Bowens XMS Studio Flash User Manual page 12

Operation
12
Ready Indication Setting continued.
4. To turn off the READY indications, briefly press the READY Button. Both
the indicators will be turned off.
5. Briefly press the READY button again to turn the ready indications back on.
Photocell
The XMS photocell allows the unit to be triggered by another flash unit.
The photocell is specially designed to work under studio light conditions. Direct light or
other strong light sources may reduce the sensitivity of the cell.
The photocell has two operating modes:
• CELL - Any flash recognised by the photocell will trigger the unit.
• PRE CELL - The photocell can be set to detect and ignore on-camera flash
pre-flashes.
Depending on the camera manufacturer and model, pre-flashes are variously used for
focusing, exposure control and for reducing red eye. Normally the last flash detected
will be the main flash, but a specific flash in a sequence of pre-flashes can be chosen to
trigger the XMS using the photocell source settings.
When a camera pre-flash is active it will release one or more flashes before the main
flash. The XMS will skip the set number of flashes and trigger on the one required, which
should be the main flash.
NOTE: The cell pre-flash mode will not work with cameras that use a red eye reduction
lamp. It will only work for cameras that use a pre-flash sequence emitted from the main
flash.
Sync Source Setting
Use the SYNC button to select the cell:
1. To select the photocell, press and hold down the SYNC button until only the
CELL Indicator is illuminated. The unit will be triggered by any
infrared (IR) light pulse received from another flash unit or other suitable
pulsed light source.