Olympus Flashmatic - help!

[Paulrave]

I've just bought an Olympus 35SP and having run my first roll of film through it am delighted with the results.
So I've also just bought an Olympus PS200 flash which I want to use in Flashmatic mode, but I'm a bit confused about the instructions.
To get the exposure right I THINK I set the aperture ring to the correct guide number for the flash (bearing in mind the film speed), but after that can I choose any shutter speed to get a correct exposure? The shutter speed ring has the "1/30th" setting marked in red - does this (as on some cameras) indicate that 1/30th of a second is the only speed at which the flash and shutter will sync?
I'm a total newby to RF cameras so all and any help is gratefully appreciated! 🙂

 

[sevo]

That probably was marked as that is a time good with the short time (Vacublitz) flash bulbs and cubes popular among consumers when the SP was released. Electron flash will work at shorter times as well, it is a leaf shutter camera, so it will not have the partial exposure issues with short sync times known from focal plane shutters. The shutter will obscure part of the lens diameter at short sync times, though - it is not very likely that that happens at 1/30, but do not expect to be able to shoot at apertures wider than f/2.8 at the top two speeds...

Flashmatic is essentially guide number automation, i.e. distance/aperture coupling, which will deliver the correct amount of light to whatever is in focus (a method that works at least as good as any metered approach, unless you have blurred foregrounds or want to control the aperture).

 

[Dwig]

...The shutter speed ring has the "1/30th" setting marked in red - does this (as on some cameras) indicate that 1/30th of a second is the only speed at which the flash and shutter will sync?
I'm a total newby to RF cameras so all and any help is gratefully appreciated! 🙂

With between the lens leaf shutters, like the one in the SP, there is no maximum shutter speed limit when using electronic flash. The flash is triggered when the shutter blades reach their full open position and the brief electronic flash duration is shorter than the time the shutter blades need to start to close. Changing the shutter speed will only alter the amount of ambient light that mixes in.

If you are using flash bulbs, it is very important that you use only the 1/30th setting. The SP has only X-sync (0ms delay); it doesn't have the M-sync (15ms delay) that M class flash bulbs require in order to reach full brightness. When using with X-sync with such bulbs you need to see that the shutter stays open after the bulb is triggered so that the bulb can finish its burn before the shutter begins to close. Hence, the SP's 1/30th is marked in red.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

You can get a copy of the manual here but it will be in English:

http://www.butkus.org/chinon/olympus/olympus_35_sp/olympus_35_sp.htm

And it says that the shutter speed for flash should be 1/30th on page 26.

Regards, David

PS You are lucky to have one with the meter working. Mine is 2 stops out of step...

 

[Paulrave]

Thank you but one more question

Thank you but one more question

Thanks for the replies which clear up the sync question, but just to be clear, am I right to think from an exposure point of view I can set different shutter speeds while using the Flashmatic mode? I'd like to be able to set 125th or faster just to ensure I have no camera shake.

Regards
Paul

 

[jamin-b]

You should be able to use the flash on any shutter speed, that's the advantage of the leaf shutter on the SP. I have done so using flash and bounce flash indoors with surprisingly good results.

 

[sevo]

am I right to think from an exposure point of view I can set different shutter speeds while using the Flashmatic mode? I'd like to be able to set 125th or faster just to ensure I have no camera shake.

1/125s is safe. But as I said, you may experience variable amounts (depending on the aperture) of underexposure at the fastest shutter speed or two, as the shutter will cut into the flash burn period (which is relatively long in full-power manual mode, as required by Flashmatic mode).

 

[Solinar]

........, but just to be clear, am I right to think from an exposure point of view I can set different shutter speeds while using the Flashmatic mode?

I'd like to be able to set 125th or faster just to ensure I have no camera shake.

Regards
Paul

Yes and No - if the GN in meters is set to 14 for a PS 200 with ISO 80 film - then when focused on a subject 1.5 meters from the camera, the subject or any other object 1.5 meters away will be properly exposed - but the whatever is in the background will probably will not.

Suppose you are shooting in a dimly lit room - then that 1/125th of second shutter speed will result in a very under exposed background.

A Question for everyone - According to Olympus instruction booklets for my Oly 35RC and 35RD, both of which were printed in the 1970's, the spec's for the PS 200 flash is GN 14 in meters and GN 45 in feet @ ISO 80 .

Does this mean that for ISO 125 film, that the "Flashmatic" lever should be set to GN 20 metric / GN 65 in feet when using the PS200?

I'm just wondering about that fly in the ointment.

Best Regards,

 

[Dwig]

...
A Question for everyone - According to Olympus instruction booklets for my Oly 35RC and 35RD, both of which were printed in the 1970's, the spec's for the PS 200 flash is GN 14 in meters and GN 45 in feet @ ISO 80 .

Does this mean that for ISO 125 film, that the "Flashmatic" lever should be set to GN 20 metric / GN 65 in feet when using the PS200? ...

Yes, if the ISO is changed the GN changes. ISO 80 > 125 is 2/3 stops so GNm 14 becomes 18 and GNft 45 becomes 63 making 20 & 65 reasonable roundoffs.

You should be able to test the sync by firing the camera at various speeds while looking through the lens from the rear. You should manually set the f/stop to maximum for the best test though setting the lowest GN and focusing to infinity will likely do the trick.

 

[Ranchu]

That makes sense to me Solinar. Flashmatic is done two ways, on some cameras at a fixed 1/30th or 25th, or on other cameras you can set the shutter speed. If you set it at different shutter speeds and focusing the camera still moves the aperture the same while giving you the shutter speeds you set, everything will work.

 

[Paulrave]

Heartfelt thanks

Heartfelt thanks

Thanks to all who provided answers, very helpful and I think I get it now, and indeed got more (very useful) information than I'd requested. Great to know after waiting a while for admin to let me join that this forum is so active and the members so helpful.

 

[locheeboy]

Hi P rave,

So, tae precis (much of) what's been said,

The reason that 1/30th is marked in red is because that's the synchro setting for flashbulbs.

Ye set the flash symbol tae the centre marker on the f stop ring and set the GN on the focusing ring (ensuring that the correct ISO/ASA is set on the front of the lens. Flashmatic is ready.

Ye can use any shutter speed in Flashmatic, though obviously the faster the speed the darker the background. In lower lighting, speeds of 1/30th or 1/60th mean that ye can make use of available light tae brighten backgrounds.

Flashnmatic's only drawback is that ye need tae set different film speeds with different flashmatic settings, tae maintain correct exposure, since ISO/ASA isn't coupled tae the Flashmatic system.

It's simple tae remember though...a GN of 14 (ISO 100) becomes a GN of 20 with ISO 200 film - doubling the film speed increases GN by a factor of 1.4. Simply...each time the film speed doubles, put the lever up one click on the focusing ring.

Ah use an Olympus T20 (in manual).

35RC - Ilford panF 50 - 1/125th - T20 flash