T in the Studio

[Jkulin]

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Has anyone used their T in a Studio with studio lighting?

 

Just wondered how you plugged the flash heads into the camera as there is no where to plug them in.

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[Louis]

Has anyone used their T in a Studio with studio lighting?

 

Just wondered how you plugged the flash heads into the camera as there is no where to plug them in.

I never tried, but it could be possible with a "slave", I suppose!

[haydenc]

Yes.

I used a wireless trigger fitted in the hot shoe to fire the flashes.

So you have to sacrifice the EVF.

 

You could possibly also use the internal flash on a lower setting to trigger the studio flashes if they can be set off by light.

 

HOWEVER (needs capitals), the T has a severe limitation in that you can not turn off "exposure simulation".

If you set your exposure to cut all ambient light, you will have a completely black LCD/View finder.

(So you are lighting your shots off the flash only)

If you use Auto focus, when you half press the shutter, the LCD will gain up while it focuses. Once focus is locked on, it goes back to simulating the exposure = jet black screen again.

 

Even worse is that if you use manual focus on a TL lens, or an M or R lens, the screen is black with no way of gaining it up.

 

I tried a few times. Basically with a M lens I would guess the distance to the model and dial that in on the lens. The exposure would be simulated to being completely under exposed as it is not factoring in your external flashes. So you can't see a thing. I would point the camera in the rough direction of the subject and fire off an image. On the back would pop up a perfectly exposed image, and I would look at that briefly and make an adjustment off that.

If it was slightly out of focus, make an adjustment and fire off another shot. If the composition was off, take another shot moving the camera where you think it might be better.

Note I said think, not line up the viewfinder to improve the composition as you have no clue what you are pointing the camera at with a black screen.

 

If you are taking still life/product shots etc, it might be useable with the camera on a tripod.

For moving subjects it is not useable and completely frustrating.

 

The solution would be for Leica to implement a toggle switch in firmware to let the user turn off the 'exposure simulation' - just like what is available in the M240 and also the SL.

 

I could search for some images if you are interested...

[Jkulin]

Yes.

I used a wireless trigger fitted in the hot shoe to fire the flashes.

So you have to sacrifice the EVF.

 

You could possibly also use the internal flash on a lower setting to trigger the studio flashes if they can be set off by light.

 

HOWEVER (needs capitals), the T has a severe limitation in that you can not turn off "exposure simulation".

If you set your exposure to cut all ambient light, you will have a completely black LCD/View finder.

(So you are lighting your shots off the flash only)

If you use Auto focus, when you half press the shutter, the LCD will gain up while it focuses. Once focus is locked on, it goes back to simulating the exposure = jet black screen again.

 

Even worse is that if you use manual focus on a TL lens, or an M or R lens, the screen is black with no way of gaining it up.

 

I tried a few times. Basically with a M lens I would guess the distance to the model and dial that in on the lens. The exposure would be simulated to being completely under exposed as it is not factoring in your external flashes. So you can't see a thing. I would point the camera in the rough direction of the subject and fire off an image. On the back would pop up a perfectly exposed image, and I would look at that briefly and make an adjustment off that.

If it was slightly out of focus, make an adjustment and fire off another shot. If the composition was off, take another shot moving the camera where you think it might be better.

Note I said think, not line up the viewfinder to improve the composition as you have no clue what you are pointing the camera at with a black screen.

 

If you are taking still life/product shots etc, it might be useable with the camera on a tripod.

For moving subjects it is not useable and completely frustrating.

 

The solution would be for Leica to implement a toggle switch in firmware to let the user turn off the 'exposure simulation' - just like what is available in the M240 and also the SL.

 

I could search for some images if you are interested...

Thanks so much for your reply, but I have to admit to being a little lost.

 

Apart from one previous studio session all of my photography over the years has been outside, either weddings, nature, landscape, commercial or similar, so I am a little lost by your description "exposure simulation" please can you explain a little? I'm not sure how I could set the exposure to cut all ambient light.

 

Thanks and I appreciate your most comprehensive reply.

 

NB Sometimes I just loved Medium Format E6 for it's simplicity, probably still not got to grips with digital yet.

[haydenc]

Thanks so much for your reply, but I have to admit to being a little lost.

 

Apart from one previous studio session all of my photography over the years has been outside, either weddings, nature, landscape, commercial or similar, so I am a little lost by your description "exposure simulation" please can you explain a little? I'm not sure how I could set the exposure to cut all ambient light.

 

Thanks and I appreciate your most comprehensive reply.

 

NB Sometimes I just loved Medium Format E6 for it's simplicity, probably still not got to grips with digital yet.

Ha, no problem!

The exposure simulation is used by the camera to show you in real time what your final image will look like based on your settings (ISO, shutter and Aperture).

So if you choose settings that overexpose or under expose the image, you can see that before you take the shot.

However the camera is metering for available (ambient) light.

 

The problem comes in when you want to add extra light by way of flash, as the "exposure simulation" on the T is not factoring in the big blast of light you are going to add from the flash power.

 

Normally in a studio you would want to control all your inputs. So I use Manual mode and dial in the ISO, shutter speed and aperture.

As you are using flash, you might choose to cut all available light by under exposing the shot so much that if the flash was turned off, the end picture would be black. (By setting say ISO 100, 1/160th sec and F10 indoors)

(However as you are adding light by the way of flash, then you use the flash to light the image.)

 

It depends on the studio environment too as you might have really nice natural window light etc and then you might just want a flash to fill in a bit of detail etc.

I am talking about if you are in a studio where it might be dark or night time, or that you just want the shot lit by flash(es).

 

With the Leica SL's "exposure simulation", it is not full time.

It is only when you half press the shutter that the camera tries to give you an estimate of what the final picture will look like.

On the Leica T, the exposure simulation is on all the time.

 

The fix would be to add a toggle switch to be able to turn it off/on on the camera.

As yet Leica has not addressed it.

[Jkulin]

Brilliant thanks, now understand.

 

When I have taken shots with additional flash then I tend to use my Gossen Luminex Flash meter, and shoot manual so I don't need to rely on any cameras internal meter, I have had this meter 25 years and it's a vital part of my armoury for indoor shots.

 

Thanks once again.

[LocalHero1953]

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A minor correction. Exposure simulation in the SL on the half button press can be turned off. This is convenient when using flash, as the EVF then doesn't go dark just before shooting, which can be very distracting.

[robert blu]

Hopefully the next TL or the next firmware can allow to disable "exposure simulation" ...

rob

[darylgo]

I recently purchased the Leica T and have the adapter and M lenses only, no T lenses yet. The first adapter I had was a Novoflex (T to M lens), this adapter worked very diffently from the Leica adapter.  It would give me every exposure mode including Scene, it would not give me focus magnification in M (manual exposure) mode. However, I believe it didn't do exposure simulation in M mode.  When I traded to the Leica adapter I gained exposure magnification but lost gain up for low light shooting in M mode both with (Flash On setting) and without flash.  There are two workarounds, neither are perfect.  The first is to slightly twist the adapter as if trying to change lenses, very slightly, the camera now works similar to the Novoflex adapter and gain up works in M mode. The second workaround is to turn on Auto flash, it allows gain up.  I have not explored this further but I am thinking with Studio flash the power for the built-in flash could be dialed down (is this possible with the T?) or put a cover over the flash to cut down output or eliminate it completely.  So, the settings are M mode, 1/160 sec or slower, any aperture on the M lens, flash turned on and in the Auto mode, iso 100 or any iso you wish.  Perhaps this will work with T lenses also?   

[darylgo]

Apologies for the above post, disregard it.  It was late last night when trying this stuff out.  M mode was confused for A mode.