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Summary of Contents for VS-570N FOR NIKON

Page 1: ...Inspiration strikes Inspiration strikes VS 570N for Nikon WIRELESS TTL FLASH User s Manual ...

Page 2: ...pyright 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 2 Introduction ...

Page 3: ... flash Among the benefits you ll enjoy Full compatibility with Nikon s i TTL system Wireless TTL control with multiple flash units and groups Automatic and manual zoom from 24mm to 105mm Tilt and swivel head 90 up 120 right and 180 left 1 8 inch backlit LCD Seven manual flash levels full to 1 64 power Autofocus assist for low light photography High speed sync Rear curtain sync Built in reflector a...

Page 4: ... 15 Extended Interface 16 Using the Automatic TTL Flash Mode 17 Using High Speed Sync 18 Balanced Fill Light and Red Eye Reduction The 18 Locking Flash Exposure 19 Using Flash Exposure Compensation 19 20 Using the Manual Flash Mode 20 21 Controlling Flash Coverage Zoom 21 23 Using the Autofocus Assist Light 24 Bouncing Your Flash 24 26 ...

Page 5: ...e VS 570N as a Wireless Master 30 35 Using Your VS 570N as a Wireless TTL Slave 36 37 Using Your VS 570N as a Wireless Manual Flash 37 39 Positioning Remote Flash Units 40 41 Upgrading the Firmware on the VS 570N 42 Troubleshooting 42 43 Specifications 44 45 Guide Number Chart 45 FCC Notices 46 One Year Limited Warranty 47 ...

Page 6: ...45 60 75 1 2 4 17 19 18 8 16 12 3 5 20 6 7 9 11 15 14 10 13 VS 570N 6 Overview ...

Page 7: ...ng foot 7 Mounting foot lock 8 Mode button 9 Up button 10 Down button 11 Zoom position button 12 Ready light Test button 13 Power switch 14 Automatic exposure confirmation light 15 Flash head position indicator 16 LCD 17 External power socket 18 PC sync socket 19 Firmware upgrade socket 20 AF assist Wireless ready indicator light ...

Page 8: ...8 Overview 32 H TTL EV EV M GROUP B GROUP A GROUP C S 21 28 29 30 31 22 23 24 25 26 27 ...

Page 9: ...s 21 High speed sync 22 Slave mode 23 TTL mode 24 Wireless TTL mode 25 Manual mode 26 Manual flash output Slave channel 27 Slave group 28 Zoom mode 29 Zoom position 30 Flash compensation value 31 Camera aperture f stop 32 Stand Tripod mount ...

Page 10: ...nside that can produce a hazardous electric shock Keep this product and its batteries out of 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 old and new batteries This could cause batteries to leak overheat or explode...

Page 11: ...g Take the product to an authorized service center for repair Do not drop or otherwise cause a strong physical impact to the VS 570N as this could cause a malfunction that may cause it to explode or ignite Remove all batteries from the VS 570N before long term storage in order to prevent the product from igniting or leaking corrosive liquids Do not store or use this product at temperatures above 1...

Page 12: ...re the VS 570N is turned off and follow these steps 1 Press on the battery compartment cover and slide it in the direction of the arrow to remove it 2 Insert batteries in the orientations indicated by the illustration inside the compartment 3 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 ba...

Page 13: ...sure the VS 570N is turned off and follow these steps 1 Turn the mounting foot lock counterclockwise to loosen it 2 Slide the mounting foot all the way into your camera s hot shoe 3 Turn the mounting foot lock clockwise until snug Do not overtighten LOCK 45 60 75 LOCK 45 60 75 2 1 ...

Page 14: ...ockwise to loosen it 2 Slide the mounting foot out of your camera s hot shoe Mounting the VS 570N on the included stand You can mount the VS 570N 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 20 screw mount ...

Page 15: ...t Test button Automatic power saving function After 3 minutes of inactivity the flash will automatically enter power saving mode to conserve battery life The LCD will display a single OFF indicator and the Ready light will turn off To reactivate the VS 570N simply press any button on the control panel or tap your camera s shutter release button During long periods of inactivity it is recommended t...

Page 16: ...perate PC Sync You can synchronize your VS 570N with a camera by running a PC cord between your camera and the VS 570N s PC sync socket This lets you position the flash away from the camera thus giving you more lighting options Note The PC sync socket on the VS 570N is only for synchronous signal input and not output To access the extended interface follow these steps 1 Pull back the contact cover...

Page 17: ...TTL is shown on the LCD 2 Make sure your camera is set on a programmed or automatic mode or on a priority mode such as aperture priority 3 Press the shutter release button on your camera halfway to ensure that the camera is communicating with the flash The camera s aperture setting will be displayed on the flash LCD and a flash icon will appear in the camera s viewfinder 4 Press your camera s shut...

Page 18: ... as fast as 1 8000 second This is especially useful when using large apertures in bright situations or when freezing motion High speed sync is set automatically in your camera Consult your camera s manual for more information about this feature Balanced Fill Light and Red Eye Reduction The VS 570N supports balanced fill light and red eye reduction modes both of which are set automatically in your ...

Page 19: ...nt to be correctly exposed in the center of your viewfinder 2 Press the FV Lock button on your camera The flash will fire a test shot and lock its output level 3 Reframe your image as desired and take the shot 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 adj...

Page 20: ...tput 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 Press the Mode button repeatedly to cycle through the flash modes until M and the flash output...

Page 21: ...utter release button to take the picture Note For best results a handheld light meter is recommended when using the manual flash mode Important 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 Controlling Flash Coverage Zoom The VS 570N s angle of coverage can ...

Page 22: ...be displayed on the LCD If you zoom your lens the flash zoom setting will change automatically When the flash head is angled up or swiveled to the side the zoom position is set to 50mm The 50mm indicator will flash on the LCD and the zoom can then be manually adjusted see below Note Older cameras that do not offer digital data transmission with the flash do not support the automatic flash zoom con...

Page 23: ...on your camera you can use the built in diffuser panel to give the flash an angle of coverage equivalent to that of an 18mm lens To use the diffuser 1 Pull the diffuser and reflector panels out of their slot in the flash head 2 Push the reflector back in and let the diffuser lay flat against the flash lens The diffuser also softens the light providing an alternative when no surface is available fo...

Page 24: ...nto the projected light Note that the autofocus assist light is only available when your camera s autofocus system is set to AF A or AF S It is not available when AF C is selected 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...

Page 25: ...vel 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 ...

Page 26: ...reate catchlights in your subjects eyes when bouncing your flash follow these steps 1 Position the flash head at the 90 degree angle pointing straight up to bounce your flash off the ceiling or an overhead reflector 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 1 2 ...

Page 27: ... 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 Front curtain sync causes motion blur and light trails to appear in front of moving subjects while rear curtain sync makes them appear behind moving subjects That means rear curtain...

Page 28: ...h in order to learn how to work with multiple wireless flash units Master This can be the VS 570N s Master mode the camera s built in flash or a dedicated wireless controller The master controls how the slave flashes operate in wireless TTL mode Only one master flash is allowed in a multiple flash photography setting Note that not all cameras and flashes offer master capability Slave or remote fla...

Page 29: ...nnel 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 Groups With the VS 570N s wireless system you can assign remote flash units to any one of three groups A B or C and set the mode and power ratio for each group ...

Page 30: ...ster mode the VS 570N lets you remotely control your slave flashes while maintaining automatic TTL functionality You can adjust EV for the master and slave flashes from 3 to 3 stops in increments of one third Wireless manual master mode enables you to remotely set independent power output for each of your slave flash groups Power output is indicated onscreen as levels 1 through 8 Each successive l...

Page 31: ...until the wireless master summary screen appears For more information on this refer to Wireless Master Summary Screen on page 34 3 Turn the master flash on or off Choose whether you want the master flash to fire as part of the exposure Press the Mode button so only the master flash on off selector appears onscreen Use the up or down navigation buttons to select on or off 4 Select the wireless chan...

Page 32: ...use the up or down navigation buttons to set the power output from 1 to 8 See Chart on page 30 Setting the Flash Groups After configuring the master flash set the slave flash groups Just like the master flash you can turn the group on choose TTL or manual and set EV or power output Each flash group is set in order from A to C and all settings for one group are configured before moving on to the ne...

Page 33: ...ode button and then use the up or down navigation buttons to select TTL or Manual 3 Set EV or power output for the group A In TTL mode press the mode button and then use the up or down navigation buttons to adjust EV from 3 0 to 3 0 B In manual mode press the mode button and then use the up or down navigation buttons to set the power output from 1 to 8 Repeat these steps for all three flash groups...

Page 34: ...34 Wireless Master Summary Screen H TTL GROUP B GROUP A GROUP C 1 6 7 2 3 4 5 8 ...

Page 35: ...eless Master Summary Screen 35 Wireless Master Summary screen 1 High speed sync 2 TTL mode 3 Wireless TTL mode 4 Slave channel 5 Slave group 6 Zoom mode 7 Zoom position 8 TTL Master Summary Setting Screen ...

Page 36: ... channel on the master unit Consult the master s manual to find out how to set it 3 Press the VS 570N s Mode button repeatedly to cycle through the flash modes until the Wireless TTL mode icon appears on the LCD Use the up or down navigation buttons to select Nikon or Canon TTL slave modes A For Nikon TTL slave mode the N TTL indicator will appear onscreen Press the Mode button to confirm and the ...

Page 37: ...B When using multiple slave flashes select the same group and channel for all units in the same light position For example if your setup includes three slave flashes you can set two as a main light on channel 1 group A and set the third as a fill light on channel 1 group B 5 If desired adjust the flash coverage angle by pressing the Zoom button repeatedly 6 Make sure that the red light on the fron...

Page 38: ... level selected manually follow these steps 1 In Manual mode use the up and down buttons to select the power output 1 through 1 64 2 Press the Mode button once to enter Slave mode 3 Set the slave mode as desired see below 4 If desired adjust the flash coverage angle by pressing the Zoom button repeatedly 5 Make sure that the master flash on your camera is on and set to the appropriate mode If you ...

Page 39: ...s on the LCD A In mode 0 the flash will fire on the first or only burst of light Use this mode when the master flash is set to manual B In modes 1 and 2 the slave will ignore either one or two pre flashes respectively Use these modes when the master flash is set to TTL or automatic modes Whether the master emits one pre flash or two will depend on the camera and settings always take a test exposur...

Page 40: ...atios 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 ambien...

Page 41: ...cing the master flash and that there is no obstruction between the two units When photographing outdoors or in bright ambient light the sensors can 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 42: ...ation 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 Solution The flash is stuck in the camera hot shoe Make sure that the mounting foot lock is released Page 13 The flash is turned on but won t fire Make sure that fresh batteries are installed and in t...

Page 43: ...too high Page 40 The flash is set up as a manual optical slave but the light is not noticeable in the picture Make sure that the flash is set to the appropriate slave mode Page 38 The edges of images look dark Make sure that the flash zoom setting corresponds to the focal length of your lens Page 21 There s a whining sound coming from the flash This is normal and does not indicate a malfunction Wh...

Page 44: ...igh speed synchronization Yes Flash recycle time 0 5 9 seconds AA Ni MH Manual mode power output 1 1 1 2 1 4 1 8 1 16 1 32 1 64 Wireless transmission method Optical pulse Wireless transmission range Up to 33 feet 10 meters Wireless channels 4 Controllable wireless slave groups 3 Slave timing modes Instant sync skip one pre flash skip two pre flashes Power source 4 AA lithium Ni MH or alkaline batt...

Page 45: ...ions Approx 2 5 3 9 4 7 65 100 120 mm Weight Approx 9 2 oz 260 g without batteries Guide Number Chart Zoom Position GN Meters GN Feet 24mm 34 112 28mm 36 118 35mm 38 125 50mm 43 141 70mm 45 148 85mm 47 154 105mm 50 164 at ISO 100 ...

Page 46: ...instructions may cause harmful interference to radio communications However there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation If this equipment does cause harmful interference which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on the user is encouraged to try to correct to the interference by one or more of the following measures re orient or re locate the r...

Page 47: ...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...

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