Inspiration strikes VC-310C COMPACT ON-CAMERA TTL FLASH User’s Manual
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.
Introduction Thank you for choosing Bolt. The Bolt VC-310C is a compact, full-featured shoe-mount flash for your Canon camera. This advanced digital flash puts creative control in your hands with a broad range of automatic and manual features. It can be used as both an on-camera flash and a wireless slave flash.
Contents Overview ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������6-7 Warnings ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������8-9 Installing Batteries ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10 Mounting the Fl
Using Your VC-310C as a Wireless Master or Slave ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������24-25 Using Your VC-310C as a Wireless TTL Master ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������26-27 Using Your VC-310C as a Wireless TTL Slave ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������28-29 Using the VC-310C as a Wireless Manual Master ��������������������������������������������
1 12 17 11 10 2 9 3 4 8 7 5 6 | Overview 6 13 16 15 14
Overview 18 19 20 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Flash head Flash test button Mode button Flash ready indicator Left arrow Set button Right arrow F1 function button F2 function button Power button LCD panel 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.
Warnings Before using your VC-310C, please read the following safety notices 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. • To avoid overheating and damaging your flash unit, please wait for at least ten minutes after twenty-five continuous flashes at full power (see page 13). • Do not disassemble or attempt to repair this product yourself.
• Do not clean the VC-310C with agents containing corrosive or flammable substances such as paint thinner, benzene, or nail polish remover. • This product is not water resistant. Keep it away from rain, snow, humidity, and general moisture. • Should the VC-310C sustain physical damage, do not touch any exposed interior metal parts. If touched, they may generate an electric shock or cause a malfunction. Promptly remove the batteries and take the product to an authorized service center for repair.
Installing Batteries The VC-310C can be powered by two AA batteries of several types: • Lithium (1.5 V) • Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) (1.2 V) • Alkaline (1.5 V) 1. 2. 3. 4. Turn the flash upside down. Press the button on the battery compartment cover so the cover flips open. Insert two AA batteries (not included) according to the diagrams inside the battery compartment. Close the battery compartment cover until it clicks. When the battery power is low, the battery indicator [ the LCD.
Mounting the Flash VC-310N 1 for Nikon To mount the flash on your camera, make sure the VC-310C is turned off and follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. Rotate the locking wheel counterclockwise to loosen it. Slide the mounting foot all the way into your camera’s hot shoe. Rotate the locking wheel clockwise until secure. 2 To dismount the flash from your camera, make sure the VC-310C is turned off and follow these steps: 1. 2. Rotate the locking wheel counterclockwise to release the flash.
Turning On the Flash and Firing a Test Shot To turn the flash on, press the power button. To turn the flash off, hold the power button for approximately two seconds. Flash ready indicator: The flash ready indicator lets you know when the flash is ready to fire again. The indicator will blink red when charging and remain lit when the flash is ready to fire. To fire a test flash, press the Test [ ] button.
Overheating protection mode: If the operating temperature of the VC-310C is too high after several full-power flashes, the flash will enter the overheating protection mode. The thermal warning indicator [TP-HI] will appear on the LCD, and you should let the flash cool down for a period of 2–5 minutes. Default setting: You can restore the flash to its original settings. To do this, first make sure the flash is off. Press and hold the Set and Power 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-310C’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.
Automatic E-TTL Flash Mode 1 ETTL 2.7 2 3 Overview 5 +1.7 SYNC FEB 4 1. E-TTL flash mode 2. 3. 4. 5. Flash exposure compensation value High-speed sync (HSS) Function button options Flash exposure bracketing When the VC-310C is mounted on a compatible Canon E-TTL camera, it can set the appropriate flash level automatically, in conjunction with the camera’s through-the-lens (TTL) metering system. To use E-TTL flash mode, mount the flash on the camera and follow these steps: 1. 2.
3. 4. Press the shutter release button on your camera halfway to ensure that the camera is communicating with the flash. A flash icon will appear in the camera’s viewfinder. Press your camera’s shutter release button to take the picture. With select camera models, the camera's aperture settings will appear on the flash LCD.
2. 3. Use the left or right arrows to adjust the exposure compensation from -3 to +3 stops, in increments of one-third. Press the Set button to confirm the value. Flash Exposure Bracketing (FEB) Flash exposure bracketing (FEB) lets you take three continuous pictures while automatically changing the flash exposure compensation between -3 and +3 stops, in increments of one-third. FEB is useful for shooting in situations in which it is difficult to determine the appropriate flash exposure.
Manual Flash Mode • Manual flash mode 1 M • Manual flash output 2 Overview 1/128+0.3 SYNC S1 3 1. 2. 3. Manual flash mode Manual flash output S1/S2 indicator You can set the VC-310C’s flash output level manually, for greater creative control over your images. The 1/1 setting is the full-power flash, and each successive setting halves the light output, all the way down to 1/128. You can also fine-tune the flash output in 1/3 increments.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Press the Set button to highlight the flash output level. Press the right or left arrows to set the desired flash output level. Press the Set button again to confirm settings. Press your camera’s shutter release button to take the picture. Adjust your camera’s exposure settings and the light output level of the flash as needed. When setting exposure settings on your camera, the highest shutter speed available will be your camera’s flash sync speed.
Bouncing Your Flash The VC-310C flash head can tilt down to -7° and up at 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90° angles to the lens. It can also swivel horizontally 90° to the right and 60° to the left. Using flash to directly illuminate a subject often creates harsh, unnatural, and unattractive shadows. 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, wall, or reflector.
Multi (Stroboscopic) Mode • • • • Multi flash mode 1 MULTI Multi power output Time (number of flashes) 2 1/128 Flash frequency 3 Overview 03 TIME 4 08H z HZ 1. 2. 3. 4. Multi flash mode Multi power output Time (number of flashes) Flash frequency The Multi (stroboscopic) mode fires the flash multiple times in quick succession during a single exposure. Stroboscopic lighting is often used to illustrate motion—this can create a unique effect in which moving objects appear multiple times in the frame.
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Press the Set button to confirm. Press the F1 function button to change the Time. This will set the number flashes that fire per exposure. Use the right and left arrows to adjust the amount. Press the F1 function button to confirm. Press the F2 function button [Hz] to change the frequency, or the number of flashes per second. Use the right and left arrows to adjust. To confirm your settings, press the F2 function button repeatedly until nothing is highlighted on the LCD.
Advanced Features Second-Curtain Synchronization When you photograph a moving subject with a flash and have a slow shutter speed (1/30 second or longer), 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 known as “dragging the shutter,” can be applied. Rear-curtain or second-curtain sync synchronizes the flash to fire near the end of the exposure.
Using Your VC-310C as a Wireless Master or Slave The VC-310C is equipped with advanced wireless flash functions, allowing you to fire the flash remotely while maintaining full TTL or manual control. In addition, the flash can be set to multiple channels and groups, affording you a host of creative lighting possibilities. Using the wireless optical system, you can trigger the flash from up to 49 feet (15.25 m) away.
Slave or remote flash: Flash units that are not directly connected to the camera and are controlled via the master flash or a controller are called slave or remote units. Many slave flash units can be used at once. Groups: With the VC-310C’s wireless system, you can assign slave flash units to any one of three groups (A, B, or C) and set the operating mode and power for each group separately. Channels: Master and slave flash units exchange data through channels.
Using Your VC-310C as a Wireless TTL Master 1 2 3 Overview ETTL 1 3 +0 7 C + − 0 SYNC 1. A B CH1 FEB A:B ratio 5 2. Groups 4 3. 4. Group C exposure compensation Channel 5. Flash control mode To set the VC-310C as a TTL master, follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. Make sure the flash mode is set to E-TTL. Press and hold the Mode button for 3 seconds until the flash control mode is highlighted. Press the right arrow repeatedly until the Master [ ] icon appears on the right hand side of the LCD.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Press the Set repeatedly until the group A:B ratio value is highlighted. Use the left and right arrows to adjust the A:B ratio by 1/2-stop increments. Press the Set button to confirm your settings and highlight the master channel settings. Use the left and right arrows to select the desired channel (1–4) for the master and groups. Press the Set button to confirm these settings. Setting up group C: Group C is the same power output as group B, and it is adjusted by exposure compensation. 1.
Using Your VC-310C as a Wireless TTL Slave ETTL Overview 3 1 GROUP A GROUP CH1 CH 2 1. 2. 3. Group Channel TTL slave indicator To set the VC-310C flash unit as a wireless TTL slave, follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Make sure the flash is on and set to E-TTL mode. Press and hold the Mode button until the standard flash control [ ] indicator is highlighted. Press the right arrow repeatedly until the TTL slave mode [ ] indicator appears on the LCD. Press the Set button to confirm.
To exit slave mode, press and hold the Mode button until the flash control mode indicator appears on the LCD. Use the right arrow to cycle through the flash control modes until the standard flash control indicator appears on the LCD. Important! When using a single slave flash, set it to the same group and channel as the master. When using multiple slave flash units, select the same group and channel for all units being used in a particular light position.
2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Press and hold the Mode button for 3 seconds until the flash controller indicator appears on the display. Press the right arrow repeatedly until the Master [ ] icon appears on the LCD. The default view displays group A’s output power. Press the F1 function button (GROUP) to cycle through groups A, B, and C. Press the Set button repeatedly to cycle through each group’s output level as well as the master channel setting.
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 and/or focus. To use the VC-310C as a manual optical slave, follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. In Manual mode, press and hold the Mode button until the flash control [ ] indicator appears on the LCD. Press the right arrow repeatedly until [S1] or [S2] shows up on the display. Press the Set button to confirm. Press the Set button to highlight the output level.
You can create various professional lighting setups by positioning slave units individually 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.
(Stroboscopic) Mode The VC-310C can be used as a wireless TTL master controller in the Multi (stroboscopic) mode. In wireless stroboscopic mode, the slaves will be set by the master for frequency, number of flashes, and independent group flash power setting, but the master will not add light to the final photo exposure. To set your VC-310C as a wireless stroboscopic master, follow these steps: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Turn the flash and camera on.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Press the F2 function button [Hz] to highlight the stroboscopic frequency. Press the left or right arrows to change the frequency. Press the F2 function button [Hz] again to confirm frequency and highlight the Stroboscopic count number. Press the left or right arrows to set the Stroboscopic count number. Press the Set button to confirm your settings. Access the slave groups and slave group settings: 1. 2. 3. Press the F1 function button to cycle through group settings A, AB, and ABC.
Specifications Type On-camera and wireless TTL automatic and manual flash Compatible cameras Canon cameras with Canon E-TTL flash system support Guide numbe (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.
Problem Solution The flash is stuck in the camera hot shoe. Make sure that the locking wheel is released (page 11). The flash is turned on but won’t fire. • Make sure that fresh batteries are installed and in the proper orientation (page 10). • Make sure the flash is securely 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.
Problem Solution The flash is set up as a wireless slave, but the light is not noticeable in the picture. • Make sure that the master flash is within the transmission range, and that the wireless sensor on the slave is pointing toward the master flash. Remove any obstructions in the line of sight between the two (page 32). • The ambient light may be too high (page 32). The edges of the images look dark. Make sure that the flash output power setting corresponds to the focal length of your lens.
Stroboscopic Reference This chart shows the maximum number of flashes possible for any given frequency/flash output combination.
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.
www.boltflashes.
