Please post examples of flash photos with low-sync cameras (Leica film M, etc)

[drewbarb]

Are you using the flash in Auto?

I mean, I understand going handheld and pointing at the subject. I've done this, and it works.

But are you also saying that you do this for bounce as well?

No; the SB30 has manual power settings, and I use these most of the time. This is one reason I use this flash- it's one of very few flashes I know of this size that still has manual power settings. It's pretty easy if you use the guide numbers and do the math. I test each power setting so that I know what it will put out at given distances and ISO's, bounced and straight on; and I check myself with a flash meter in between the action while I'm working to make sure my exposures are correct. If I'm working fast in changing conditions, sometimes I'll use the Auto settings, but then of course I can't bounce.

Having manual power settings in such a small flash unit is what makes the SB30 so great; it's easy to shoot fill flash at f4, f2.8 even f2 and wider with this unit. When I need more power, I use Vivitar 285 flashes (also because they have manual power settings- and because I can use them with external battery packs); but they are pretty big and bulky, so I only break them out when I need to. I also sometimes work exactly the way Mark C describes above with the Vivitars; that remote sensor cord thing is great for working with the flash handheld and still getting to use the auto aperture settings.

 

[Takkun]

Mdarton and wilonscott: thanks VERY MUCh for the useful links and examples.

The image of the man in his armchair is pretty much what I want to be able to achieve with flash. Well done! If you had not mentioned that you used a gelled flash, I would not have guessed it.

Gelled flash is hard to pick out, because it blends so well. it's the dissonance of color that makes bare flash (at least indoors) stand out. Obviously irrelevant in BW, but when I discovered this, it proved indispensable for digital.

 

[marameo]

So, how does Bruce Gilden do it? he does that in the middle of the day towards sunrise time. The only way to shoot at 1/50 is to espose 400TX to 50 ISO (and pull process it) so that aperture stays to f/16 then the flash can be fired at f/16 with the subject 3 or 4 feet away..I cannot think of any other way..

 

[blue4130]

So, how does Bruce Gilden do it? he does that in the middle of the day towards sunrise time. The only way to shoot at 1/50 is to espose 400TX to 50 ISO (and pull process it) so that aperture stays to f/16 then the flash can be fired at f/16 with the subject 3 or 4 feet away..I cannot think of any other way..

You could also use ND filters to get the shutter speed down, then just use a stronger flash setting to compensate for the ND.

 

[oftheherd]

Something to consider is the Sunpak 322 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sunpak-Auto...pt=Digital_Camera_Flashes&hash=item4d1d016b98 which as you can see has power settings, distance settings, f/stop settings, and ISO settings for manual, plus two auto settings. Versatile little flash. You can catch milk crowns with it. The seller hasn't shown all the movements, but it is quite versatile, and the movements of the flash head are independent of the sensor. Not show by the ebay seller is the fact flash tilts from side to side and the flash head swivels as well. I forget its max power, but you can figure that from the settings on the side.

I haven't done flash in years, but when I used it more, this was one of my favorite flashes. I also had a Sunpak 522 potato masher, which was like a piece of the sun, but big and heavier. It also had power settings, ISO, f/stop and distance and would also bounce (Lost in a fire long ago and recently replaced by a 611). I liked my Vivitar 273, 283 and 285, but they just weren't as versatile.

Advice above is worth looking at and experimenting with, but the 322 (not the D) is a good user and easy to experiment with. That's really the only way I think you are going to learn how to get what you want.

 

[__jc]

A couple of examples using an sf20 on an M6TTL. Film was Ilford XP2+:

This was a pretty straightforward shot in evening light where I set the flash for one stop less than the lens setting (easy to do with the sf20 set to TTL).

With this one it got a bit trickier. One reason I used XP2+ is that it can be overexposed quite happily and of course the roll is processed in C41 chemistry, so exposures can be all over the place on the roll and are still useable. This was a very bright day so I set the ISO to 100, the lens to f22 and the flash one stop under for fill. It was still not quite enough to allow me 1/50 sec so i put a yellow/green filter over the lens which lowered the light reaching the film enough to get this shot with some fill in the gentleman's face.

Another useful accessory if you are carrying an sf20 is a Nikon SC17 cord which allows you to use the flash off the camera. Good luck - it's really fun using the Leica with flash.