Flash for R-D1

LCT said:
From 1.5V to 3.48V according to Kevin Bjorke's "Strobe Trigger Voltages" (http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html).
Better than my SB-20 (5.5V) so no problem i guess but i did not try the SB-28 in person.
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Huh...I didn't expect the SB-20 to be so close to the critical risk voltage of the RD-1 series. Interesting.

Do you have any sample shots of the SB-20's performance mounted on an RD-1? Most of the ones I've seen seem to suffer from light fall-off.
 
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Interesting points being made about possible voltage discrepancies. I use the Leica SF 24D on my RD-1s and M6. I've been planning on getting a sync cord so I can move it around for more lighting options. It performs well, easy to change power/f/range, but I could do without having to carry around and use the wide angle and tele angle plastic shoes that go over the flash to modify its FOV.
 
saiminyaku said:
...Do you have any sample shots of the SB-20's performance mounted on and RD-1? Most of the ones I've seen seem to suffer from light fall-off.
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Nothing i can show here sorry but the SB-20 is made for full frame so i would not expect any problem with crop cameras.
 
LCT said:
Nothing i can show here sorry but the SB-20 is made for full frame so i would not expect any problem with crop cameras.
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Not a problem, thanks for taking the time to leave a response.

I am looking at wireless triggers on eBay right now as I would like to do some off-camera flash work in the future with my RD-1s. Anyone have any suggestions that won't put too much stress on this dRF? Thanks.
 
I have successfully used the Contax TLA 140 (designed for the contax G silver/titanium). It's small and light - followed the little chart on the back of the unit and got decent results. I see keh.com has them for $29!

Wondering - has anyone tried the Canon Speedlite 430EX, I have one of these, but never thought to try it (I guess some fear it was too powerful)...
 
I've used the SB28 on mine with no ill effects. I now use a Metz 48AF for Nikon in manual mode, since I can't be bothered to have a flash for every use/camera, but rather one that fits all. Both the SB28 and 48AF are however rather large and heavy and tend to loosen the flash shoe quite quickly (which is very easy to re-tighten, thankfully)
 
I would worry less about the brand of flash than gettingn the flash off the camera. No matter which flash you use, your images are going to have an unflattering flash look unless you get the flash off the camera, either through flash bracket, or better yet, go wireless.
 
mediumformatpho said:
I would worry less about the brand of flash than gettingn the flash off the camera. No matter which flash you use, your images are going to have an unflattering flash look unless you get the flash off the camera, either through flash bracket, or better yet, go wireless.
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I beg to differ. Though easier to create pleasing effects with flash off camera, that is not always an option. And with a good versatile flash (ie head can be twisted in at least two axes to bounce off a wall or ceiling of choice (I tend to use the flash poiting up and to the rear), and with a diffuser or similar one can attain quite good results.
 
mediumformatpho said:
I would worry less about the brand of flash than gettingn the flash off the camera. No matter which flash you use, your images are going to have an unflattering flash look unless you get the flash off the camera, either through flash bracket, or better yet, go wireless.
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Just recently went wireless with R-D1s. While I love this rangefinder, one of the greatest cons with most rangefinders is that they are not made conventionally to have optimized flash synch performance.

In example, the fastest shutter speed I noticed I could sync with my R-D1s was 1/125ths of a second whereas I have used early dSLRs with electronic shutters that can hit 1/16,000th of a second without losing half (or a third) of the frame because the shutter hasn't opened back up fully yet. Perhaps this is user error, but I can't even get 1/250ths of a second on my R-D1s when incorporating flash into the exposure.

Not a deal breaker whatsoever, but something to consider.
 
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