Bolt VC-310 User Manual Download

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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.

Summary of Contents for VC-310

Page 1: ...Inspiration strikes Inspiration strikes VC 310 COMPACT ON CAMERA TTL FLASH User s Manual ...

Page 2: ...2 Copyright 2016 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 ...

Page 3: ... manual features It can be used as both an on camera flash and a wireless slave flash Among the benefits you ll enjoy Full compatibility with TTL metering system Eight manual flash levels full to 1 128 power plus fine tuning by 1 3 increments Stroboscopic mode Tilt and swivel head 7 down 90 up 90 right and 60 left Backlit LCD Autofocus assist for low light photography Snap on diffuser Automatic po...

Page 4: ...2 14 Extended Interface 14 Automatic TTL Flash Mode 15 16 Using Flash Exposure Compensation 16 Manual Flash Mode 17 18 Diffusing the Flash 18 Bouncing Your Flash 19 Stroboscopic Mode VC 310SMI and VC 310OP models only 20 21 Manual Optical Slave Modes S1 S2 22 23 Positioning the Slave and Remote Flash Units 24 25 Stroboscopic Reference 26 ...

Page 5: ...Contents 5 Specifications 27 Troubleshooting 28 29 FCC Compliance 30 One Year Limited Warranty 31 ...

Page 6: ...6 Overview Made in China 1 2 3 4 13 9 10 11 12 5 14 6 15 16 16 17 7 8 ...

Page 7: ...arrow 6 Set button 7 Right arrow 8 F1 function button 9 F2 function button 10 Power button 11 LCD panel 12 Flash head position indicator tilt 13 Micro USB port 14 Mounting foot 15 Locking wheel 16 Optical sensor 17 Battery compartment with cover 18 Flash stand 19 Diffuser 20 Carrying pouch 18 19 20 ...

Page 8: ...pt to repair this product yourself There are high voltage components inside that can produce a hazardous electric shock Keep this product and its batteries out of the reach of children Use only the power sources specified in this manual Always switch the flash off before changing the batteries Always install AA batteries of the same type brand and age Do not combine different types or brands or ol...

Page 9: ... authorized service center for repair If you detect excessive heat smoke or a burning smell coming from the flash immediately stop operation and remove the batteries to prevent the product from igniting or melting Take the product to an authorized service center for repair Do not drop or otherwise cause a strong physical impact to the VC 310 For long term storage remove the batteries from the VC 3...

Page 10: ...n the battery compartment cover so the cover flips open 3 Insert two AA batteries not included according to the diagrams inside the battery compartment 4 Close the battery compartment cover until it clicks When the battery power is low the battery indicator will flash on the LCD Important Replace both batteries at the same time Do not mix battery types or brands or use old and new batteries togeth...

Page 11: ...ount the flash from your camera make sure the VC 310 is turned off and follow these steps 1 Rotate the locking wheel counterclockwise to release the flash 2 Slide the mounting foot out of your camera s hot shoe Mounting the VC 310 on the included stand adapter You can mount the VC 310 on the included stand adapter in the same way you would mount it on your camera This allows you to set the flash u...

Page 12: ...h icon may also appear in the viewfinder when the VC 310 is mounted on your camera Sleep mode After approximately two minutes of inactivity the flash will automatically enter sleep mode to conserve the battery life by turning off the LCD and flash ready light To reactivate the VC 310 press the Set button on the flash unit or press your camera s shutter release button halfway During long periods of...

Page 13: ...ference or as an autofocus assist light to help the camera focus when the scene is too dim Using the LEDs as a preview light VC 310SMI and VC 310OP Press the power button while the flash is on To turn the preview light off press the power button again VC 310F Press the F2 function button to turn the preview light on and off The LEDs will function as an autofocus assist light whenever you press the...

Page 14: ... VC 310F to its original settings follow these steps 1 Make sure the flash is on 2 Press and hold the Mode and Right buttons for 3 seconds then release Extended Interface Micro B USB This flash supports firmware upgrades through the micro USB port on the side of the flash In order to ensure compatibility with future cameras the VC 310 s firmware may be updated This can be done to ensure proper com...

Page 15: ...automatic TTL flash mode mount the flash on the camera and follow these steps 1 Turn the flash on and press the Mode button repeatedly to cycle through the flash modes until the TTL mode indicator appears on the LCD 2 Make sure your camera is set to a programmed or automatic mode or on a priority mode such as aperture priority TTL 0 7EV IS0100 F5 6 1 2 3 Overview 1 TTL flash mode 2 Flash exposure ...

Page 16: ...ing its light output without affecting the exposure as a whole In automatic TTL mode you can use flash exposure compensation to incrementally alter the VC 310 s flash output just as you would change exposure with the exposure compensation function on your camera To apply flash exposure compensation follow these steps 1 VC 310F and VC 310OP Press the Set button so that the flash exposure compensati...

Page 17: ...s To use the manual mode turn the flash and camera on and follow these steps 1 Press the Mode button repeatedly to cycle through the flash modes until the manual mode icon M and the flash output level appear on the LCD 2 Set the exposure settings you want to use on your camera 3 VC 310F and VC 310OP Press the Set button to highlight the flash output level VC 310SMI Press the Set button so that the...

Page 18: ... exposure settings and the flash s light output level as needed When adjusting exposure settings on your camera the highest shutter speed available will be your camera s flash sync speed Tip For best results when shooting in manual flash mode use a handheld light meter Diffusing the Flash Use the included diffuser to soften the light from the flash To attach the diffuser fit the diffuser onto the ...

Page 19: ...ject to provide softer more natural illumination In addition the flash can tilt down by seven degrees in order to fully illuminate your subject when shooting close up photography When bouncing your flash you may need to adjust your exposure settings since there will be less light falling on your subject The farther away the bounce surface and your subject are the less illumination there will be Ti...

Page 20: ...imes in the frame It is also useful when capturing fast moving objects due to the flash pulsating faster than the shutter can open and close Important For the VC 310SMI model this mode is labeled as Multi For the VC 310OP model this mode is labeled as RPT To enable the stroboscopic mode turn on the flash and camera and follow these steps 1 Press the Mode button repeatedly until the stroboscopic mo...

Page 21: ... second Use the right and left arrows to adjust 7 To confirm your settings press the Set button 8 Set your camera s shutter speed to one second or slower 9 Press the shutter button to fire a test shot The flash will fire several bursts of light Tip To calculate the appropriate shutter speed divide the number of flashes per frame by the frequency For example if the number of flashes per frame is 10...

Page 22: ...ly fire along with it In order to ensure that the VC 310 fires at the correct time there are two different slave modes available S1 and S2 In S1 Mode the slave will fire on the first or any burst of light Use this mode when the master is set to manual In S2 mode the slave will ignore any pre flash and will fire on the second burst of light Note Pre flash is used to help the camera meter or focus S...

Page 23: ...ight the output level VC 310SMI Press the Set button so that the output level blinks 3 Use the left and right arrows to adjust the output level from 1 1 to 1 128 4 Press the Set button to confirm your settings Warning Some cameras when set to red eye reduction will emit a series of quick flashes lasting a second or more This may not work properly with any slave mode We suggest you avoid using red ...

Page 24: ...ng 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 slave flash units is approximately 33 feet 10 m for outdoor use and up to 49 feet 15 m when using the flash indoors These ranges may vary depending on the ambient lig...

Page 25: ...or is facing the master flash and that there are no obstructions between the two units When photographing outdoors or in bright ambient light the optical sensors may be overwhelmed by ambient light which will lower their sensitivity To avoid creating interference between flash units using more than three in a single group is not recommended ...

Page 26: ...ble for any given frequency flash output combination Flash Output Hz 1 4 1 8 1 16 1 32 1 64 1 128 1 3 14 30 60 90 90 2 3 14 30 60 90 90 3 3 12 30 60 90 90 4 3 10 20 50 80 80 5 3 8 20 40 70 70 6 3 6 20 32 56 56 7 3 6 20 28 44 44 8 3 5 10 24 36 36 9 3 5 10 22 32 32 10 2 4 8 20 28 28 20 100 2 4 8 12 24 24 ...

Page 27: ...L flash systems Guide number at 50 mm focal length ISO 100 GN 32 Flash recycle time Approx 5 seconds AA NiMH Manual mode power output 1 1 1 2 1 4 1 8 1 16 1 32 1 64 1 128 fine tuning in increments of 1 3 Wireless transmission range Optical up to 33 10 m outdoor and 49 15 m indoor Power source 2 AA lithium NiMH or alkaline batteries Tilt positions 7 0 45 60 75 and 90 Swivel range Right 0 90 Left 0 ...

Page 28: ...attached to the camera page 11 Make sure that the electrical contacts on the foot of the flash are not dirty Clean them and try again The flash has entered overheating protection mode Turn the unit off for 2 5 minutes to let it cool down page 13 There s a whining sound coming from the flash This is normal and does not indicate a malfunction When the flash heats up from continuous use vibrations in...

Page 29: ...nsor on the slave is pointing toward the master flash Remove any obstructions in the line of sight between the two page 24 The ambient light may be too high page 24 The edges of the images look dark Make sure that the flash output power setting corresponds to the focal length of your lens The bottoms of the images look dark Your camera s shutter speed is higher than the flash s maximum sync speed ...

Page 30: ...mplies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 This device may not cause harmful interference 2 This device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation ...

Page 31: ...t cover damage or defect caused by misuse neglect accident alteration abuse improper installation or maintenance EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN THE WARRANTY PROVIDER MAKES NEITHER ANY EXPRESS WARRANTIES NOR ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE This warranty provides you with specific legal rights and you may also...

Page 32: ...GG4 www boltflashes com ...

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