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SF26 Initial Impressions


Jared

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With the recent news of Metz's insolvency, I decided to pick up an SF-26 today since it is possible that supplies could become scarce. Not trying to start a rumor or anything--I have no knowledge of how German bankruptcy proceedings work and whether manufacturing is likely to be interrupted, or whether Leica may already have plenty of supplies ready to go. I just wanted to be cautious. I would hate to be limited to my SF-58 on a compact camera like the 'T'.

 

Here is what I have found in initial testing (very early--just an hour or two)...

 

1) There is no 'A' mode, for any of you who were wondering, so it appears you MUST use this flash with a TTL camera. I don't have a non-TTL camera to try it with, but I don't think there is any realistic possibility that it could work with one. It has some very limited manual settings that I'll talk about in a couple minutes, but it's really not a good match for a non-TTL camera.

 

2) The TTL mode on the 'T' seems to function exactly as it should in both direct mode and bounce. Very accurate exposures on both my 'T' and on my 'M' 240. It is MUCH more accurate than my SF24D on my M240.

 

3) Cycle time on a set of fresh alkaline batteries is about 8s after a full discharge.

 

4) The flash is extremely compact; it's significantly thinner than the SF24D and about the same height. It's also a bit lighter than the SF24D due to the use of 'AAA' batteries vs. CR123's.

 

5) There is a built in diffuser for wide angle shots, and a clip-on magnifier for telephoto. Strangely, the magnifier will only clip on if the diffuser is also extended.

 

6) There is no manual mode, at least not really. You get a little bit of manual capability by putting it in 'slave' mode and using it on-camera. In 'slave' mode you can set it to full power, half power, or one quarter power, and that's it. Since there's no LCD, you can't tell what distance that corresponds to, so you'd have to carry a chart or use trial and error.

 

7) It has an autofocus illuminator, but it seems to be disabled on the 'T' since the camera has its own autofocus illuminator. That's probably a good thing. No confusion as to where to enable/disable the autofocus illuminator--you do it on the 'T'. On the 'M', of course, it is also disabled since the 'M' is a manual focus camera.

 

8) It has an LED for video mode--one of the two dots you can see in images of the strobe just above the hot shoe; I doubt I will ever use it since I don't take videos. There are two brightnesses for the LED, but neither appears particularly bright to me. If video is your thing, I'd be really surprised if this unit is sufficient for anything but very close work. You're not lighting up a room with it.

 

9) It has a "slave" mode for off-camera use which works as its supposed to, but is likely not a match for 'T' unless you are incorporating a second external flash. Here is what happens when you use it with the internal flash unit on the 'T'... In "slave" mode the SF26 is triggered by any other flash. So far so good. The problem is that the built-in flash on the 'T' always fires a pre-flash, and that pre-flash is bright enough to trigger the SF26. Interestingly, if you have the SF26 set to the quarter power level, it fires both at the pre-flash and at the main exposure since it doesn't need the cycle time to recharge, so it actually works fine with the 'T' at the lowest setting. Basically, if you want to use the "slave" mode at any power level other than quarter power, you're going to need a second flash mounted on the 'T' running in manual mode. Unless they make a firmware change on the 'T' to add an additional "trigger mode" to the internal flash, it's always going to fire a pre-flash that sets off the SF26. If you mount an SF24 or SF58 to the 'T' and set the primary flash to manual mode, the slave works exactly as documented. This may seem a little annoying, but frankly I can't imagine myself using this particular flash as a slave, anyway. If I want to really control the lighting with off-camera, artificial light I'm probably not using the 'T' at all.

 

Aside from the quirk when off camera in "slave" mode the flash behaves just as it should. And even the quirk in slave mode can hardly be blamed on the SF26 since it's more a limitation in the 'T' than anything else--no ability to turn off the pre-flash. I know a lot of you would prefer to have full manual control on this strobe or at least an "A" mode so you can avoid the pre-flash delay of TTL, but that just isn't what this flash is about. It's really intended to give a bit more range than the internal flash ((26m vs 4.5m guide number), and provide some basic bounce capabilities. It's very good at that one trick. At 390USD it's not exactly a bargain even by Leica standards, but it does work as advertised and is even smaller than the SF24D.

 

I also tried the unit on my M(240). It is MUCH more reliable in TTL mode than the SF24D is. Frankly, I never had good luck with the SF24D in TTL mode on the 'M'. It gave variable results form shot to shot, and was much more accurate in 'A' mode (or in full manual, of course). If you are looking for a small, simple flash that will work in 'TTL' mode on either a recent 'M' or 'T', something that isn't as large as the SF58, the SF26 fits the bill. If you want full manual control or automatic mode in a compact flash you are better off with the SF24D, but you will lose the bounce capability, the ease of use of TTL (especially on the 'M'), and the smaller size of the SF26.

 

Within its limited capability set, the only real problem I see with the SF26 is the price. Oh, that and the fact that it is likely going to scratch up my hot shoe over time due to the clip design.

 

Thanks for reading, and I hope this is informative for those considering this compact flash.

 

- Jared

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Oh, one other quirk (as mentioned in the other SF26 thread)...

 

The flash exposure compensation setting in the 'T' only works with the internal flash, so there is no way in TTL mode to compensate for over/under exposure. Hopefully they will treat this as a bug and address it in a later firmware release for the 'T'. According to the manual, fill flash compensation (traditionally 1.5 stops underexposure) is automatic as the ambient brightness increases.

 

On the M(240), since there is no flash exposure compensation within the camera's menu system, there is likewise no way to reduce or increase flash output on the SF26. Again, this flash is really intended for simplicity and ease of use. If you are just looking for a reliable TTL flash that will extend the range of the built in flash on the 'T' and provide some limited bounce capabilities you are all set. If you are looking for more manual controls, get the SF24D instead. If you want true professional flash features, the SF58 is the only option.

 

- Jared

Edited by Jared
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There is a reported way to control SF 26 flash output from M(240)(from a post elsewhere)

 

"Put camera in fixed iso (400 for example) put camera at fixed shutter (1/60 for example) pick a F stop (F2.8 for example) and then use the exposure compensation on the Leica M 240. It can't do exposure comp since camera is locked at shutter, F stop, and ISO, so it seems to then give flash exposure compensation. Both plus and minus."

 

I have tried this and it does work.

Edited by WeinschelA
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At 390USD it's not exactly a bargain even by Leica standards, but it does work as advertised and is even smaller than the SF24D.

 

Thanks for the detailed write-up Jared. I saw this one in the flesh the other day at the Stockholm Photo Fair and tried it on my M6TTL. I have not yet seen the photos but the flash seems to work perfectly well in TTL mode.

 

The SF 26 seems to be the same flash as Metz's own SF 26 AF-1 Digital. Does anyone know if that is the case? I have seen some variation in the specs on various sites. The Metz-branded flash is listed at approx. 100€, which is a good price indeed. Perhaps it won't work with Leica's digital cameras but I guess one risks little with a film M, or?

 

I was impressed by how small the flash is and that it includes bounce ability in such a small package.

 

Philip

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The Metz 26 AF-1 is available in various versions for different makes of camera. The version for Olympus/Panasonic/Leica is stated to be compatible with the m43 flash system so would work with the Panasonic manufactured Leicas but not with the M series. Unfortunately it does not seem to have an A setting which limits its versatility. It looks as if we will have to pay the usual Leica premium if we want to use this flash on the M series.

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Thanks Archie. It does have a TTL button though and reading the specs on Metz's site the Fujifilm version seems to offer "ordinary" TTL (all other versions include i, E, P etc TTL modes instead).

 

Perhaps the Fujifilm version would work with film M, specifically the M6TTL?

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Thanks Archie. It does have a TTL button though and reading the specs on Metz's site the Fujifilm version seems to offer "ordinary" TTL (all other versions include i, E, P etc TTL modes instead).

 

Perhaps the Fujifilm version would work with film M, specifically the M6TTL?

 

Well it would be nice if it did but I think most TTL systems are manufacturer specific. Perhaps you could find a helpful Metz dealer who would let you try the Fuji version with your M6. I am not familiar with the flash system on the M6 (probably much the same as the digital Ms) as my only film Leica was an M2 which of course had absolutely no electronics in it.

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There is a reported way to control SF 26 flash output from M(240)(from a post elsewhere)

 

"Put camera in fixed iso (400 for example) put camera at fixed shutter (1/60 for example) pick a F stop (F2.8 for example) and then use the exposure compensation on the Leica M 240. It can't do exposure comp since camera is locked at shutter, F stop, and ISO, so it seems to then give flash exposure compensation. Both plus and minus."

 

I have tried this and it does work.

 

Sounds like that might be a workaround, if a bit cumbersome. I'll seenifnitnworks.

 

- Jared

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  • 3 months later...

I ordered the Metz 26AF-1 for Leica. It did not work in TTL on the M240, X Vario or the new X. It did work and work well on the Deluxe type 119. I guess it was defective based upon the write up here. I did send it back.

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Jared thank you for your detail report .

So in manual mode Full, 1/2 and 1/4 power, whats wrong with adjusting your aperture to suit .

Using my canon flashgun on my Leica M9P, I bounce flash backwards and control exposure by adjusting the aperture up or down .

Mike

 

M9P + 35mm

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Oh, one other quirk (as mentioned in the other SF26 thread)...

 

The flash exposure compensation setting in the 'T' only works with the internal flash, so there is no way in TTL mode to compensate for over/under exposure. Hopefully they will treat this as a bug and address it in a later firmware release for the 'T'. According to the manual, fill flash compensation (traditionally 1.5 stops underexposure) is automatic as the ambient brightness increases.

 

On the M(240), since there is no flash exposure compensation within the camera's menu system, there is likewise no way to reduce or increase flash output on the SF26. Again, this flash is really intended for simplicity and ease of use. If you are just looking for a reliable TTL flash that will extend the range of the built in flash on the 'T' and provide some limited bounce capabilities you are all set. If you are looking for more manual controls, get the SF24D instead. If you want true professional flash features, the SF58 is the only option.

 

- Jared

 

I have just taken delivery of the SF26 and unless I'm missing something it isn't such a big problem that the flash compensation on the T doesn't change anything on the SF26. With the SF26 attached and set on TTL if the exposure is wrong it can be adjusted using the 'normal' exposure compensation. I have taken some test shots and it works every time. I haven't tried any shots with the SF26, so no comments on how effective the 'automatic flash compensation' is.

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Forgive my ignorance, but cannot the flash be set for a lower/higher ISO in order to over-expose/underexpose the sensor when the shutter is set to other than A?

.

Edited by pico
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I have just taken delivery of the SF26 and unless I'm missing something it isn't such a big problem that the flash compensation on the T doesn't change anything on the SF26. With the SF26 attached and set on TTL if the exposure is wrong it can be adjusted using the 'normal' exposure compensation. I have taken some test shots and it works every time. I haven't tried any shots with the SF26, so no comments on how effective the 'automatic flash compensation' is.

 

Sorry for any confusion, I should have said - I have taken some test shots with the flash as the main light source and it works every time. I haven't tried any shots with the SF26 as fill-in, so no comments on how effective the 'automatic flash compensation' is.

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