Flash advice requested

[Ronald_H]

The usual 'little helper' for my analogue cameras is the Nikon SB-30. A small flash that has its own sensor to determine flash exposure. It works very well.

BUT, the SB-30 cannot do the following: Adding just that little bit of flash when your lens is wide open and you use (very) fast film.

I could of course just buy a Nikon SB800/900 and get it over with, but are there alternatives? The whole point is of course accurate flash exposure (by the flash itself) at low light levels.

 

[Mablo]

What kind of a camera are you using. A Nikon SLR like F100 and a Nikon flash would fit the bill but something tells me you are not using a SLR.

 

[Ronald_H]

I want to use the flash on my old manual cameras. Evrything from a Leica M2, to a Canonet QL17, a Yashica Mat 124, Nikon FM and Hassy 500 C/M.

 

[Photon42]

You can put something in front of the flash tube to reduce and better diffuse the light. I don't know of any flash of similar size which allows for reducing power this much.

Rgds
Ivo

 

[sniki]

Take a look at this Dante Stella paper "Fill flash for amnesiacs!"; it's a very good point to understand fill flash technique and its limits.

http://www.dantestella.com/technical/fill.html

 

[onthedot]

I use an old Metz 30 flash on all my old cameras. It gives variable power over 3 stops, and doesn't fry the electronics on my newer cameras (I tested the voltage _on mine_ across the contacts).