Flash with LTM

[Melvin]

Has anyone here tried flash with an LTM? I'm curious about it. I gather the flash itself is what freezes the image, not the 1/50 expsure time.

 

[wolves3012]

No flash-sync on mine so I can't answer the first part. The second part is not an LTM-attribute, it's true for any camera with flash. Flash is a very short duration (rarely longer than 1/1000th sec and can be MUCH shorter) so it does "freeze" the subject - provided that the flash is the main source of illumination (i.e. the subject is in relative darkness for the exposure time setting/f-stop).

 

[ray*j*gun]

I have used flash on my IIIf with the adjuster set on 2 and it worked out well (for a flash shot anyway). I used an older Sun strobe with all manual controls.

Ray

 

[Al Kaplan]

Up through the black dial IIIf 1/30 was top speed for X synch. The red dial model model had faster curtain travel and synched at 1/50. The red or black dial has to be set for zero delay also, and off hand I don't remember what the numbers were. Some IIIc and earlier had flash synch added. In the case of the IIIc it was often a complete upgrade to a IIIf, but a lot of those and older models as well just had "X at 1/30" added by the local repair guy.

There was also a gizmo called a Geiss Kontact that came in a little round brick red bakelite box. One part clipped over the shutter speed dial, the other fit in the accessory shoe. As the dial rotated a little arm would press against a switch on the other part, setting off the flash. If you locate one complete with case and instruction sheet it's too valuable to use...LOL...but I had one for years and it worked great.

The "gold standard" for flash is the Vivitar 283. It's been on the market unchanged since about 1976 although a variant, the 285 with variable angle of coverage, was introduce a couple of years later. One of my 283's was bought new about 1978 and still works good as new.They work off 4 AA batteries or a seperate hi-voltage power pack. The auto-exposure is actually consistant andaccurate 99.9% of the time once you figure out what f/stop works best for YOU. The downside is that it's rather large to mount in the accessory shoe of the Leica, and doesn't belong on a Geiss Kontakt at all.

A little known Vivitar flash easily found on Ebay is the 2500. It looks like a miniature 285, has the variable angle feature, a tilt head, two auto settings plus manual, and uses two AA batteries. Always carry a spare synch cord with you! Nobody seems to make synch cords that last forever.

 

[benmacphoto]

I use a IIIa and there is no flash sync on it. But that has not stopped me from going into the studio with some dyna-lites and shooting with flash. After composing the shot with the modeling light, I turn off every light. Set the exposure to 1 second and after hitting the button I pop the flash once. It works well to surprise your model.

 

[john neal]

....
There was also a gizmo called a Geiss Kontact that came in a little round brick red bakelite box. One part clipped over the shutter speed dial, the other fit in the accessory shoe. As the dial rotated a little arm would press against a switch on the other part, setting off the flash. If you locate one complete with case and instruction sheet it's too valuable to use...LOL...but I had one for years and it worked great.....

Al,

I have one of those, but no instruction sheet, so have never been able to get the timing quite right. If you know where I could get a copy of the instructions, I would be really grateful.

 

[Graybeard]

Al,

I have one of those, but no instruction sheet, so have never been able to get the timing quite right. If you know where I could get a copy of the instructions, I would be really grateful.

You can find a table of settings for the f-series Barnack Leicas in many of the "Leica Manual"s by Morgan and Lester. This is a useful reference for any Barnack Leica user.

I have the 14th edition (1962), The table in my Manual gives these settings:

1) Black dial IIf or IIIf - use 1/30th sec, synchro dial set at 2

2) Red dial IIf or IIIf - use 1/50th sec, synchro dial set at 20

-or-

1/25th sec, synchro dial set at 0

I use my red dial IIf at 1/50th, synchro dial at 20 with no problems.

 

[Al Kaplan]

John, the best that I can suggest is googling to try to find some instructions. I sold my last IIIc over thirty years ago and found and Ebayed the Geiss Kontakt a few years ago (for a LOT more than the IIIc brought). I seem to recall that you mount it on the shutter dial so the shutter speed in use shows through a little window.

Timing with electronic flash is critical. On the other hand flashbulbs have to be triggered before the shutter opens, and they stay bright for at least 1/30 of a second or longer. This makes synching much less of a problem. When the Geiss Kontakt hit the market electronic flash units had a seperate power pack weighing several pounds that you hung from your shoulder and a handle mounted flash that was the size of those bulb flashes you see on 4x5 Speed Graphics in 1950's movies. They sold for between one and two hundred bucks at a time when the minimum wage was $1 an hour or less, and you could buy a used ten year old IIIc with a Summitar for under a hundred or a brand new VW beetle for $1650!.

 

[john neal]

John, the best that I can suggest is googling to try to find some instructions. I sold my last IIIc over thirty years ago and found and Ebayed the Geiss Kontakt a few years ago (for a LOT more than the IIIc brought). I seem to recall that you mount it on the shutter dial so the shutter speed in use shows through a little window.

Hi Al,

I wondered if the window was for the speed - presumably I would have to choose the slowest direct speed if I'm using electronic? (no build-up in the burn of magnesium wire & all that). I'll have a google around again.

I do remember early flash sets, but was too young to even think about buying one - I did burn my fingers on many a PF1b though, and I'm old enough to remember ratoning 😉

 

[dlove5]

John,

I do have a Geiss Kontakt with the instructions. I am at work so I don't have them in front of me, but I am sure Al is right. I can either photocopy or scan them for you. I will be gone this weekend, but probably the first of next week I can see about getting you a copy.

I found my Geiss Kontakt back in the late '70s at an old camera store in Manhattan, Kansas. I actually did a couple of weddings and other stuff using that for my flash sync.

 

[OldNick]

I bought a Leica IIIa in 1952, and still have it. E. Leitz New York had modified it by milling a slot in the rotating disk that is at the bottom of the shutter speed shaft, and fitting a new baseplate that was equipped with an adjustable synchronizer. Mine was made to use with flashbulbs, but they also produced one set up for electronic flash. My camera worked fine with focal plane bulbs of that era, and also Press 40s and GE #11s.

Jim N.

 

[payasam]

If I remember right, the Geiss Kontakt can make the flash fire also when the shutter is being cocked.

 

[dlove5]

If I remember right, the Geiss Kontakt can make the flash fire also when the shutter is being cocked.

It sure can! I know I wasted at least one flashbulb putting the bulb in before winding. There were a number of times using electronic flash people thought I was taking a picture when I was just winding.

 

[kevin m]

I always thought that a compact video light would be the way to go with a screw mount body, or something fancy like a Lowel ID light if you wanted to get fancy with dimming and focusing.

 

[Graybeard]

Al,

I have one of those, but no instruction sheet, so have never been able to get the timing quite right. If you know where I could get a copy of the instructions, I would be really grateful.

I have a set of instructions for the Geiss-Kontakt but no way to scan them for you. The installation instructions are pretty simple so I'll try to provide them here.

1) You should have two parts to the Geiss-Kontakt. One piece slides into the accessory shoe (it has its own shoe on top) and a second round (disc) piece with a knob/setscrew in its center.

The round piece has engravings around its circumference. There can be two or three engravings; either "El", "P", and "V", or only "El" amd "P". The "EL" is for electronic flash, the others are for flashbulbs. In addition, the round piece also has a small peephole bored through it with an indexing mark at the center of the peephole.

The round piece will slide onto the shutter speed dial, the other part slides into the accessory shoe.

2) To install the Geiss-Kontakt for electronic flash:

a) Loosen the setscrew on the round piece, this may take as many as eight turns. There is a little triangular arm between the setscrew top and the round disc. Move the little arm to the "EL" position - it will drop into a detent.

b)Slide the round piece onto the shutter speed dial so that the 1/30th engraving on the shutter speed dial appears in the peephole in the round piece and is aligned with the index mark.

c) Tighten the setscrew so that the round piece firmly fixed and will remain at the 1/30th position.

d) Slide the other part into the camera accessory shoe so that the PC contact is facing toward the camera rewind knob. You should see the "Geiss-Kontakt" engraving on the this part from the rear of the camera.

The unit is now installed. When you fire the shutter, the triangular arm will swing against the cam on the shutter speed dial of the part in the accessory shoe and close the contact.

You can check the synchronization by removing the camera lens and sliding a piece of paper into the film gate at the rear of the camera. Fire the shutter with your flash attached to the Geiss-Kontakt, and when looking into the camera, you should see the full 36mm width of the white paper in the film gate. If you don't see the entire width of the paper, try fiddling with the shutter speed appearing through the pephole.

The Geiss-Kontakt used to go for about US$5 at Spiratone in New Yor during the 1960's.

 

[Al Kaplan]

Graybeard's directions sound about right. Next Halloween all of us with gray beards who either remember the Spiratone store in New York, its catalogs, or their ads in the photo magazines should get together and light a bonfire some dark moonless night. Maybe we could conjure up the spirit of Fred Spira. Imagine a guy who sold mail order and had no phony "$5.00 minimum packing and handling charge". There was a price listed for the item followed by something like "plus 35 cents shipping". He carried filters, hoods, and adapters in every size you could imagine and came up with a seemingly endless bunch of new "must haves" that the average college student could afford. We miss you, Fred!

 

[Graybeard]

Graybeard's directions sound about right. Next Halloween all of us with gray beards who either remember the Spiratone store in New York, its catalogs, or their ads in the photo magazines should get together and light a bonfire some dark moonless night. Maybe we could conjure up the spirit of Fred Spira. Imagine a guy who sold mail order and had no phony "$5.00 minimum packing and handling charge". There was a price listed for the item followed by something like "plus 35 cents shipping". He carried filters, hoods, and adapters in every size you could imagine and came up with a seemingly endless bunch of new "must haves" that the average college student could afford. We miss you, Fred!

Our beards are roughly the same length, Al, but you have far more on top.

In 1965, when I saw the Geiss-Kontakt at the Spiratone store in Manhattan, five dollars was more than I could part with (I recall buying a $2 Skylight that day - I needed 15 cents for the subway home). Eight years later my finances had improved and I sprang for the $16 electronic flash. An indulgent wife (same one now) made this possible.

-Graybeard

 

[john neal]

David,

A scan would be great - look forward to hearing from you 😀

 

[payasam]

John, I have bought a Geiss Kontakt marked "3a". It should come with instructions, which I shall be glad to copy for you if you still need them. Price, for anyone interested, was $25. There were others available for $50 and $99, respectively, the latter one incomplete.

 

[john neal]

John, I have bought a Geiss Kontakt marked "3a". It should come with instructions, which I shall be glad to copy for you if you still need them. Price, for anyone interested, was $25. There were others available for $50 and $99, respectively, the latter one incomplete.

A scan would be great - I'll PM my email details, thanks 😀