Canonet G3 QL17 + Flash Sync Cord + 430EX Flash

[tomwalsh]

As you could see, I recently found out that when using my Flash Sync Cord (OM-E3) w/ a 430EX flash on my old Canonet G3 QL17 rangefinder, the flash will actually work. The only problem though, that I found out last night when shooting friends in a dark room, is that the camera doesn't tell the flash how bright it needs to be (Obviously). So aside from my friends being blind and hating me, lol, how can I change the exposure compensation on the flash to a good exposure and use it with the Canonet? And wouldn't the flash overexpose the film since the camera/flash can't talk to eachother?

If anyone knows even anything, it would be greatly appriciated.

 

[StaaleS]

Easy: You can buy an old Nikon flash. SB-24/25/26/27/28, for example (or, presumably, an old Metz or Vivitar or anything but one of the overly automated Canon units). Unlike Canon flashes the Nikon units have an "A" mode, where the flash uses its own built-in light sensor to determine when enough is enough. Just tell it the aperture and ISO you are using and off you go. You do have to have manual control over the camera aperture though.

I've done some experiments with a 1Ds mkII and SBs 25, 26 and 27 and they all do a perfectly reasonable job with the automatic flash exposure. No worse than my fully wiz-bang E-TTL-II-with-knobs-on 580EX mark II, which does have too much of a mind of its own sometimes. And the build quality of the old Nikons is every bit as good as the 580 II. They can be had cheap because they are not compatible with the TTL flash system of the digital Nikon bodies.

(The best deal of the lot IMHO is the SB-26 which includes a built-in slave-flash sensor, which means that it can be used as a second flash in a multiflash setup without any additional gizmos at all. It even recharges fast enough at 1/2 strength to be used when the primary flash is in TTL mode.)

Alternatively, you can use your Canon 430 in fully manual mode. It's a bit more like hard work of course, and you don't have a histogram to help you 🙁