Leica M7 with Metz 54 MZ TTL flash

[rolfe]

AFAIK, only the Contax TLA off camera flash cable will retain rull TTL capability with the SF-24. I guess it is just an accident that Contax and Leica happened to use the same pin-outs for their TTL schemes. These cables are no longer available news (obviously) but show up on eBay all the time. For example, here is one that is for sale now.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Contax-TTL-...=Camera_Flash_Accessories&hash=item20cdfacbbf

 

[MCTuomey]

Thank you everyone with your responses! Once I get the M7, I will head down to the Leica store in Berlin and see if I can try a SF 24 on it and see how I feel about it. Maybe I can use the Nikon SC-28 cable to pull the SF 24 off the camera, otherwise I'll settle for the SB-900 in manual mode.

All your comments have been very helpful, thanks!

The nikon sc-17 cord preserves ttl functioning with the sf20/24. I use a contax coil cord (it directs the cord 90 degrees left of lens axis, which i like) which does NOT support ttl functioning but does support auto and manual functioning perfectly. Ttl is nice when you have to work fast. I prefer manual control which makes techniques like dragging the shutter easier for me. By the time I dial in flash compensation in ttl mode, I might as well be working manually anyway. Picture of my rig below:

 

[Godfrey]

.. The CV15 loses above 2 f/stops into the corners. Sure, you can try to salvage detail in there using software on the film scans (Leica M7, remember), but you end up lightening grain and noise from severely underexposed film. The better solution is to throw 2 more f/stops worth of light into those corners and have a balanced exposure to begin with. ..

The more common solution to this problem is a radially graduated ND filter. Fit to lens and add two stops of exposure to produce even illumination across the film plane. The Contax G Hologon 16 included a custom matched radial ND for expressly this purpose.

 

[rolfe]

The nikon sc-28 cord preserves ttl functioning with the sf20/24. I use a contax coil cord (it directs the cord 90 degrees left of lens axis, which i like) which does NOT support ttl functioning but does support auto and manual functioning perfectly. Ttl is nice when you have to work fast. I prefer manual control which makes techniques like dragging the shutter easier for me. By the time I dial in flash compensation in ttl mode, I might as well be working manually anyway. Picture of my rig below:

Funny, I have three of the Contax TLA-200 cords that work perfectly with TTL on my M6TTLs. Maybe there is something slightly different about the M7?

I was unaware of the Nikon compatibility, but that cable is much bulkier and heavier than the Contax one, is it not?

I do agree that TTL is more hassle than it is usually worth.

 

[Robert Lai]

I did try to find a graduated center filter in 52mm to suit the CV 15mm M lens. I found one by Schneider made for their large format 35mm f/5.6 lens. There is one for the "old style" for $255, and one for the "new style" lens at $275 (http://www.adorama.com/SRCF35562F.html) from Adorama. Schneider says that the correction is 1.5 stops, deliberately undercorrected "in order to prevent overexposure". Also, the lens has to be stopped down at least 2 stops from maximum aperture - so we are now in the f/11 range.
I don't know how much more practical this is as a solution compared to just throwing more light into the corners with the flashes that I do have.

The only disadvantage of the Nikon SC-17 is that the wire sticks forward, and can sometimes block the RF window on the M7. I solved that by the routing of the wire on the flash bracket.

With the M7 on AUTO, and the SF24 on and off, the behavior is as described. My point is that the Metz flashes behave IDENTICALLY - i.e. no difference. Only difference is that the Metz flash is larger, more powerful, and covers to 20mm vs the 24mm of the SF24.

 

[Robert Lai]

The Contax wire and the Nikon SC-17 seem to be the same, except that the Contax wire sticks out to the side, and the Nikon sticks out to the front. The Nikon SC-17 is easily found, and cheap.

TTL flash is NOT complicated. Quite the opposite, as the complexity of exposure calculations are eliminated. I still own a bunch of Vivitar 285s. I used to balance each of the flashes with a Gossen Luna Pro F. It worked great, but each exposure took about 30 minutes to an hour to light balance.
Anyhow, as has been mentioned earlier, TTL flash can amount to just putting the flash in the shoe and turning it on.

The point of my detailed posts is that if someone wants to get into TTL controlled multiple flashes, there is a way to do it that works reliably and doesn't break the bank. And, to point out what versatility is really built into the M7 in terms of flash control.

 

[MCTuomey]

The Contax wire and the Nikon SC-17 seem to be the same, except that the Contax wire sticks out to the side, and the Nikon sticks out to the front. The Nikon SC-17 is easily found, and cheap.

They are not the same functionally - I've used both. The Nikon supports ttl while the contax supports only auto and manual. The benefit of the contax is ergonomical due to its smaller size and the positioning of the cord. The Nikon is larger and less ergonomical but, again, supports ttl while the contax doesn't.

 

[DavidKKHansen]

The Nikon SC-28 sticks off to the left side. It is less likely to get in the way of the rangefinder, but can sometimes get in the way of the regular viewfinder.

 

[MCTuomey]

The Nikon SC-28 sticks off to the left side. It is less likely to get in the way of the rangefinder, but can sometimes get in the way of the regular viewfinder.

Yes, sorry for the confusion. The SC-28 cord orients the same as the contax ttl cord I use while the SC-17 orients straight on axis with lens. The SC-28 is about 2x longer than the SC-17 (9 feet versus about 4.5 feet). The extra cord length does tend to get in the way if you handle the flash in your left hand as I do. The SC-17 is also half the cost of the newer SC-28.