Leica C3 Blinding Patrons

[raytoei@gmail.com]

I took the C3 out yesterday for a test roll, the flash was so powerful that many of the negatives did not register any highlight details on the portrait faces at all.

This happened to about 1/3 of the pictures, for the rest, I had to lower the brightness control and increse the contrast to register any details.

While I have read about the C3 having a powerful flash, I wonder if this could be caused by newer technology batteries causing the camera the overexposure in the flash. Either that or my 2002/2003 C3 is faulty.

The camera is on Auto mode only with no "Red Eye" settings.

I have covered half the flash with black tape.

any comments ?

raytoei

 

[Ranchu]

I generally follow a rule, only use the flash outdoors with point and shoots. Covering the flash with tape might make a mess if it gets hot, rosco makes sheets of 'frost' diffusion gels that will work better, you'll cut 1 stop but they also have a 1/2 stop version. Part of a polypropylene bottle will probably work too. You can then put the tape where it won't stick on the flash lens. Avoid the 'neutral density' gels, they're green. I don't think it's the batteries. That's all I got.

🙂

 

[Ranchu]

On second thought, that may not work if your camera meters using preflashes. Fire it and see if its one clean flash. If it preflashes I don't think you can fix it unless you have exposure compensation or manual ISO setting, which come to think of it would be easiest if you do have one of those. Sorry, it's pretty late here.