Advice for small flash?

[rleffingwell]

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Hello, all,

 

I'm a newcomer to the Forum and very happy to have found your group. The information that circulates here is very valid and very valuable. I've been a Leica shooter since 1967 with a long break starting in the late 1980s when the LA Times where I worked required us to start shooting color that needed fill flash to hold the contrast within the range newsprint could handle. I steadily sold off my M gear (foolishly,) but have missed the qualities that film possesses and the feel that Leica Ms offer. So I've returned to the fold.

 

I'm looking for a flexible on-camera fill-flash that might offer a few features more than Leitz's own offerings. I also use Japanese digital cameras with their dedicated and sophisticated on-camera units and I'm wondering if any of you has tried or had experience with units by other manufacturers in which trigger voltage won't put M6TTL circuits at risk? Ideally, I'm hoping for something with a twistable flash head (for bounce) and the ability to use my Quantum rechargeable pack rather than use-and-discard LI cells. Size is a consideration as well, as I am trying to fill light in confined locations like sports car interiors and engine compartments.

 

I appreciate your thoughts and recommendations. Thanks in advance.

[marknorton]

Randy, it's a frequent question - will my flash cook the M8? - and the answer is, no it will not, especially if it's a flash with some sort of auto mode.

 

The problem we have is that if you want to use Leica's GNC - Guide Number Control - TTL flash metering mode, you have to use an SF-24D or one of the Metz flashes with a suitable adapter; the Metz flashes are huge and frighten children at 100 yards. The latest firmware release has significantly improved the GNC operation by speeding things up.

 

We had hoped for a better flash than the SF-24D which lacks the tiltable zooming head and has a really dire LCD display.

 

I use Nikon flashes in auto mode and they work fine, though they are still rather large when paired with an M. For engine compartments and such like, I would normally use a ring flash which is not possible with an M because it blocks the viewfinder so is more DSLR territory.

[rleffingwell]

Thanks, Mark, I hadn't bolted on the SB-800 yet but I'll give it a try. I've got a shoot tomorrow afternoon and another each day this coming week. I just really didn't want to see the flash and then hear the sizzle. I have the ringlight - an older Nikon version and it's great but I'm tired of lugging so much weight. The Leica bag weighs 13 pounds - well, now 14 with the SB, and the D2X bag weighs three times that. And the new aspherical lenses are staggering. Thanks for the recommendation.