Fill flash with M9 - Help!

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Randomtask

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I've got a wedding to shoot at the end of the month, and much as I'm loath to admit it, I am going to need the help of some daylight fill-flash.

I'll be shooting with the M9 + 35, 50 and 90 Summicrons, mostly at f/2.8 (f/4 on the 90mm). I want to be able to use just enough flash (very weak) to take the shadows out of the faces.

I currently own the SF24D which I seem unable to get to fire at any shutter speed over 1/125. Shooting in bright daylight at f/2.8 will probably give me shutter speeds of about 1/2000 at 160 ISO

Any help would be much appreciated!
 
Wrong camera to use with fill flash.

Wrong camera to use with fill flash.

Randomtask said:
I've got a wedding to shoot at the end of the month, and much as I'm loath to admit it, I am going to need the help of some daylight fill-flash.

I'll be shooting with the M9 + 35, 50 and 90 Summicrons, mostly at f/2.8 (f/4 on the 90mm). I want to be able to use just enough flash (very weak) to take the shadows out of the faces.

I currently own the SF24D which I seem unable to get to fire at any shutter speed over 1/125. Shooting in bright daylight at f/2.8 will probably give me shutter speeds of about 1/2000 at 160 ISO

Any help would be much appreciated!
Click to expand...


If you want to shoot at f/2.8 or f/4, you've got a big problem. The only way that I can think of is using a strong (4X) ND filter....and you'll need two or three filters, one for each lens, unless you want to switch filters every time you switch lenses...not recommended during a wedding shoot.
Anyway, the 90 'Cron uses a different size filter, so you'll need at least two ND's, preferably three.
Have you ever shot a wedding with fill-flash before? My advice is to use another camera that has a higher synch speed. Save the M9 for the available light shots.
 
The reflector idea is a good one, and probably better than fill-flash for outdoor shots as you describe. You could, of course, stack on ND filters or use slower film, but I think what you're looking at is not "how do I do this" as much as "should I do this?" Flash is just one way to get shadows out of faces. Good availablel light understanding can go a long way towards some very dramatic photos. Riccis, as member here, does most of his wedding photography with available light (see some of his work here: http://www.riccisvalladares.com/ Of course, he usually uses Tri-X pushed to 1600.

If you want to go the SLR route, the Olympus OM-4t/ti with the F280 flash can sync at any speed (up to 1/2000).
 
Doesn't Leica offer anything like Highspeed Sync? With my Canon equipment I can switch the flash to High Speed Sync HSS and then it's possible to shoot shorter times. Reduces the power of the flash but for eliminating shadows you wouldn't use full power anyway.
 
tom.w.bn said:
Doesn't Leica offer anything like Highspeed Sync? With my Canon equipment I can switch the flash to High Speed Sync HSS and then it's possible to shoot shorter times. Reduces the power of the flash but for eliminating shadows you wouldn't use full power anyway.
Click to expand...

Depends ...

Rgds
Ivo
 
Funny that - I used an OM4Ti for many years.

I'm no stranger to fill flash and in the past I have used a unit that I have 'forced' to fire on a manual setting. The SF unit won't allow me to do that.

Reflectors are fine for the posed stuff as is an off-camera set up. But they don't work for the grab shots and the candid shots that make such great photos :(

I appreciate the comments
 
Well for grab shots I still prefer no flash. I used to shoot weddings and like events but I hate the effect of on camera flash. Held by someone else and used as something that appears to be other than flash, great but with a Leica, there will be misses as natural light is what I would work with.
 
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