Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/09/26
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I have found that a good "run about" flash unit for use with an M series
Leica is the Vivitar 2800. It's a small unit, less than the size of an M
body, is fairly rugged, has two auto settings as well as manual and can be
had on the used market for next to nothing. (Hence I have 5 of these
things.)
This is obviously not a very powerful unit and will not light up a
barn or fry a cat at fifty feet but is wonderful for low light use in fill
flashing a foreground object or for sharpening up the foreground at
borderline slow speeds.
When my heavily modified Lumedyne or Norman setups are not required
(which they rarely are for 35mm use) and a 285HV is too much bulk, a little
2800 makes a great companion to a light Leica M kit.
An M body and lens with a 2800 will fit in a small waist pouch and
will hardly be noticed. (Another bonus is that they fit in the outside arm
pocket of a survival suit with no noticeable bulk so this shows how small
they are.)
Whilst they might lack the "sex appeal" of a fancier whizz bang
German flash unit and not get any admiring "oohs and ahhs" at the next
camera club pow-wow they do serve certain purposes admirably and let's face
it: Leica M series bodies are not exactly the most flash friendly cameras
in the known universe.
J.Redfern
PS: If anyone knows of a small auto-thyristor flash that is "less" powerful
than a 2800 and could offer a reliable F1.4 auto setting at asa 400 for use
to about five feet I would greatly appreciate the info'.