Sticker shock over Canon DVC Video Light

[jonnyGURU]

I have a Canon Digital Video camera. It makes an excellent digital still camera too, but there's no flash. I figured a hotshoe flash would work, but I noticed that the hotshoe on the camera is not live. I looked in the manual and found that the hotshoe is used for a light that plugs into the camera and is told by the camera through a wire when to turn on and off for both video and stills.

I'm thinking that this light is proprietary because they only show one model of this light... a VL-10Li. I found that the light is about $100, the battery for the light is about $50 and that battery doesn't use the same charger as the camera so a charger would be another $50.

COME ON!

That's highway robbery!

I think the shape and size of this hotshoe is standard. Where can I get a regular old light for it with a simple on/off switch that will make my stills look better (and don't say duct tape a MagLite to the top). I'm not about to spend 1/3 the price of the camera on a simple freaking light!!!! :| :| :|

 

[jonnyGURU]

So, no one has any ideas?

🙁

 

[Ornery]

Supposedly, these guys know their stuff. You could call and purhaps get some ideas from one of their salesmen. Or try a local camera shop that handles DV. Sunpak makes piles of flash units for different uses. They may have one that uses standard AA penlights and is triggered by the link.

 

[jonnyGURU]

I was actually considering just taking the camera with me to a camera shop. Just see if the thing is in fact a standard hotshoe or not. 🙁

 

[jaydee]

<< So, no one has any ideas? >>


Got a $5 flashlight, and a quick finger?

 

[jonnyGURU]

<<

<< So, no one has any ideas? >>


Got a $5 flashlight, and a quick finger? >>



What's sad is that I actually did that with the last pictures I took after I realized how poor they came out without a flash. 🙁