skimmel Posted June 12, 2009 Share #1 Posted June 12, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm thinking about getting a flash for my M8, mostly to do fill flash (would love to have a nice big bounce flash but not for my M8!). Any recommendations? I was thinking about the SF24 as a small flash that I won't have to worry about working on the M8. Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 12, 2009 Posted June 12, 2009 Hi skimmel, Take a look here Fill Flash for M8. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
MV8 Posted June 12, 2009 Share #2 Posted June 12, 2009 There was an article of the SF24 flash in LFI issue back in March. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted June 12, 2009 Share #3 Posted June 12, 2009 SF24 woks great for fill-in. I followed a forum member's suggestion and bought a used Nikon flash cord that makes it possible to use the flash off-camera. Along these lines, Sean Reid also wrote an interesting article on working with flash with the M8. His site is worth the moderate subscription fee IMO. Hope this helps. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimmel Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted June 12, 2009 Thanks. I read Sean's article -- it's one of the best pieces on flash I've ever read. Any others' experience with the SF24 for fill flash? Does anyone use any type of diffuser with the SF24? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted June 13, 2009 Share #5 Posted June 13, 2009 I use the SF24D on occasion for bounce (with the Nikon cord), even in rooms with a ceiling height of about ten feet. Don't underestimate this little fellow. Size is not all ... The old man from the Age of Screw-Mount Flashbulbs Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photon42 Posted June 13, 2009 Share #6 Posted June 13, 2009 Occasionally I use a Nikon SB22 in Auto mode and correct the aperture on the lens to what I think makes sense (usually -1 or -1.5 EV). The Nikon uses four AA cells and isn't much larger. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noah_addis Posted June 13, 2009 Share #7 Posted June 13, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I was looking into the flash question and decided to pick up the Metz 36c2. It's a bit larger than the SF24 but a good size for the M8 in my opinion and it uses four AA batteries so it has decent power and recycle speed. Metz also offers a smaller model with two AA batteries. Both of the little Metz flashes offer tilt but not swivel. I find using flash in Auto mode to be very easy on the M8, even for fill. I rarely use flash, so spending the $$$ on a leica model seemed silly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimmel Posted June 13, 2009 Author Share #8 Posted June 13, 2009 I just looked into the Metz 20 C-2. Seems pretty nice -- small, pretty good GN, tilt head. Anyone using this on the M8? For this or the other small Metz flashes, do you need an adaptor on it before putting on M8? How much manual setting do you need to do with it on the M8? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimmel Posted June 13, 2009 Author Share #9 Posted June 13, 2009 Anyone try the Nikon SB-400 with the M8? If I get this one, I can use on my Nikon too as a small flash. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted June 14, 2009 Share #10 Posted June 14, 2009 Tilt without swivel does not get you very far, in my opinion. The old man from the Age of Flashpowder P.S. Flashpowder was great. It gave you direct flash, ceiling bounce, wall bounce, floor bounce and subject bounce all at the same time. Sometimes you got bounced too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimmel Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share #11 Posted June 14, 2009 Tilt without swivel does not get you very far, in my opinion. The old man from the Age of Flashpowder P.S. Flashpowder was great. It gave you direct flash, ceiling bounce, wall bounce, floor bounce and subject bounce all at the same time. Sometimes you got bounced too. I agree. I've been thinking of getting the SF24 with SFILL first and then perhaps trying an off-shoe cord depending on results. Looks like the Nikon one that people recommend is no longer in production, but there's a new one, the Nikon SC-28 or 29 (may get the 29 because it has AF assist which I can use with my Nikon DSLR). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noah_addis Posted June 14, 2009 Share #12 Posted June 14, 2009 You don't need an adaptor to put the non-dedicated Metz flashes on the M8, it works fine as-is. I've noticed the small pin towards the front of the M8 shoe keeps the flash from sliding in all the way, but the sync pins line up and it works without a problem. I don't use tilt or swivel, I mostly use strobe for fill and even then rarely. But I'd say tilt without swivel is better than no tilt, in my opinion. The Metz flashes are perfect for people (myself included) who use flash only rarely and don't want to pay top-dollar for something that will mostly collect dust. When shooting with an Auto-mode flash, I set the aperture on the flash, then use manual exposure to balance the flash with the ambient light to get the ratio I want. It is very simple and reliable. I just got an SC-17 cord too so I can use the flash off-camera, and it seems to work well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimmel Posted June 14, 2009 Author Share #13 Posted June 14, 2009 You don't need an adaptor to put the non-dedicated Metz flashes on the M8, it works fine as-is. I've noticed the small pin towards the front of the M8 shoe keeps the flash from sliding in all the way, but the sync pins line up and it works without a problem. I don't use tilt or swivel, I mostly use strobe for fill and even then rarely. But I'd say tilt without swivel is better than no tilt, in my opinion. The Metz flashes are perfect for people (myself included) who use flash only rarely and don't want to pay top-dollar for something that will mostly collect dust. When shooting with an Auto-mode flash, I set the aperture on the flash, then use manual exposure to balance the flash with the ambient light to get the ratio I want. It is very simple and reliable. I just got an SC-17 cord too so I can use the flash off-camera, and it seems to work well. Thanks. Which Metz are you using? It's been a very long time since I've used flash without all the "automatics" -- can you give an example of how you set the camera and flash aperture? Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iansky Posted June 16, 2009 Share #14 Posted June 16, 2009 For all you UK searchers looking for the SC17, MXV Photographic have a few left - I just purchased one for £14 + £6 P&P so all in all a good deal to work with my SF 24D M8 combo. Their contact details are: MXV Photographic (Sussex) Ltd. Hempstead Rise Uckfield East Sussex TN22 1QX United Kingdom e-mail. sales@mxvphotographic.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noah_addis Posted June 16, 2009 Share #15 Posted June 16, 2009 I got my SC 17 at New York Camera and Video in Pennsylvania. They have a few used one in decent shape. I use the Metz 36 C2. There is a smaller model that uses two batteries but I thought the larger one might recycle faster and provide a tad more power. It's a great size for the M8, in my opinion. If I'm doing fill, I'll pick an auto aperture on the flash, for example f 8. Then, if I want my strobe to be one stop under, I'll set the lens to F/11 and the shutter speed to provide the correct ambient exposure as if I weren't using flash. That way the flash will be 1 stop under the ambient exposure. I hate the look of overdone fill flash so sometimes I'll go two or more stops under the ambient light. I can set the flash to F/4 and shoot at F/8 for example. If you need the flash as your main light source then just set the lens to whatever auto aperture you have picked on the flash. The shutter speed can then be used to control the ratio with the ambient light. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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