SF 60 and C1 with M10-P – HSS and manual mode

[jeffreymolsen]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hey there, I'm trying to figure out how to get my SF 60 to fire in manual mode at HSS shutter speeds. I can get the flash to fire HSS on-camera in Auto and TTL modes only and off-camera with C1 in TTL mode only, but I need to use the manual mode to eliminate the preflash delay when firing in TTL. I've spoken with a Nissin distributor and the i60A is designed to operate HSS in both TTL and manual modes. The SF C1 and SF 60 "H flash" icon appears when the shutter speed is dialed faster than 1/180th s, so I'm assuming this could be fixed in an M10 firmware update?

My M 262 is away for service so I can't test to verify, but I remember my SF 40 firing on camera in manual mode at HSS shutter speeds. Am I mistaken? I've attempted to use the SF 40 on the M10-P manually with HSS, but I'm having the same issue – shutter actuates with no flash.

To M10 / M10-P owners, can you successfully fire any Leica flashes in manual mode with HSS? And if so, any luck with the SF 60 off-camera with SF C1 in manual mode and HSS?

Thank you for your help!

Jeff

[Gregm61]

I have a feeling responses are going to be light as the number of folks who utilize flash with their M bodies are few and far between. Forget everything I have read about the M flash system being sub-par compared to...well, just about anything else, LOL.

My experience with the Olympus and Canon flash systems, the pre-flash is a nasty annoyance you cannot avoid if you want to use TTL flash metering, no matter the in-camera exposure mode you are in.

Canon sort-of lets you gat away with it but only using the flash exposure lock so you still have the pre-flash but you get to do that pop separately before taking the shot. If the camera/flash to subject changes you have to do the pre-flash all over again.

With the Olympus system you are stuck having to deal with the pre-flash if you want to use TTL, which is why I do most of my flash work in Non-TTL auto where the flash handles the exposure and no pre-flash is needed. Of course, high shutter speed sync is then unavailable.

I have a feeling TTL mode with the Leica means having to retain the pre-flash. Using manual exposure mode does not alleviate having to still retain the pre-flash when using TTL flash.

Edited October 25, 2019 by Gregm61

[John Black]

99% sure HSS is NOT available in Manual mode.  Had the same question with my MP-240 and M-246 a couple years ago.  The answer I finally got back from the Leica regional rep was - no joy...  Pretty sure I had a Leica SL-601 at the time too, and no HSS in M on that camera either.  I tried the SF40, SF58 and SF64.  I highly doubt this changed with the M10 / M10-P.  

[budjames]

I really want to buy a Profoto B10 kit, but without HSS support on Leica, I won't.

Regards,
Bud James

Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/budjamesphoto.

[photophile]

I use off camera flash routinely on my M10 classic. ( Adorama's Flashpoint version of the Godox system). I can turn off pre-flash thru the menu system but it is incompatible with ttl - thus use it only in manual mode. It does NOT work over sync speed of 1/180, even though the flash system has HSS (and works seamlessly with Nikon). With that understanding, and with the right lighting technique, I can get some very pleasing studio lighting with this set-up. See example here below. Hope that is helpful. Best, Coos

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/239964-open-thread-show-us-your-portraits/page/82/?tab=comments#comment-3782358

To the best of my knowledge, only Leica flashes have the software compatibility to fire HSS with Leica cameras. The company has apparently not relinquished that feature to outside vendor units. The hardware (contacts) obviously fit. 

 

Edited December 26, 2019 by photophile