Cobra 700AF Instruction Book

70OAF

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INSTRUCTION BOOK

FOR FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY

WITH AF CAMERAS

WHAT'S

1 Zoom head focal length scale
2 Bounce angle scale
3 Swivel action
4 Battery compartment cover
5 Film speed selector/distance scale
6 Flash test button
7 Flash ready light
8 ON/OFF Switch
9 Auto check indicator
10 Hotshoe locking wheel
11

'Flash

12 *Autofocus illuminator
13 Removable module
14 Module locking Switch
Notes* FOR EFFECTIVE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY DO NOT OBSTRUCT

PARTS

11

tion your Cobra 700AF will switch over to standby mode after five
minutes. Simply press the
button (6) to restore power. For longer periods of time switch the
flashgun off using the ON/OFF switch (8).

Warning : There are no user-serviceable parts in this flashgun. Ex­tremely high voltages are generated inside the unit, so never attempt
to dismantle or tamper with it. Any attempts to open the flashgun will
invalidate the guarantee.

WHAT ON THE COBRA 700AF

head

AND 12 WITH YOUR FINGERS. To reduce battery consump-

camera's

shutter button or the test flash

HOW TO USE COBRA 700AF

1.

LOAD THE BATTERIES

Slide the battery cover (4) towards the
front of the flash and insert the batter­ies according to the diagram inside the
compartment. Close the cover by slid­ing it firmly back into place.
Ensure that the batteries are fitted prop-

erly, and remove them when storing
the gun for a long period of time. The
majority of flash faults are caused by
leaking or incorrectly fitted batteries.
This flashgun takes four 1.5V AA size
Alkaline batteries or Ni-Cad equivalent.
We strongly advise against the use of
zinc-carbon batteries due to their short
life and tendency to leak.

2. MOUNT THE FLASH ON THE

CAMERA'S

First switch off the gun. Then ensure
that the
in place, as marked on the flashgun.
Next rotate the locking wheel (10) up-

wards and slide the flash shoe into the

camera's

There should be no need to force it
into place. Rotate the locking wheel
(10) downwards to hold the flash on
the camera.
Note:With Dynax version slide catch
towards "LOCK"

HOT-SHOE

flash

shoe module

hot-shoe until

(13)

it's

fully home.

is locked

Make sure the batteries are fitted
correctly

Secure the flashgun on the

hotshoe

with the locking wheel

3. SWITCH THE FLASH ON

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Make sure that the camera is switched
on. Then simply slide the ON/OFF switch

(8) to the right. If the batteries are fresh
the gun will charge up in less than 12
sec. and the ready light (7) will glow. If
the gun is new, or hasn't been used for
a while, fire the flash with the test but­ton (6) a couple of times to get the
flash working at full capacity.
Note:The flash exposure is controlled

via the camera's
and

"Off-the-film"

Though-the-lens

(TTL)

(OTF) systems. There­fore if the flash is tested on camera
without a film or test card loaded incor­rect flash operation will result.

4.

HOW

TO POSITION THE BOUNCE

AND SWIVEL HEAD

The 700AF offers the advantages of a
zoom head with tilt and swivel facili-

ties.
Zoom head. By pre-setting the zoom
head to match the lens in use you can
obtain even light coverage with wideangle
lenses and still maximise the flashgun's

power output with longer lenses.

Simply set the number on the head

(1)

that most closely matches the focal length
of the lens. So if it's an 85mm lens or
longer, set 85; standard lens, set 50;

35mm lens, set 35; and 28mm

lens,

set 28. Don't forget to alter the zoom
head when using a zoom lens.
Note:For 24mm lenses set the zoom
head to 28 and fit the wideangle dif-

fuser. This will cause slight underex­posure by about 1 stop, which is not
noticeable with colour print film.

Slide the on-off switch to the right

Set the zoom head to match the
focal length of the lens in use,
or its nearest equivalent. Don't
forget to alter the zoom head
when using a zoom

/ens'

Tilt and

swivel.The

700AF's head can be tilted upwards and swivelled
sideways to bounce the light off white or neutral coloured surfaces. This
gives a much more flattering result, preventing washed-out highlights
reducing harsh shadows and eliminating red-eye. The head can be
tilted from Odeg (straight ahead), through 45, 60 and 75deg to 90deg
(straight upwards). It will also swivel right through to

180deg,

useful for

bouncing the light off a wall.

5. SELECT AN EXPOSURE MODE

For simple point-and-shoot photography, leave your camera in Program
mode. However, the Cobra 700AF's advanced dedication allows you to

choose any other exposure mode

available

e.g. aperture priority, shut­ter priority and manual. Further details for using this flashgun with
specific cameras is provided overleaf.

6. FILM SPEED SELECTOR/DISTANCE SCALE (5)

This scale can be used as a guide to maximum shooting distances,

especially useful when using the camera in its TTL manual mode. The
scale is not electronically connected to the flash unit and its use will not
affect the flash output, which is completely controlled by the camera.

7. AF ILLUMINATOR

The 700AF has a built in autofocus
illuminator (12) to enable the camera
to judge the distance, and adjust the
focus of the lens in low ambient light or
total darkness. The illuminator fires a
red light when the shutter release but­ton of the camera is pressed. The camera
can then adjust the focus of the lens
and when correct will fire the shutter
and the flash. The illuminator has an
effective distance of 7 metres. Beyond
this distance manual focus should be

used.

Bouncing the flash light off a
white wall or ceiling gives a more
flattering result to portraits