ECohen Posted June 29, 2015 Share #1 Posted June 29, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) Whats the best flash choice for simple documentation of a family event with the M240? Inside when available light just won't stop the action of people having fun. I'd like to pop a flash against the ceiling to bring the light up a little. This kind of documentation is not something I do a lot. And I'd rather not spend $500 for a Leica flash if I don't have to. I would however like the flash to work seamlessly with the camera ....no quirks Is this the same unit Metz makes for Leica? Metz 26AF-1 Digital Flash for Olympus/Panasonic/Leica TTL/Remote TTL (Slave) Or do you all have a better choice? Thanks for the advice. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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masjah Posted June 29, 2015 Share #2 Posted June 29, 2015 (edited) Whats the best flash choice for simple documentation of a family event with the M240? Inside when available light just won't stop the action of people having fun. I'd like to pop a flash against the ceiling to bring the light up a little. This kind of documentation is not something I do a lot. And I'd rather not spend $500 for a Leica flash if I don't have to. I would however like the flash to work seamlessly with the camera ....no quirks Is this the same unit Metz makes for Leica? Metz 26AF-1 Digital Flash for Olympus/Panasonic/Leica TTL/Remote TTL (Slave) Or do you all have a better choice? Thanks for the advice. You need to be careful in that the SCA standard for the Panasonic based Leicas is different from that for the M Leicas (the latter being SCA 3502 of appropriate generation). You would probably be OK using other flashes in manual mode (or the flash's own automatic mode). I use an old Leica SF20 in its own auto mode, setting ISO and aperture on the gun manually (but this hasn't got a tilt head).. I've never bothered with pre-flash GNC - it seems more trouble than it's worth. I've also got an MZ54 with tilt head, but this seems totally top-heavy to me on an M camera. Edited June 29, 2015 by masjah Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanJW Posted June 29, 2015 Share #3 Posted June 29, 2015 The SF20 and SF24 will work but you will need a hotshoe to flash connector cord (Nikon SC-17 or newer versions) to bounce because neither of those flashes have a movable flash head. The SF26 might work but is pricey. The SF58 certainly will but is even more pricey. IMHO by the time you figure out which Metz adapter to use with which Metz flash you might as well buy the Leica version. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
giordano Posted June 29, 2015 Share #4 Posted June 29, 2015 (edited) Most flashes made in the last 20 or 25 years will work fine in their "A" mode (where the flash uses its own exposure sensor). The sensor has to point at the subject so the flash needs a tilting/swivelling head.If you want "seamless", the only options seem to be the current Leica-branded units. As John H said, the third-party units dedicated to "Olympus/Panasonic/Leica" don't interface with M cameras (AFAIK they only do that with the old Digilux 3). Each of the SCA-3xxx compatible Mecablitz flashguns offers a confusingly different subset of the camera's capabilities - and the only such unit currently listed on the Metz website is the 76 MZ-5 digital, which is a great unit but serious overkill for a little family gathering<g>. Edited June 29, 2015 by giordano Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECohen Posted June 29, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted June 29, 2015 Most flashes made in the last 20 or 25 years will work fine in their "A" mode (where the flash uses its own exposure sensor). The sensor has to point at the subject so the flash needs a tilting/swivelling head. If you want "seamless", the only options seem to be the current Leica-branded units. As John H said, the third-party units dedicated to "Olympus/Panasonic/Leica" don't interface with M cameras (AFAIK they only do that with the old Digilux 3). Each of the SCA-3xxx compatible Mecablitz flashguns offers a confusingly different subset of the camera's capabilities - and the only such unit currently listed on the Metz website is the 76 MZ-5 digital, which is a great unit but serious overkill for a little family gathering<g>. So I can try my Nikon SB800 and it will not blow up the M? .....and it will work in the A mode? That would solve my issue for the occasional use. I'd rather put that money toward lenses. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayewing Posted June 29, 2015 Share #6 Posted June 29, 2015 You are unlikely to to blow up your Leica M as the flash trigger voltage is safe up to 600 volts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Kilmister Posted June 29, 2015 Share #7 Posted June 29, 2015 Advertisement (gone after registration) You are unlikely to to blow up your Leica M as the flash trigger voltage is safe up to 600 volts. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! I just had a belter. ;-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ECohen Posted June 30, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted June 30, 2015 You are unlikely to to blow up your Leica M as the flash trigger voltage is safe up to 600 volts. Before I try it...... respectfully is this, I know you won't burn up your M or I think you won't burn up your M, using a Nikon SB800 ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayewing Posted June 30, 2015 Share #9 Posted June 30, 2015 This has been discussed many times before. The most recent one is here http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/240172-flash-voltage/ It seems that Leica now suggests 300v as the safe maximum. I have never come across a flash with a higher trigger voltage than 300v but there is a suggestion in the link that very old Braun flashes might be unsafe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ayewing Posted June 30, 2015 Share #10 Posted June 30, 2015 Before I try it...... respectfully is this, I know you won't burn up your M or I think you won't burn up your M, using a Nikon SB800 ? The SB800 has a trigger voltage of 4v so you need have no worries. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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