Canon Speedlite 188A User manual

Canon
SPEEDLITE
188A
E
Engtah tdHton

Introduction
The Canon Speedlite 188A is an automatic,
electronic, flash unit for hot-shoe attach¬
ment on the Canon A-series SLR cameras
such as AE-1 PROGRAM or A-1, and F-1
The speedlite mounts onto the accessory
shoe of the cameras lor hot-shoe attach¬
ment
On the A-1. AE-1 PROGRAM, and AE-1.
the 188A will set both the shutter speed
the aperture for the cameras set normally
for automatic exposure For the F-1. the
188A will set only the shutter speed or lens
aperture as well depending on the exposure
mode the camera is set for. For the AL-1,
AV-1 and AT-1, the flash will set the shut¬
ter speed automatically while the aperture is
set manually
When the 188A is used with the AE-1
PROGRAM, a blitz ”[J]" mark lights up In
the viewfinder when the flash is charged.
After the shutter is released, the same dis¬
play flashes on and off to indicate there
was sufficient illumination for the shooting
distance. Thus you can concentrate on
shooting and picture composition You
never have to take your eye away from the
viewfinder.
For the AE-1 PROGRAM as well as for
other A-series SLRs and the F-1, a unique
average light measuring system ensures at¬
taining better overall exposure.
Another feature of the 188A is that while
you are waiting for the flash to recycle, the
camera's normal automatic exposure func¬
tion is retained and you can shoot using ex¬
isting light Of course, for insufficient light
slow shutter speed is required and long ex¬
posures may be suitable only when there is
no motion to be stopped
2

Summary for Use of the 188A

Select an aperture
Mount the 188A on the camera
Check viewfinder information, and
press the shutter button.
5

Loading the Batteries
1 Use four new size AA alkaline-man¬
ganese (LR6/AM-3) or Ni-Cd batteries
Carbon-zinc batteries may also be
used, but their battery life is shorter
Before loading the batteries, wipe their
contacts and the flash contacts with a
clean, dry cloth to prevent poor contact
from dirt
2 Press and slide the battery chamber
cover off in the direction of the arrow in
the photo
3 Load the batteries so that their con¬
tacts are in the directions indicated by
the diagram inside the battery cham¬
ber For proper function of the flash, it
is very important that their contacts be
facing in the correct directions.
4 Once the batteries are loaded, slide the
battery chamber cover back on while
pressing the batteries down Make sure
the cover’s tab fits into the correspond¬
ing groove on the flash body.

• Remove the batteries if you do not
expect to use the 188A for about three
weeks or longer
• Set the main switch to OFF when
flash photography is finished
• When the batteries become exhausted,
replace all four at the same time with
four new ones of the same brand
• Since battery performance deteriorates
in low temperatures, keep the batteries
warm until just before use Keep a set
of spare batteries warm and alternate
them with the loaded ones so that
warm batteries are always in use
• In temperatures below 0°C, the use of
fully-charged Ni-Cd batteries is recom¬
mended When recharging Ni-Cd bat¬
teries, follow the instructions of the
battery manufacturer
• Each brand of Ni-Cd batteries has its
own terminal system Be sure to use a
type which is suitable for this flash,
Setting the ISO Film Speed
To set the film speed, slide the ISO film
speed switch until the ISO value of your
film is aligned with the orange index At this
time, the aperture displayed in the Aperture/
MANU window will also change Because
the guide number of the flash varies with
the sensitivity of the film in use, be sure to
set the ISO film speed correctly
* The number after ISO is the equivalent
ASA number
[ m

* Make sure that the camera is set to the
correct ISO film speed
It is possible to set the following ISO
film speeds Numbers in parentheses
are intermediate film speeds indicated
by the dots on the scale
( 32 ) ( 40 ) ( 64 ) (001 1125 ) (1601
IS025 . -50 • • 100 •
( 250 ) (3201 ( 500 ) ( 640 )
200 • • 400 • • 800
Choosing an Aperture and Reading its
Value
There is a choice of two apertures for auto¬
matic flash photography To select an aper¬
ture, set the Aperture/MANU selection
switch to the upper or middle position; the
aperture value will appear in the Aperture/
MANU window The aperture will change
depending on the setting of the ISO film
speed When ISO 100 film is used, for ins¬
tance, the upper position Is f/2 8 and the
middle position is f/5 6
When the Aperture/MANU selection switch
is set on the lowest position, "MANU” ap¬
pears in the window As this indicates
manual flash photography, automatic flash
photography is impossible
• In automatic flash photography, if the
ISO film speed is set between gradua¬
tions. such as 64 or 80, the aperture
value indicated is between click-stops
on the aperture ring In the case of the
F-1 (depending on its exposure mode),
AL-1 or AV-1, set the lens' aperture
ring to the click-stop of the larger aper¬
ture

Reading the Auto Shooting Distance
Range
Once you have selected an aperture by
setting the Aperture/MANU selection
switch to the upper or middle position,
there is only a certain range of shooting
distances which wilt give correct exposure
On the 188A, the correct shooting dis¬
tance is indicated by the red and green
lines in accordance with the selection of
the aperture
The break in the colored tine indicates the
maximum limits of the range, and the left
range is effective when the Wide Adaptor
188A is attached
Effective Shooting Distance Range
Green Line
Red Line
0.5-4.5m; 1 6-15 ft
(0 5-2 8m; 1.6-9 ft)
l-9m: 3 3-30 ft
(1-5.6m: 3.3-18 ft.)
HIf_
0.5 1 2 0 4.5 5 i On
1.6 13 9 15 18 30 ft
(Numbers in parentheses indicate the range oT correct
shooting distances when the Wide Adaptor 188A is
attached )
After focusing, confirm the shooting dis¬
tance on the lens' distance scale Remem¬
ber that correct exposure is impossible if
the shooting distance is not within the
effective shooting range.
Both depth of field and the shooting dis¬
tance are factors to consider when select¬
ing an aperture on the 168A Use tt)e
following as guides:
9

upper position: For isolating the subject
(red line) from its surroundings by
blurring the foreground
and background Also to
be used when the sub¬
ject distance is greater
than 4 5m (15 ft.) (with¬
out Wide Adaptor 188A).
or when camera-to-sub-
ject distance varies with¬
in the limits of the effec¬
tive range
Middle position: For the widest range of
(green line) good focus in front of
and behind the subject.
* Note that the auto shooting distance
ranges remain the same regardless of
the film speed
Mounting the 188A on the Camera
1 Turn OFF the 188A's main switch.
2 Loosen the lock nut and insert the
Speedlite into the camera's accessory
shoe For correct electrical contact,
make sure it is pushed in all the way
Retighten the lock nut
3