Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/30

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Question on the Metz 40 MZ-2
From: Eric Welch <ewelch@ponyexpress.net>
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1998 07:23:19 -0600

>There is also some shadow e.g. 
>under the nose and hair on the forehead when bounce flash is used. How 
>could I get rid of that? Thanks.

Oh, that. You have several choices. One, which Metz has to be blind not to
have seen and come up with a better solution than that little, secondary
flash is what Nikon and Canon have built into their flashes. A little piece
of plastic that you pull out. It kicks some of the light from the flash
straight forward. Just enough to fill in the shadows under the eyes, etc. 

The way to fix that is how I used to do it with my Vivitar 283 for years.
Take a 3x5 white card (or whatever is handy, like folded paper) and wrap a
rubber band around the flash head (I know, that looks very un-Leica-like)
to hold the paper. Have it stick 2 or 3 inches up from the end of the
flash, so that it kicks like 10 percent of the light straight ahead. That
will do the trick. If you aren't sure what I mean, play with a Nikon SB-26
or SB-28 (or Canon 540-EZ) and pull that little reflector piece of plastic
out. 

That is what we photojournalists use for flash work. It really makes a big
difference. Practice will tell  you how much to let out the card.

Another option is one of those fancy thingies you can attach to the end of
the flash to either reflect light forward, or whatever. But they cost a lot
of money for something that can be done real cheap. :-) Spend money on
glass, not attachments, is my philosophy.
- -- 

Eric Welch
St. Joseph, MO
http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch

Police tagline.  Do not cross.