20 Most Recent Sunpak Auto 544 Flash Questions & Answers

IF you are working on them then you know the part number on the transformer. You may need to use Alibaba to see if the part is available in China.

Try cleaning that front flash sensor.

Alexander
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Paramount manufactures every kind of sync cords for virtually any camera and flash: paramountcords.com

According to the list at http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html the 544 should be safe. If you want to be absolutely safe, use something like http://www.adorama.com/WNSSHSHS.html to isolate the flash from the camera.

The 544 connects to a camera via the PC cord (in this case "PC" has nothing to do with personal computers). The D3000 doesn't have a PC port, so you have to use something like the AS-15. The AS-15 mounts onto the hot shoe on top of the camera and provides a PC port.

Yes, you can get pro lighting with this flash.You will need a Nikon AS-15.

You can find a manual athttp://www.cameramanuals.org/flashes_meters/sunpak_ap-52.pdf

All photo shops hold "hotshoe to PC" adapters for a few bucks. This solves your problem, supposed you have the hosehold-to-PC cable that comes with the 544 as accessory. If not, such cable can be obtained at better photo shops or from www.paramountcords.com. You must know that the flash can be used together with your camera only in Aperture Priority or Manual mode (flash set to auto), or as a fill flash (flash set to Power Ratio mode). The 544 has safe sync voltage.

The Rebel XTi has a sophisticated communication protocol between the camera and a dedicated flash. Only ETTL-II capable flashes can benefit from all the features the engineers at Canon thougt out. This means that with the otherwise superb Sunpak you won't be able to emit autofocus assist pulses, red-eye reduction pulses, the camera won't increase or reduce the flash intensity for bracketing, zoom lens settings won't be reflecting on the flash illumination angle, and so on. But! Set your Canon to full manual (125th sec), set Sunpak to auto, take one of the working apertures according to your taste (depth of field, etc.) and set the same aperture on the camera, and shoot. You still can use bounce flash. I am not sure about second curtain flash, I suspect it won't be possible. Both tele kit and milky filter in front of the flash head are of great help, you don't need to worry about the differences these make in flash intensity. Always keep in mind that the flash makes good exposure according to the given working aperture and, as long as you set the same aperture on the camera, the subject will be correctly illuminated. (I have a Sunpak 522 and a 455 and employ them this way, with success, on my XSi.) Of course you can set set the flash in full manual (M/PR/MD), using the left side, set knob and calculator dial, and this is the only way if you want to make series of shots, because the flash can only make bursts if the power is reduced to at least 1/16th. Good light, Laszlo

There can be more than one causes.
If intermittent work mean that in, at least, some cases the strobe fires normally and the internal sensor controls the power as it should, then the most probable cause is a diry contact at the either end of the PC cord or a broken wire in the cord. Clean with any gentle method or disconnect-reconnect a dozen times in order to rub off the oxidization, or replace in the latter case.
If it doesn't help then the culprit can be a cold solder joint inside the flash, the repair of which asks for a technician with skills.
If the intermittent work means that the flash always fires, but sometimes with the correct power and sometimes with full power, then the case is more sophisticated, and surely needs a repair of internal circuitry. See the description of such issue for a Sunpak 522 elsewhere in Fixya
Good luck, Laszlo

There can be more than one reasons for that.
1. Broken wire at sync terminal.
2. Electronic sync issue:
2.1. Faulty sync thyristor (CR02).
2.2. Faulty trigger transformer
2.3. Any other passive component around the previous two.
3. Broken sync lead to the flash tube.
4. Broken leads to the main terminals of the flash tube.
5. Electronic fault at main thyristor.
5.1.Faulty main thyristor.
6. Faulty flash tube.
7. Other, like crack on the PCB.
Good luck! :)
If you happen to decide to part with your faulty flash, please consider to write me first, I offer it a good home... best regards, Laszlo klaci(at)index(dot)hu

Hey there, I had one a couple of months back, but unfortunately I got rid of it since I no longer use it. But, you can certainly buy one online. Check out Amazon or Newegg. Good luck!