M GROUP C 32 EV+ EV- 28 8 | Overview 29 30 31
21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
Warnings Before using your VS-560C, please read the following safety notices carefully and thoroughly to ensure safe use, and to help prevent damage to your flash or injury to yourself or others. • Do not fire the flash at close range directly into the eyes of people or animals. This can cause damage to the retina and may even lead to blindness. • To avoid overheating and damaging your flash unit, please wait for at least 10 minutes after 20 continuous flashes at full power.
• Install batteries in the proper orientation, according to the indicator in the battery chamber. Installing batteries in the reverse orientation could cause them to leak, overheat, or explode. • Do not use or store the VS-560C in flammable conditions (such as environments containing flammable gases or liquid chemicals). This could damage the flash, start a fire, or cause an electric shock.
• Do not store or use this product at temperatures above 104°F (40°C). • Keep the metal contacts in the battery compartment clean and free of corrosion and dirt. Do not touch them with your fingers. Corrosive elements on the contacts can damage the VS-560C and prevent it from functioning properly. Contacts may be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab. • Dispose of used batteries properly.
To install batteries, make sure the VS-560C is turned off and follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. Press on the battery compartment cover and slide it in the direction of the arrow to remove it. Insert batteries in the orientations indicated by the illustration inside the compartment. Replace the battery compartment cover by pressing and sliding it into place in the opposite direction of the arrow on the cover.
Important! Replace all four batteries at the same time. Do not mix battery types or brands, or use old and new batteries together. Mounting the Flash To mount the flash on your camera, make sure the VS-560C is turned off and follow these steps: 1. 45 60 75 1 Turn the mounting foot lock counter-clockwise to loosen it.
75 2. 3. Slide the mounting foot all the way into your camera’s hot shoe. Turn the mounting foot lock clockwise until snug. Do not overtighten. 2 3 LOCK LOCK 45 60 75 To dismount the flash from your camera, make sure the VS-560C is turned off and follow these steps: 1. 2. Turn the mounting foot lock counter-clockwise to loosen it. Slide the mounting foot out of your camera’s hot shoe.
Mounting the VS-560C on the included stand: You can mount the VS-560C on the included stand in the same way you would mount it on your camera. This allows you to set the flash up on a flat surface, or to attach it to a tripod head, light stand, or clamp that has a compatible ¼˝-20 screw mount. Turning on the Flash and Firing a Test To turn the flash on, simply slide the power switch to the On position. When the flash is ready to fire, the Ready light will glow red.
Extended Interface You can connect your VS-560C to an external power source or PC sync via the extended interface on the side of the flash. External power source: An external power source, such as the Bolt Cyclone Battery Pack, can greatly increase the battery life of your flash and reduce the recycle time in between flashes. Note: When using an external power source, the AA batteries must still be in the flash in order to operate.
Using the Automatic TTL Flash Mode When the VS-560C is mounted on a compatible camera, it can set the appropriate flash level automatically, in conjunction with the camera’s through-the-lens (TTL) metering system. To use the automatic mode, mount the flash on the camera and follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. Each time you turn the flash on, it will be in automatic mode. This will be confirmed by the TTL mode indicator on the LCD.
4. Press your camera’s shutter-release button to take the picture. The OK indicator will flash on the VS560C’s LCD, and the OK light below it will glow green momentarily to indicate that the proper exposure was attained. Note: The aperture indicator on the VS-560C provides a readouts up to f/11, in full-stop increments. The indicator will display the f-stop closest to your current camera setting.
To activate high-speed sync mode on the VS-560C, press the Mode button repeatedly to cycle through the flash modes until the high-speed sync mode indicator appears on the LCD. H To turn high-speed sync on or off, press the up or down buttons. “ON” will appear in the top right corner of the LCD when high-speed sync mode is activated, and “--” will appear when high-speed sync mode is deactivated.
3. Make sure the FEL indicator is showing in your camera’s viewfinder before you take your photograph. Reframe your image as desired. For more information about the flash exposure lock feature, consult your camera’s manual. Using Flash Exposure Compensation In automatic TTL mode, you can use flash exposure compensation to adjust the VS-560C’s flash output incrementally, just as you would adjust exposure with the exposure compensation function on your camera.
Using the Manual Flash Mode You can also set the VS-560C’s flash output level manually for greater creative control over your images. Seven manual settings are available: 1/1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, and 1/64. The 1/1 setting is the full-power flash, and each successive setting halves the light output. To use the manual mode, turn the flash and camera on and follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
M Important! To access most camera-controlled flash features when the VS-560C is in manual mode, the Silent Shooting option on cameras that offer Live View must be disabled. To avoid overheating and damaging your flash unit, please wait for at least 10 minutes after 20 continuous flashes at full power. The flash will automatically shut off if it gets overheated.
When the flash zoom setting is adjusted, the position of the reflectors inside the flash head shift in order to make the angle of coverage wider or narrower. The available zoom positions are 24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 70mm, 85mm, and 105mm. Automatic zoom control: When you turn the VS-560C on, the zoom mode indicator on the LCD will show an A to indicate that it is in automatic mode and at the default 35mm position.
Manual zoom control: To manually select a setting that corresponds to the focal length of your lens, press the Zoom button to make the M indicator for manual mode appear. Then continue to press the button to cycle through the available focal length settings. Note: Manual zoom can also be used to achieve special effects, such as using the 105mm setting with a wideangle lens to produce a vignette.
The diffuser also softens the light, providing an alternative when no surface is available for bouncing the flash (see Bouncing Your Flash on page 27). Using the Autofocus-Assist Light Camera autofocus systems can have difficulty locking onto a subject in dim light. When the ambient light level is low, the VS-560C will emit a red autofocus-assist beam when you press your camera’s shutter-release button halfway to autofocus. The camera will then be able to autofocus by locking onto the projected light.
Bouncing Your Flash Using flash to directly illuminate a subject often creates harsh, unnatural, and unattractive shadows. To avoid this, the flash can be tilted or swiveled, allowing you to aim your flash at a large white or neutral-colored surface, such as a ceiling, a wall, or a reflector. The light will bounce off of the larger surface before striking your subject, providing softer, more natural illumination. The VS-560C flash head can be tilted up at 45-, 60-, 75-, and 90-degree angles to the lens.
When bouncing your flash, you may need to adjust your exposure settings, since the level of light falling on your subject will be reduced. The farther away the bounce surface and your subject are, the more illumination will be reduced. Tip: Bouncing your flash off of colored surfaces can create a color cast in your images. Bouncing off of a white or neutral-colored surface will not alter the color of the light, while bouncing off of a gold-toned surface can give portraits a warmer look.
2. Pull the built-in reflector and diffuser panels all the way out of their slot in the flash head. Push the diffuser back in while leaving the reflector extended. Using Rear- or Second-Curtain Synchronization When you photograph a moving subject with a slow (1/30 second or longer) shutter speed and a flash, the flash will freeze the moving subject and the long exposure will cause motion blur and light trails to appear in the image, especially in low light.
This “slow-sync” flash technique, also referred to as “dragging the shutter,” can be applied in two different ways: The flash can be synchronized with the camera’s shutter release so that it fires at the beginning of the period when the shutter opens, or it can fire near the end of that period. The former is called “front-curtain” or “first-curtain” flash sync, and the latter is called “rear-curtain” or “second-curtain” sync.
Using Your VS-560C as a Wireless TTL Slave The VS-560C is equipped with advanced wireless TTL flash functions, allowing you to fire the flash remotely while still maintaining full TTL control. In addition, it can be set to multiple channels and groups, giving you unlimited creative lighting possibilities.
Channels: Master and slave flash units exchange data through channels. On the VS-560C, four channels (1, 2, 3, 4) are available. You can select the channel you prefer for communication between the master and remote flash units. You can use this option to prevent your remote units from being triggered by the master unit of another photographer working with the same type of system nearby.
5. 6. groups A through C, and then channel 2, groups A through C, and so on. The numbers represent the channel, while the GROUP B letters represent the group. A. When using a single flash, set it to the same group and channel as the master. B. When using multiple flash units, select the same group and channel for all units being used in a particular light position.
Using the optical slave feature, the VS-560C can be set to fire whenever it detects a signal from the master flash. This works optically—when the VS-560C “sees” another flash firing, it will instantaneously fire along with it. Setting the remote flash units manually: To set a VS-560C flash unit to function as a slave with the output level selected manually, follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. In Manual mode, use the up and down buttons to select the power output (1 through 1/64).
automatically by the camera. If the slave flash is not set correctly, it may be triggered by the pre-flash and fire before the camera’s shutter opens. In order to ensure that the VS-560C fires at the correct time, there are three different slave modes available: modes 0, 1, and 2. To select the correct slave mode, follow these steps: 1. 2. Make sure the flash is in slave mode. Press the Up and Down buttons to cycle through the slave mode options on the LCD. A.
Positioning Remote Flash Units You can create a professional lighting setup by positioning remote units singly or in groups to function as main, fill, accent, and other lights. Metering your scene with a handheld light meter and setting your light ratios to achieve specific looks will give you a professional level of creative control.
When positioning wireless slaves to light a subject, keep in mind the following: • The effective communication range between master and remote flash units is approximately 33 feet (10 meters) in the front position, and approximately 16 to 23 feet (5 to 7 meters) at both sides. These ranges may vary, depending on the ambient light. • The flash head should not be aimed directly into the camera lens. • The wireless sensors are located on the front of the VS-560C.
Upgrading the Firmware on the VS-560C In order to ensure compatibility with future cameras, the VS-560C’s firmware may be updated. This can be done to ensure proper communication with new cameras, or to add new features. Visit www.boltflashes.com/firmware to check if a new firmware version has been released. Follow the online instructions to upgrade. Troubleshooting Problem The flash is stuck in the camera hot shoe. Solution Make sure that the mounting foot lock is released.
Problem Solution The flash is turned on but won’t fire. Make sure that fresh batteries are installed and in the proper orientation. (Page 12) The flash is set up as a wireless TTL slave but won’t fire. • Make sure that the master flash is within the transmission range and the wireless sensor on the slave is pointing toward the master flash. Remove any obstructions in the line of sight between the two. (Page 37) • The ambient light may be too high.
Specifications Type: On-camera and wireless TTL automatic and manual flash Compatible cameras: Canon EOS and G-series models, with support for E-TTL and E-TTL II flash systems Guide number (at 50mm focal length, ISO 100): 141 feet / 43 meters Flash coverage: 24mm–105mm (18mm with diffuser panel) Flash duration: 1/1,000–1/20,000 second High-speed synchronization: Yes Flash recycle time: 0.
Tilt positions: 0º, 45º, 60º, 75º, 90º Swivel range: Right 0º–120º, Left 0º–180º Dimensions: Approx. 2.5˝ × 3.9˝ × 4.7˝ (65 × 100 × 120 mm) Weight: Approx. 9.2 oz.
FCC notices for customers in the U.S.A. Tested to comply with FCC Standards for home or office use. FCC Statement This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
One-Year Limited Warranty This BOLT product is warranted to the original purchaser to be free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal consumer use for a period of one (1) year from the original purchase date or thirty (30) days after replacement, whichever occurs later.
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