A touch of flash..with M

[alexz]

Hi guys.
Long time reading the list, very seldom posting...but now need your advise.
I mostly shoot B&W in my M3 and M6, or should I say nearly always, but color time is approaching.
There are Bar Mitzva event in my family approaching and they asked a color (not as a formal photographer through). In some not so distant past I did a bit of color on few smaller family gatherings
having Sanpak 383 Super (auto-thyristor unit) on my M6 in auto-aperture mode - worked excellent producing quite precise flash exposures.

However, at this time I'd rather considering shooting available light with ISO 800 film (will push to 1600 if necessary) but would still like to add just a touch of flash to fetch a subtle catchlights in subject's eyes.
So I thought deliberately set the flash to -1.5 or probably -2 stop under (say, setting it up to f/2.8 whilst shooting actually at f/5.6) so that the main exposure is obtained by available light and flash would be just enough for a catchlights.
Do you think it is viable approach ?

Film would be Fuji Pro 800 Z or probably Superia 400 pushed to 800 is I'll see 800 is enough for available light. I used to shoot and push Press 800 which is fine film, but the only 800 my dealer has in stock recently is Pro 800 Z which appears to be high contrast film.
What do you think in this regard ? Is it easy to cope people work on that emulsion ? or probably high contrast nature of one may harm noticeably skin tones ?

Thanks, Alex

P.S. I also posted to LUG to gain more opinions, both RFF and LUG are valuable advisers for me.

 

[laptoprob]

I did this once with my - then - M2. I guessed underexposing 5 stops. That was spot on. The underexposure amount varies with flash power ofcourse. I would not go for specific high contrast material though.

Do you have time left to test exposures?

The flash system is one of the reasons why I kept my CLE. The brilliant TTL flash system never failed me when I was shooting its SLR cousin X-700.

 

[payasam]

Have no experience of that film, but the approach you propose should work. An alternative is to do "experimental" work with one body and more conservative work with the other.

 

[nbphoto]

If you have time, try to get hold of a couple of rolls of Kodak Portra 400VC and push it to 800. Portra has nice fine grain and works great on skin tones.
Use VC if you require contrast, use NC if your gamaut is narrow as this gives even more natural tones.

 

[alexz]

Thanks guys.
Well, I have no complaints about Sanpak 383 Super performance, from my limited experience with one on my M6 (about 3-4 rolls), almost all exposures (indoors) were quite precise, this is in spite of a "primitive" by nowadays means auto-thyristor operation of the unit.

But wouldn't -5 stops be too weak to get noticeable in subject's eyes ?

 

[btgc]

800Z is very nice film, and for people I like it much more than Press/Superia line. It rather has saturation, but kind of pastel; contrast is rather medium to low, in my understanding. Try it, at least a roll or two.