Flash Unit on Q2?

[charles tay]

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I am a Q2 owner and I am wondering is there third party flash i could use? Or i need to get only Leica Flash Unit? thanks. 

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[Anakronox]

Really any modern flash will work, though only in manual mode.  If you want TTL flash, you’ll need to buy the most recent Leica units. 
I use Godox speed,ignites and wireless triggers in manual mode with all of my Leicas and they work great. 

[Herr Barnack]

1 hour ago, Anakronox said:

Really any modern flash will work, though only in manual mode.  If you want TTL flash, you’ll need to buy the most recent Leica units...

I finally bit the bullet and bought the obnoxiously overpriced Leica SF-40 flash for my Q2 this week.  In the past, I have used a Nikon SB-25 and a Metz 45 CL-4 and a Phottix Ares wireless transmitter/receiver set with my M-P 240 and gotten reasonably good results. 

So why did I pay through the nose for the SF-40?  I just got tired of the cobbled together gear I had been using for flash photography with my M-P 240.  With the SB-25, I was using the Phottix wireless trigger set to get the flash off camera, which required hand holding the flash unit and one handing the M-P 240.  I just got tired of that and wanted a clean and easy flash solution - and I wanted the TTL flash metering that the SF-40 makes possible.

The SF-40 is small, light and a good size for use with the Q2; it also seems to be a good fit for my M10 Monochrom and M-P 240.  I looked at the SF-60 too, but it is a larger and heavier flash (and more costly); it seems to be a better fit for the SL2 and S3 sized bodies. 

With a guide number of 131 at ISO 100, the SF-40 certainly puts out enough light for my purposes and it is smaller and lighter in weight than the SF-60 which made the SF-40 the obvious choice.

Edited August 7, 2021 by Herr Barnack

[jaapv]

Only Leica flashes are compatible with TTL operation and can communicate with the camera for automatic reflector zoom if present.

[charles tay]

21 hours ago, Herr Barnack said:

I finally bit the bullet and bought the obnoxiously overpriced Leica SF-40 flash for my Q2 this week.  In the past, I have used a Nikon SB-25 and a Metz 45 CL-4 and a Phottix Ares wireless transmitter/receiver set with my M-P 240 and gotten reasonably good results. 

So why did I pay through the nose for the SF-40?  I just got tired of the cobbled together gear I had been using for flash photography with my M-P 240.  With the SB-25, I was using the Phottix wireless trigger set to get the flash off camera, which required hand holding the flash unit and one handing the M-P 240.  I just got tired of that and wanted a clean and easy flash solution - and I wanted the TTL flash metering that the SF-40 makes possible.

The SF-40 is small, light and a good size for use with the Q2; it also seems to be a good fit for my M10 Monochrom and M-P 240.  I looked at the SF-60 too, but it is a larger and heavier flash (and more costly); it seems to be a better fit for the SL2 and S3 sized bodies. 

With a guide number of 131 at ISO 100, the SF-40 certainly puts out enough light for my purposes and it is smaller and lighter in weight than the SF-60 which made the SF-40 the obvious choice.

Thanks for your sharing, I went to Leica shop to try the SF40 Flash after reading your recommendation. Ended up i got new leica rope strap from the shop. 

[darylgo]

While being overpriced and the source of many complaints on these boards, the Leica flashes have compatibility with ttl going back to the Sf-58 and the awful Sf-24.  So, likely any purchase will be good for several more generation cameras and you only need to buy these once.