M8 &Metz 3502 M2 Adaptor?

[bishop666]

Hello:
I am a long time Leica user and have recently purchased an M8 that I have been using primarily with available light. I have an affair coming up this weekend that may require more light than usual and I understand that my Metz 54mz-3 will work with the M8 but I am less certain about the adapter which is a 3502 M2. Is this adapter capable of providing GNC or Auto with the M8 or will I have to quickly purchase an M4 version?
Thank you in advance,
Ron

[cbretteville]

Ron,
It will not work for GNC, 'A' mode should be fine. The good news is that it should only be a firmware upgrade to the 3502 needed to get you to the latest rev that will work in GNC mode. Contact Metz here in Europe or Bogen in the US.

- Carl

[bishop666]

Hello Carl:
Thank you for your reply and suggestion.
I will indeed contact Bogen vis-a-vis an upgrade but given my time constraints (I need it by this Sunday) I will most likely arrange to have the M4 version overnighted to me from B&H or some other similar organization.
Ron

[wparsonsgisnet]

Ron, the M8 will do GNC with the correct Metz adapter, but you should know that this involves a pre-flash during which the M8 calculates the needed flash. I find that pre-flash makes people think the picture is over and they then become uninteresting to photograph.

Using auto with the Metz and the M8 works like a charm for me.

I've recently begun shooting at 1/60 to allow ambient light to contribute to the image. This is also called "dragging the shutter." I find I am liking this a lot.

If you are not a subscriber, you might like to consider ReidReviews. Sean Reid just published an article on flash technique that is really useful.

Good luck with the shoot.