Fujifilm EF-20 Flash okay on the M240?

[piblondin]

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I'm wondering if it's okay to use my Fujifilm EF-20 on my Leica M. Has anyone tried this particular flash with success? It's small, can be bounced, and I already have it. So, it would be great if I could also use it with my Leica. 

[John Ricard]

I use it all the time on my M240.  It works great in the sense that it fires everytime.  However, there is no adjustment of power setting.  It seems to put out the same blast of light no matter where you position the power setting.  I tend to do a test shots and adjust my aperture until the exposure is correct.

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[dante]

I'd spend the extra $50 and get an SB-28. One, it has aperture automatic exposure that actually works with the Leicas (or any camera) and two, it will trigger the ready light/synch speed on your M. Also, it swivels. You can use pretty much any dedicated Nikon-mount flash on an M. TTL does not work, but if you can get auto aperture, it is tremendously helpful.

 

I use an EF-20 with my X100T, and though it's brilliant there, it's the least practical thing you could imagine using with an M. The flash is too close to the lens axis, not powerful enough to use as a main bounced flash, and has a dog-slow recycle time compared to a 4 x AA flash.

 

Dante

[John Ricard]

I often use my SB800 in manual mode on my M240 and like the the Fuji flash, it fires every time.  The balance isn't great however. The flash is definitely too heavy for the camera and it throws off the ergonomics.  I see that you can get the SB28 pretty cheap used, so it is a good purchase.  But I'd want to have both the Nikon and the Fuji flash as options depending on how much gear I was willing to walk around with that particular day.

 

Also, I should mention, the Nikon flash will recycle faster because you can set it to a lower power and you have 4 batteries. With the Fuji flash always firing at one constant power setting, it can start to take a while for it to fire the next shot.  But the Fuji flash is definitely worth getting.

[Echo63]

Would the EF-X20 be worth getting instead ?

Has manual output down to 1/64

 

 

I have been using my M with canon speedlites, off camera triggered with pocket wizards.

 

The 580EX2 has a thryistor controlled mode too - set the aperture and iso on the flash, and it takes a pretty good guess at correct exposure.

It is huge and ruins the balance of the M though

[dante]

Would the EF-X20 be worth getting instead ?

Has manual output down to 1/64

 

No. It's even worse because it runs on two AAA batteries, which will give even more anemic recycling times.

 

Dante 

[Echo63]

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No. It's even worse because it runs on two AAA batteries, which will give even more anemic recycling times.

 

Dante 

true - but a decent set of AAA (eneloop or lithium) will help with that

 

it also has the advantage of adjustable output - you can turn it down, for much quicker cycling (should be able to get 3 frames back to back at 1/4 power)

given that most M users will be using it in low light, not much light will be needed, and as a result, it can be turned way down, for faster recycle times.

the EF-20 will still be firing at full power, followed by a long recycle