Bolt VS-570C, User Manual

Page 1: ...Inspiration strikes Inspiration strikes VS 570C for Canon WIRELESS TTL FLASH User s Manual ...

Page 2: ...2 Copyright 2015 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: ...fits you ll enjoy Full compatibility with Canon s E TTL and E TTL II metering systems Optical wireless master or slave 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 Rea...

Page 4: ... Extended Interface 17 Using the Automatic TTL Flash Mode 18 19 Using High Speed Sync 19 20 Locking Flash Exposure 20 21 Using Flash Exposure Compensation 21 Using the Manual Flash Mode 22 23 Controlling Flash Coverage Zoom 23 26 Using the Autofocus Assist Light 26 Bouncing Your Flash 27 29 Using Rear or Second Curtain Synchronization 29 30 ...

Page 5: ...nual Master Setup 40 41 Choose the Group mode 41 43 Master Summary Screen 44 47 Using Your VS 570C as a Wireless TTL Slave 48 49 Using Your VS 570C as a Wireless Manual Flash 50 52 Positioning Remote Flash Units 52 53 Upgrading the Firmware on the VS 570C 53 Troubleshooting 54 55 Specifications 56 Guide Number Chart 57 FCC Notices 58 One Year Limited Warranty 59 ...

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

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 H TTL EV EV S M GROUP B GROUP A GROUP C 32 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: ...our flash unit please wait for at least 10 minutes after 20 continuous flashes at full power Do not disassemble or attempt 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 reach of children Use only the power sources specified in this manual Always switch the flash off before changing the...

Page 11: ...w humidity and general moisture Should the VS 570C get damaged 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 If you detect excessive heat smoke or a burning smell coming from the flash immediately stop operation and remove the batteries...

Page 12: ...unctioning properly Contacts may be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab Dispose of used batteries properly Never heat them or throw them into a fire as this could cause the batteries to leak corrosive liquids generate heat or explode Installing Batteries The VS 570C can be powered by four AA batteries of several types Lithium 1 5 V Nickel metal hydride NiMH 1 2 V Alkaline 1 5 V Note Fo...

Page 13: ...f 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 batteries at the same time Do not mix battery types or brands or use old and new batteries together 1 3 ...

Page 14: ...ount the flash on your camera make sure the VS 570C 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 LOCK 45 60 75 LOCK 45 60 75 2 1 ...

Page 15: ...snug Do not overtighten To dismount the flash from your camera make sure the VS 570C is turned off and follow these steps 1 Turn the mounting foot lock counterclockwise to loosen it 2 Slide the mounting foot out of your camera s hot shoe LOCK 45 60 75 LOCK 45 60 75 3 1 ...

Page 16: ...low red If the flash is mounted on your camera a flash icon will also appear in the camera s viewfinder To fire a test flash press the Ready light 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 57...

Page 17: ...rder for it to operate PC Sync You can synchronize your VS 570C with a camera by running a PC cord between your camera and the VS 570C 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 570C is only for synchronous signal input and not output To access the extended interface follow these steps 1 Pull back t...

Page 18: ...n automatic mode This will be confirmed by the TTL mode indicator on the LCD If the flash has been set to another mode press the Mode button repeatedly to cycle through the flash modes until TTL or E 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 en...

Page 19: ...p increments The indicator will display the f stop closest to your current camera setting Note The aperture setting may not appear with all cameras Using High Speed Sync You can use shutter speeds higher than your camera s top flash sync speed with the VS 570C by activating high speed sync in automatic TTL mode High speed sync lets you use shutter speeds as fast as 1 8000 second This is especially...

Page 20: ...gh speed sync mode is activated and will appear when high speed sync mode is deactivated Locking Flash Exposure In automatic TTL mode you can lock the flash output level that is optimal for specific elements of your scene by using the flash exposure lock FEL on your camera To lock flash exposure follow these steps 1 Position the element of your scene that you want to be correctly exposed in the ce...

Page 21: ...Compensation In automatic TTL mode you can use flash exposure compensation to adjust the VS 570C s flash output incrementally just as you would adjust exposure with the exposure compensation function on your camera To apply flash exposure compensation press the up or down buttons on the flash to increase or decrease flash exposure by 1 3 stop up to 3 stops total The LCD will display EV or EV next ...

Page 22: ...ator show on the LCD Press the up or down buttons to set the desired flash output level The output level will cycle through in both directions 2 Set the exposure settings you want to use on your camera The highest shutter speed available will be your camera s flash sync speed To use higher shutter speeds switch to automatic TTL mode and activate high speed sync see Using High Speed Sync on page 19...

Page 23: ...ust 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 Controlling Flash Coverage Zoom The VS 570C s angle of coverage can be adjusted zoomed to match the focal length of your lens so that your image is evenly illuminated from edge to edge M ...

Page 24: ...ress the shutter release button on your camera halfway to initiate communication between the camera and the flash the flash zoom will adjust to match the lens focal length and the closest zoom setting will 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 ...

Page 25: ...also be used to achieve special effects such as using the 105mm setting with a wide angle lens to produce a vignette Using the flash with wide angle lenses When you have a lens wider than 24mm mounted 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 th...

Page 26: ...ubject in dim light When the ambient light level is low the VS 570C 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 Note that the autofocus assist light is available only when your camera s autofocus system is set to center or multi point autofocus It is not ...

Page 27: ...llowing 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 to provide softer more natural illumination The VS 570C flash head can be tilted up at 45 60 75 and 90 angles to the lens It can also be swiveled horizontally 180 to the left and 120 to the right 45 60 75 ...

Page 28: ...tral colored surface will not alter the color of the light while bouncing off of a gold toned surface can give portraits a warmer look Other colors while usually not desirable can be used for creative effects Creating catchlights Catchlights are the reflections that appear in people s eyes in photographs Without catchlights eyes can have a dull lifeless look To create catchlights in your subjects ...

Page 29: ...h 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 ...

Page 30: ... 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 sync creates a more realistic impression of movement The VS 570C supports rear curtain sync modes on cameras that offer the setting Consult your ...

Page 31: ...h in order to learn how to work with multiple wireless flash units Master This can be the VS 570C 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 32: ... system nearby Groups With the VS 570C 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 Using Your VS 570C as a Wireless Master The VS 570C can be used as a wireless TTL or manual master enabling you to set and control all functions of your wireless slave flash units from the VS 570C In TTL master mode the VS 57...

Page 33: ...t or enable are wireless master mode master flash on off channel number high speed sync on off group mode and each group s power ratio or FEV To set the VS 570C as a wireless master follow these steps 1 Enable wireless master mode Make sure the VS 570C is in TTL mode 2 Press and hold the Mode button until the wireless master summary screen appears For more information on the summary screen refer t...

Page 34: ... 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 channel Press the Mode button and use the up or down navigation buttons to cycle through channels 1 4 EV EV EV EV ...

Page 35: ...ync refer to page 19 6 Choose the wireless communication mode Choose whether to use the VS 570C as a wireless master in TTL or manual mode Press the Mode button and use the up or down navigation buttons to select TTL or Manual For instructions on TTL master setup continue with TTL Master Setup below For instructions on manual master setup continue with Manual Master Setup page 40 H EV EV TTL M EV ...

Page 36: ...res at twice the power of group B In A B C mode all three groups fire As in A B mode power output for groups A and B is set at a ratio Additionally group C is the same power output as group B and is adjusted by EV For example if the A B ratio is set at 2 1 and group C is set at 2 EV group B will fire at 1 2 the power of group A while group C will fire at 1 4 the power of group B In this scenario g...

Page 37: ...h the three TTL modes ABC mode While cycling through the three TTL modes press the Mode button when the ABC mode indicator appears onscreen At this point your VS 570C s wireless TTL master setup will be complete The wireless master summary screen will appear and you will be ready to start shooting For more information on this screen refer to The TTL Master Summary Screen on page 44 GROUP B GROUP A...

Page 38: ...appears onscreen 2 Set the A B power ratio Use the up or down navigation buttons to adjust the A B power ratio from 8 1 to 1 8 3 Confirm your settings Press the Mode button to return to the wireless master summary screen At this point your VS 570C s wireless TTL master setup will be complete and you will be ready to start shooting GROUP B GROUP A EV EV GROUP B GROUP A EV EV 1 2 ...

Page 39: ... A B power ratio from 8 1 to 1 8 3 Set EV for group C Press the Mode button and use the up or down navigation buttons to adjust EV from 3 0 to 3 0 Group C s EV adjustment will be relative to group B s power setting 4 Confirm your settings Press the Mode button to return to the wireless master summary screen At this point your VS 570C s wireless TTL master setup will be complete and you will be rea...

Page 40: ...ach of your slave flash groups Flash power output is indicated onscreen as levels 1 through 8 Each successive level halves the output from full power 1 all the way down to 1 128 power 8 over an eight stop range as detailed in the table below Flash Level Flash power output 1 1 1 full power 2 1 2 3 1 4 4 1 8 5 1 16 6 1 32 7 1 64 8 1 128 ...

Page 41: ... groups fire and power output is set individually for all three groups Choose the Group mode After completing steps 1 6 on pages 33 35 press the Mode button to continue to the wireless master setup screen Use the up or down navigation buttons to cycle through the three manual modes A mode To set A mode follow these steps 1 Choose A mode While cycling through the three manual modes press the Mode b...

Page 42: ...s point the wireless manual master setup will be complete and you will be ready to start shooting AB mode To set AB mode follow these steps 1 Choose AB mode While cycling through the three manual modes press the Mode button when the AB mode indicator appears onscreen 2 Set the power output for group A Use the up or down navigation buttons to set the power output for group A from 1 8 GROUP A EV EV ...

Page 43: ...hree manual modes press the Mode button when the ABC mode indicator appears onscreen 2 Set the power output for group A Use the up or down navigation buttons to set the power output for group A from 1 8 3 Set the power output for group B Press the Mode button and use the up or down navigation buttons to set the power output for group B from 1 8 4 Set the power output for group C Press the Mode but...

Page 44: ...44 TTL Master Summary screen H TTL GROUP B GROUP A GROUP C 1 6 7 2 3 4 5 8 ...

Page 45: ...TTL 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 TTL Master Summary screen 45 ...

Page 46: ...46 Manual Master Summary screen H M GROUP B GROUP A GROUP C 1 6 7 2 3 4 5 8 ...

Page 47: ...l Master Summary screen 47 Manual Master Summary screen 1 High speed sync 2 Wireless Manual mode 3 Manual mode 4 Slave channel 5 Slave group 6 Zoom mode 7 Zoom position 8 Manual Master Summary Setting Screen ...

Page 48: ...t the appropriate group and channel on the master unit Consult the master s manual to find out how to set it 3 Press the Mode button repeatedly to cycle through the flash modes until the Wireless TTL mode icon appears on the LCD A To set the VS 570C as a Canon TTL slave press the up and down buttons repeatedly until C TTL appears Press the Mode button to confirm and the LCD will display E TTL B To...

Page 49: ...d channel as the master D When using multiple flash units select the same group and channel for all units being used in a particular light position For example if you are using three VS 570C units you might want to 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...

Page 50: ...g the remote flash units manually To set a VS 570C flash unit to function as a slave with the output 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 1 Press the Mode button once to enter Slave mode 2 Set the slave mode as desired See Setting the slave mode on page 51 3 If desired adjust the flash coverage angle by pr...

Page 51: ...rect time there are three different slave modes available modes 0 1 and 2 To select the correct slave mode follow these steps 1 Make sure the flash is in slave mode 2 Press the Up and Down buttons to cycle through the slave mode options 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 wi...

Page 52: ...onal 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 mas...

Page 53: ...doors 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 Upgrading the Firmware on the VS 570C In order to ensure compatibility with future cameras the VS 570C s firmware may be updated This can be done to ensure proper communicati...

Page 54: ...ess master but the slave won t fire The flash is set up as a wireless slave but it 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 52 The ambient light may be too high Page 52 The flash is set up as a manual optical slave but the lig...

Page 55: ...oom setting corresponds to the focal length of your lens Page 23 There s a whining sound coming from the flash This is normal and does not indicate a malfunction When the flash becomes warm from continuous use vibrations inside the unit may cause this sound It will dissipate as the unit cools ...

Page 56: ...diffuser panel Flash duration 1 1 000 1 20 000 second High speed synchronization Yes Flash recycle time 0 5 9 seconds AA NiMH 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 fl...

Page 57: ...ivel range Right 0º 120º Left 0º 180º Dimensions 2 5 3 9 4 7 65 100 120 mm Weight 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 58: ...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 59: ...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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