Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/11/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Most P&S flashes fire at full power and regulate the aperture to control exposure based on the focused distance. Really cheap P&S cameras just fire the flash and count on the latitude of the film to get a correct exposure. It seems to me that it would be easy to test your Minilux using a flash meter and slide film. Vary focused distances, test flash output from a fixed distance and use slide film. The slide film will show any exposure regularities and the effects of different apertures while the flash meter will indicate if the flash is being quenched. Simple! And then you can phone the chap(ette) at Leica NJ and fill him/her in. John Collier A few pictures are better than thousands of words posted on the Leica-users. > From: Don Lindich <doncia1@icubed.com> > > People posting on the Minilux BBS report that tests with a flash meter confirm > observations that the flash discharges at full power every time. Whenever > using flash in program mode the camera says f/2.4 and observation does not > show it ever stopping down when > the flash goes off.. Obviously, if I am shooting a group at f/2.4 there is a > great likelihood that some people at various distances will be out of focus. > That's one of the many reasons I want to know what the camera actually does. > > It has been suggested that the shutter opens up to an 'f-stop" while leaving > the diaphrapgm itself wide open, as the Minolta Hi-Matic E did. Another > theory is that the flash discharge is timed relative to the shutter so the > entire pop isn't included in the > exposure, cutting flash duration at close distances. This has ramifications > in manual mode. If I know my guide # of 11 and I am taking pictures of > something 2 meters away, I can set the f/stop at 5.6 and get a good exposure. > If the shutter doesn't allow > the entire flash to get in the images will be underexposed.