Leica SF flashes

[CptSlevin]

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Hello, guys!
I have Godox manual flash for my Leica SL2S.

Is it worth it to spend extra for Leica SF 40 / SF 60?
From reviews and forum discussions I got that they are rehoused Metz / Nissin and kinda subpar for the price they are selling.
Would like to as opinions of people who use them professionally.

Thanks!

[Photoworks]

well, what are you doing with it?

I have a range of godox flash and triggers, but I also have a few SF60s with leica trigger.

If you are happy with Manual mode, you don't need anything else.

[CptSlevin]

44 minutes ago, Photoworks said:

well, what are you doing with it?

I have a range of godox flash and triggers, but I also have a few SF60s with leica trigger.

If you are happy with Manual mode, you don't need anything else.

Event photography mostly, that's why I am thinking TTL might be a good option.
Is it accurate? 

[Luke_Miller]

23 minutes ago, CptSlevin said:

Event photography mostly, that's why I am thinking TTL might be a good option.
Is it accurate? 

The SF 40 and SF 60 flashes are rebadged Nissin units with Leica TTL dedication. I have the SF 40 and TTL function is fine, but it does seem a bit flimsy. For a large pro quality flash I also have the Leica SF 58. It and the SF 64 flashes are Metz built units and are quality products. They are only available used, and are holding their value. They are worth buying if one needs a sturdy and powerful on-camera flash. Unwieldy on  a Q or M, but fine on an SL.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

The SF 64 is possibly the worst hotshoe flash I've ever used. Made when Metz were going under it's a cheap piece of crap with an absolutely awful interface. The last good Metz flash was the SF 58.

The SF40 and 60 are fine. They work well. They're small and decently made. The remote trigger only works with the SF60, and the SF60 feels a bit better made than the SF40. The issue is the Nissin version for other systems is 1/3 the price and they're not cross compatible. Leica Tax.

You could also get a Godox trigger and shoot off camera flash with TTL (triple check compatibility with your current gear first). Or Profoto if the budget allows.

Gordon

[Photoworks]

18 hours ago, CptSlevin said:

Event photography mostly, that's why I am thinking TTL might be a good option.
Is it accurate? 

if you want to keep it simple I would suggest SF60. 
the downside is that the batteries are only as good as the AA you find. in addition, you could get the external Godox 960 battery pack for faster charging.

if you use a diffiesion like Gary Fong or Magmod you will find it top heave and the flash occasionally flips down.

I just did a shoot for Halloween in a dark room, the camera was set to 6400 ISO and Leica trigger on the camera, and holding the SF60 in hand, I was able to hold up the flash and rotate it in different directions to get a soft bounce. By having the Preview hold on the SL3, I was able to review lighting during the shoot, working very quickly.

Since it was 6400 ISO the power output was very low and I was good all night with 4 AA batteries.

 

I have used the Godox trigger, XPROII-L and X3-L  on other events in combination with V1pro and Ad200 Pro with an extension head on a simple bracket. worked very well in TTL.
does not work with older flashes, check firmware and not compatible with M11

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[hellobrandonscott]

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I've used SF 60s and the SF C1 for three years as a wedding photographer, definitely a power user of them, and overall I'd say they're mid. If you don't need the connectivity with the SF C1, the SF 40 is the way to go. Also the way to go because you don't have a screen that you risk breaking. I'm currently on my fourth:

SF 60 No. 1 - Lasted six months, then the screen went completely blank. The flash still worked and I could navigate the rest of the wedding just having memorized the settings workflow with frequent use. Sent back to Leica and they sent a new unit out (No. 3). 

SF 60 No. 2 - Bought along with the first one. Lasted about a year and then developed this weird high pitched whine. Sent it to Leica, they sent out a new unit. 

SF 60 No. 3 - Currently two years old, so out of warranty, and functions but the little selection wheel jumps around a bunch. For example, setting the flash zoom via that wheel, it'll go from 24 to 35 then suddenly jump to 90 and then back to 24 then 50 then 35. It's a pain but overall it works so I deal with it. 

SF 60 No. 4 - No problems yet. 

They're problematic, not built well, overpriced for what they are, but I'll keep buying them because they're the only flash units out there that do what they do with the Leica system. 

Battery hack: https://amzn.to/4eiOiJU

BTW the SF 60s are made by Nissin and just rebadged. 

Edited November 4, 2024 by hellobrandonscott

[Photoworks]

13 hours ago, hellobrandonscott said:

I've used SF 60s and the SF C1 for three years as a wedding photographer, definitely a power user of them, and overall I'd say they're mid. If you don't need the connectivity with the SF C1, the SF 40 is the way to go. Also the way to go because you don't have a screen that you risk breaking. I'm currently on my fourth:

SF 60 No. 1 - Lasted six months, then the screen went completely blank. The flash still worked and I could navigate the rest of the wedding just having memorized the settings workflow with frequent use. Sent back to Leica and they sent a new unit out (No. 3). 

SF 60 No. 2 - Bought along with the first one. Lasted about a year and then developed this weird high pitched whine. Sent it to Leica, they sent out a new unit. 

SF 60 No. 3 - Currently two years old, so out of warranty, and functions but the little selection wheel jumps around a bunch. For example, setting the flash zoom via that wheel, it'll go from 24 to 35 then suddenly jump to 90 and then back to 24 then 50 then 35. It's a pain but overall it works so I deal with it. 

SF 60 No. 4 - No problems yet. 

They're problematic, not built well, overpriced for what they are, but I'll keep buying them because they're the only flash units out there that do what they do with the Leica system. 

Battery hack: https://amzn.to/4eiOiJU

BTW the SF 60s are made by Nissin and just rebadged. 

I have to agree with you, I am on my 5th SF-60. I always have two with me one as a backup.

the flashes are older tech, all new batteries have dedicated batteries that charge much quicker without the need of external power. Even Bissin make them but all the new one don't work with Leica .

One hack is to get an older used NISSIN flash i60a or Di700A and send it in to get the firmware updated to work with the SF-C1. I will only work in connection with the leica trigger, and in manual mode on the hotshoe.

[Jptsr1]

On my 4th SF60 now. One replaced by Leica, one by B&H and one out of pocket. They are truly horrid in my opinion. The worst part is wating forever for Leica to tell you they can't be fixed.  If/when my current one fails I'll definitely go the AD100 route and just deal with the challenges of that setup. 

[tpf1952]

On 11/3/2024 at 9:31 AM, Photoworks said:

if you want to keep it simple I would suggest SF60. 
the downside is that the batteries are only as good as the AA you find. in addition, you could get the external Godox 960 battery pack for faster charging.

if you use a diffiesion like Gary Fong or Magmod you will find it top heave and the flash occasionally flips down.

I just did a shoot for Halloween in a dark room, the camera was set to 6400 ISO and Leica trigger on the camera, and holding the SF60 in hand, I was able to hold up the flash and rotate it in different directions to get a soft bounce. By having the Preview hold on the SL3, I was able to review lighting during the shoot, working very quickly.

Since it was 6400 ISO the power output was very low and I was good all night with 4 AA batteries.

 

I have used the Godox trigger, XPROII-L and X3-L  on other events in combination with V1pro and Ad200 Pro with an extension head on a simple bracket. worked very well in TTL.
does not work with older flashes, check firmware and not compatible with M11

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Your use of the Godox Nano with an AD200 to work with an SL is ingenious. But how do make this setup work with a V1Pro? Aren’t the V1Pros dedicated to non-Leica cameras? And just how do you rig either flash to your SL?

[Photoworks]

10 minutes ago, tpf1952 said:

Your use of the Godox Nano with an AD200 to work with an SL is ingenious. But how do make this setup work with a V1Pro? Aren’t the V1Pros dedicated to non-Leica cameras? And just how do you rig either flash to your SL?

AD200 Pro and AD200 Pro II work with either Leica trigger from godox.

I use a cheap Vello flat bracket for the flash and the trigger on the camera. Set the distance on the trigger to 0-30m

 

[Leicaboy Norway]

If you have a godox x pro (Like I do), can you use a Godox V1 (which is an excellent flash) and just handhold it even though you get a lets say Godox V1 for Nikon?

[Photoworks]

5 hours ago, Leicaboy Norway said:

If you have a godox x pro (Like I do), can you use a Godox V1 (which is an excellent flash) and just handhold it even though you get a lets say Godox V1 for Nikon?

If you have a godox trigger made for Leica, you can use any of the Godox V1 flash if you have updated flash firmware. Canon, Nikon, O/P, fuji... does not matter. 

[Simone_DF]

On 11/6/2024 at 4:05 PM, Leicaboy Norway said:

If you have a godox x pro (Like I do), can you use a Godox V1 (which is an excellent flash) and just handhold it even though you get a lets say Godox V1 for Nikon?

- All Godox flashes except for Sony (different pins layout) will fire when mounted on a Leica in manual mode, no TTL. I use a Godox V1 for Nikon, it works fine.
- If you get a Godox X-Pro 2 or 3 for Leica, all Godox flashes will work in TTL, the variant doesn’t matter because communication is wireless, not via pins. My V1 for Nikon works in TTL on a SL2-S
 

[Photoworks]

2 hours ago, Simone_DF said:

If you get a Godox X-Pro 2 or 3 for Leica, all Godox flashes will work in TTL,

Only the one supported by godox xProII-L , older lights don't get updates and don't work in TTL, only manual settings.

 

[lx1713]

On 11/4/2024 at 10:20 AM, hellobrandonscott said:

I've used SF 60s and the SF C1 for three years as a wedding photographer, definitely a power user of them, and overall I'd say they're mid. If you don't need the connectivity with the SF C1, the SF 40 is the way to go. Also the way to go because you don't have a screen that you risk breaking. I'm currently on my fourth:

SF 60 No. 1 - Lasted six months, then the screen went completely blank. The flash still worked and I could navigate the rest of the wedding just having memorized the settings workflow with frequent use. Sent back to Leica and they sent a new unit out (No. 3). 

SF 60 No. 2 - Bought along with the first one. Lasted about a year and then developed this weird high pitched whine. Sent it to Leica, they sent out a new unit. 

SF 60 No. 3 - Currently two years old, so out of warranty, and functions but the little selection wheel jumps around a bunch. For example, setting the flash zoom via that wheel, it'll go from 24 to 35 then suddenly jump to 90 and then back to 24 then 50 then 35. It's a pain but overall it works so I deal with it. 

SF 60 No. 4 - No problems yet. 

They're problematic, not built well, overpriced for what they are, but I'll keep buying them because they're the only flash units out there that do what they do with the Leica system. 

Battery hack: https://amzn.to/4eiOiJU

BTW the SF 60s are made by Nissin and just rebadged. 

I have the same problems. Problem no. 3  is a pain so I'm using an old Canon 600EXii-RT on auto mode or manual flash. The previews are not very accurate as its on Auto white balance or if I gelled the flash and fixed WB to 3200K. The exposures are very much spot on when I use the auto mode (sensor in the flash). 

[Biotar]

Am 4.11.2024 um 03:20 schrieb hellobrandonscott:

They're problematic, not built well, overpriced for what they are, but I'll keep buying them because they're the only flash units out there that do what they do with the Leica system.

 

I can't understand the discussions and problems. For professionals, Nissin offers the MG-10, which I use without any problems and have never had to buy a new one.

[Biotar]

If I had a defective SF 60, I would buy an i-60 and try to simply replace the base-unit.

[hellobrandonscott]

3 hours ago, Biotar said:

I can't understand the discussions and problems. For professionals, Nissin offers the MG-10, which I use without any problems and have never had to buy a new one.

That combo is just too impractical for me. I don't have a free hand to carry a separate flash most wedding days. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[Biotar]

With the rail, the ergonomics work for me, but the cross-system function is much more important to me. It runs simultaneously, each with its own settings.

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