Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/12/01

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Subject: Re: [Leica] SF20, Leica, and value
From: Mark Rabiner <mark@markrabiner.com>
Date: Sat, 01 Dec 2001 12:43:48 -0800
References: <00b701c17a6b$c40907a0$bd3afea9@oemcomputer>

Don Dory wrote:
> 
> Is the SF20 worth whatever it costs?  Only if you want a flash that will sit
> quietly in your bag slamming against some lens until you need it, the
> batteries won't rot and the exposure will be good.  I bought the flash for
> the C11(?) which is an aperture priority version for next to nothing and it
> just works.  But that is what quality is all about.
> 
I have a million little and not so little flashes, A Mecablitz 32 Z-2 which i
got a TTL shoe for the M6 is not a handy size for most camera bags. It tends to
stay home.
A cheap and tiny Mecablitz 20 BC 6 gives me not particularly accurate non TTL
exposures on an A setting.
A Vivitar 283 with sensor on the cord is almost as good as TTL but is not a
compact deal.

My wife had a birthday and insisted on TTL for her M6 and i splurged and got her
the SF20.

She shoots mainly Kodachrome 200 with it which is a not particularly forgiving
film in terms of exposure, you've got to nail it.

One out of ten of her exposures are not keepers with this arrangement. She
shoots in the dark at LHSA meetings when all the other M6's sit there on the
table in dark restaurants. (Except my Noctilux with Neopan 1600 in it!).

So sure it's way too expensive. Both Metz and Leica have to make money. But it
just works like sun of a gun. Does not eat batteries. Takes a licking and keeps
on ticking. We feel it's paid for itself many times over.


Mark Rabiner
Portland, Oregon USA
http://www.markrabiner.com
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In reply to: Message from "Don Dory" <dorysrus@mindspring.com> ([Leica] SF20, Leica, and value)