Is there some (small) tilt/rotate hotshoe adapter...

[axiom]

... that turns your fixed front pointing flash into a swivel one?

 

[axiom]

and is a mechanical camera w/o battery (Leica CL) able to trigger a hotshoe flash?

 

[drewbarb]

No. (Sorry.)

Such a thing might be cool, but generally folks who want this sort of movement in a flash unit do it either hand-held or with some sort of flash bracket. A camera top hot shoe adapter like this would make the whole set-up at once too bulky and fragile, I'm afraid.

 

[drewbarb]

and is a mechanical camera w/o battery (Leica CL) able to trigger a hotshoe flash?

Yes. The shutter merely completes the circuit, triggering the flash.

 

[BillBingham2]

Two other options.

1) if your flash will over ride the hot shoe firing and use a PC cord to extend the signal from your camera.

2) use off camera (read hand held) flash via a long PC cord. This allows you to control your shadows a lot more than with any on camera flash, even those with swings and tilts.

B2 (;->

 

[VictorM.]

I've had this since the days of Daguerre, although it isn't a hotshoe adapter:

 

[axiom]

I've had this since the days of Daguerre, although it isn't a hotshoe adapter:

neat! Neat!

 

[Al Kaplan]

I've seen gizmos that fit in a hot shoe and have a standard PC socket as well as a cold shoe on top.

A long straight cord is the most versatile. Coil cords tend to break, or at least the fine wires inside them do. Hold the camera in your right hand, the flash in your left, and only use the shoe if you're taking a mess of horizontal pictures of people shaking hands.

 

[rxmd]

Or get a different flash. There's any number of 1970s automatic flashes with a swivel and tilt option that can be had for sub-$20, and with a forward-pointing light sensor in the they even take care of exposure for indirect flash.

For example, I use a Metz 32CT3. I paid 20 EUR, it takes four AAs, and it has three different intensity levels for automatic flash that work with any camera. In addition it's a SCA 300 unit - so if you have a SLR, you can just pop in the right flash foot and get a flash ready light and TTL autoexposure, too.

 

[axiom]

Or get a different flash. There's any number of 1970s automatic flashes with a swivel and tilt option that can be had for sub-$20, and with a forward-pointing light sensor in the they even take care of exposure for indirect flash.

and what are they?
are they small?

 

[rxmd]

I don't know what you mean by small, it's a question of comparison, but you can get pretty small automatic flashes, too.

My Metz 32CT3 is fairly small as flash guns go (not high, mostly forward), but it's already quite powerful. There are smaller ones (Vivitar made some smaller ones, for example). In general, the lower the guide number, the smaller the flash. For example, Metz' present 20CS2 is a rather compact unit. It takes some looking around.

 

[axiom]

most of the small flashes can't tilt or rotate.
I am getting a holga mini flash for $14, that one is small

 

[rxmd]

I was specially referring you to flashes that can. Rotation is a bit rarer with automatic flashes, but they exist. Another one is the VIvitar 1600, mentioned here.

Basically you're trying to do indirect exposure. With the Holga flash, how do you get your aperture setting? Do you want to use a flashmeter?

 

[axiom]

everything will be manual and guesstimated.
My camera doesn't even have a working meter 🙁

 

[rxmd]

That's why I suggested automatic flash. Set your flash to, say, 100 ASA film and f/2.8, and it will output just enough light that your pictures are fine at 100 ASA and f/2.8. Tilt the head, and it will output more light, because now the light gets to the subject indirectly. It's dead easy, requires no intelligence in the camera, and has been available for ages.

 

[axiom]

In fact I prefer enjoy calculating lux and camera settings. A manual flash will be exactly of my taste, although I admit that my shots get slowed down by the calculation, I look at it as part of my photography 😉_

 

[rxmd]

Enjoy, then. Small non-automatic flashes are literally a dime a dozen.

You might be interested in flashbulbs, too, they look cool and output a lot of light.

 

[axiom]

nah, I am too broke to afford flashbulbs.
a modern tiny flash would be good.
so I suppose there is no better than holga mini flash?

 

[VictorM.]

nah, I am too broke to afford flashbulbs.
a modern tiny flash would be good.
so I suppose there is no better than holga mini flash?

You're in Toronto - check out Henry's Clearance Centre for cheap and small flashes.

I'll trade the tilt thingie for a beer at the next RFF TO meeting (coming soon!).

 

[axiom]

You're in Toronto - check out Henry's Clearance Centre for cheap and small flashes.

I'll trade the tilt thingie for a beer at the next RFF TO meeting (coming soon!).

Looks like I have will a chance to show off my gears ;D