Re: Fill-in flash with M6?

[Eric Welch <ewelch@gp.magick.net>]

At 08:17 AM 6/24/96 +0300, you wrote:

> - does the X-sync of Leica M6 work with slower shutter
>speeds than nominated 1/50 sec setting? This is
>really the main issue.

Yes.

> - Are there any flash units that contain adjustable "delay"
>for getting the sync near to the trailing edge of the shutter?
>The latter would be a nice "plus".

Not possible. It has to be tied into the shutter's circuits (which obviously
leaves out the M6) and you have to guess when to pop the flash. You need an
electronic shutter to do that.

>I was thinking to underexpose from one to two f-stops from
>the M6 meter reading and fill the gap with automatic flash
>set according to experimentation. For example, dancing
>at the wedding, indoors, shutter at 1/2, f8, touch of flash to
>stop the dancers... Has anybody on this list tried this with
>M6? Any hints?

Get a powerful, but small, flash unit, with metering built in. The Vivitar
283 would be ideal. Why I say powerful is, in bright sunlight, you need a
lot of power to fill-flash with that 1/50 sec. shutter speed. 

An example: Exposure in the camera meter 1/50 at f/11. A good fill-in
exposure would be to set the flash for f/5.6 or f/8. One and one-half stops
underexpsure would be better, but the 283 doesn't give 1/2 stop settings in
auto flash.

You could use the manual control unit that replaces the sensor on the flash
unit that gives you 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and such. But then you have to set the
camera according to the distance to the subject, and you have to figure out
in your head just what balance of flash and available light to use. Much
easier to use the auto flash sensor.

> These kind of situations are not so common to me to
>justify another camera or camera system. It is also a
>matter of principle...;-)

Not to mention with those p&s cameras, the flash light is just plain ugly
with the black shadows they cast on the background. With a Vivitar 283 you
can connect the flash to the camera via a sensor cord and hold the flash
away from the camera (with your hand or a bracket - and can even combine
several cords) to put the shadows where you want them, and avoid red-eye.
And you can use bounce-flash to smooth out the shadows to nothing, using a
kicker card (3x5 card strapped to the flash by a rubber band) to fill in
shadows below the eyes from bouncing the light off the ceiling.

==========================
Eric Welch
Grants Pass Daily Courier