SLR Lanc User Manual

 

Shutter Sync

Reading the Shutter Sync: To see the measured shutter sync after an exposure, continue to hold down the shutter release button on the SLR Shepherd and examine the LCD display on the SLR Shepherd. The sync is displayed on the top line as fractional seconds and on the bottom line in milliseconds. The letter "A" or "B" in the lower left corner of the display indicates which of the two cameras is lagging behind the other.

Advanced Features: The SLR Shepherd is set up for immediate use without further adjustment. However, if one wishes to customize timing or features, a set of adjustments are available. To make adjustments, hold down the shutter release button of the SLR Shepherd to power the SLR Shepherd, then press the <UP> or <DN> buttons to scroll through the features. Use the <Select> button to choose the feature. Then use the <UP>, <DN>, and <Select> buttons to use the feature. Simply release the shutter button to exit the menu and turn off the SLR Shepherd. To reset all features of the SLR Shepherd to original settings, first release all buttons, then while holding down the <UP>, <DN>, and <Select> buttons, press the shutter release button half way to power up the SLR Shepherd and restore default settings.

	Capture Mode: Select how many prior exposure sync measurements are used to calculate shutter release offset. The default is to average the last three exposures, but none ("Manual") to eight ("Ave 8") can be used.
	Zero Offset: Select this to reset the shutter offset to zero.
	Capture Offset: After an exposure, select here to capture the current shutter sync measurement as the shutter offset. Useful when a mode on the cameras is changed. Instead of waiting for the SLR Shepherd averaging algorithm to catch up with a change in shutter sync, capturing the latest shutter sync here as the shutter offset allows the photographer to more quickly accommodate a new shutter sync.
	Adjust Offset: Displays the current shutter offset, and allows adjustment of the offset.
	Adjust Contact: Adjust the time the output strobe trigger contacts are closed. Default is 120 milliseconds, but can be adjusted from 4 to 1000 milliseconds in 4 millisecond intervals. At adjustment value zero ("Camera" displayed), the contact time of the cameras is used instead of a discrete value here. Some flash generators need a specific contact time to function properly, and this adjustment allows for this need.
	Flash Curtain: Default is "Front" or first curtain, for the camera setting of strobe occurring at the beginning of an exposure. For some types of action photography, "Rear" or second curtain flash can be useful to put the motion blur behind the flash pop. The setting here needs to match the setting in both cameras for correct flash sync control.
	Check Battery: A measurement of the battery voltage under load is performed, with both a voltage and a five-bar scale displayed.

Care of the SLR Shepherd: The SLR Shepherd is powered by two lithium CR2032 coin cell batteries (20mm diameter, 2.3mm thickness, 3 volts each). Based on four seconds on-time per exposure, this gives a battery life of about 50,000 exposures.

If the batteries ever do need to be changed, one can remove the four screws from the back of the SLR Shepherd enclosure, and replace the two coin cells in the battery holder. Caution:To utilize as much of the battery life as possible, the SLR Shepherd does not have protection from reversed polarity of the batteries. One one must check the polarity carefully when installing the batteries. These batteries are one of the most commonly available coin cells, and can be purchased at most local grocery, drug, and hardware stores. 

The most vulnerable component of this stereo camera system is the cables. The cables are designed to withstand flexion, but cannot withstand much tension, so one should do not allow the SLR Shepherd to hang by the cables! With care, the cables will last a very long time.