Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/08/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Norm, No one else has stepped up to the bar so here goes. My first suggestion is to go to a pro rental house and rent a Metz with the appropriate adapter. Put the R8 in A pick an aperture that keeps your shutter speed where you are comfortable and blaze away with the flash on auto. If you are shooting Tri-X then rate it at 800 and use Fuji NPZ which is a wonderful 800 speed film that handles weird lighting very well. Weird lighting is you will be mixing flash with tungsten and who knows what else. My second suggestion would be to pick up an SF20. With the above films you will be fine out to 16-20 feet which is as far away as you should be anyway. Price of an SF20 is in the $220 range. If your quarterly taxes are huge, and you feel like learning really quick, then you can pick up any cheap powerful thrysister flash. Several days before the big event, take your R8 to the ballroom and use the R8's ability to read flash. You will want to know apertures at say 5, 10, and 15 feet. Paste the aperture numbers on the flash and zone focus. For easiest use set your R8 to manual mode, choose a shutter speed that you are comfortable with, and get prepared for the mantra. You know, five feet F16: 10 feet F8, 15 feet F4.5. This is actually easier than it sounds as most group sizes accommodate very specific distances. Use of negative film will cover up any modest exposure errors. I suggested a thrysister flash as it is very probable that you will be dialing the power down to keep your apertures somewhere near an ambient light exposure to keep the background visible. Oh, if you go for the last method, do shoot a test roll long enough before the event to make sure everything is working peachy. Don Yes I do this pretty often but it is still easier with full auto unless you are shooting people who show up in white. Don dorysrus@mindspring.com - -----Original Message----- From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of Norm Barnard Sent: Friday, August 22, 2003 7:10 PM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: [Leica] Flash advice for Lieca R8 Fighting with email... again, if this is message number 4 for you, I apologize yet again.... Hi all - I have a question about R8 flash which stems from a recent dilemma I've found myself in. I agreed to take some photos of a friends upcoming in-law's 50th anniversary party. Initially, i was under the impression that this was to be an outdoor event, which since I don't own flash, would have posed no problems; however, today I find that it's going to be an indoor afair. It will be taking place inside a Holiday Inn banquet/confernce type area, so that type of lighting is what I get to deal with. I should also point out that flash photography is not something I'm super comfortable with. I've been looking around the 'net at other's recommendations for R8 flash, and I've found that the Metz Mecablitz 54Z3 ultra-flash-monster extraordinaire with the SCA 3501 adaptor thingy is the way to go for the R8. I'd be tempted just to grab that unit with the short time frame (about a week from today) and all, but my pocket book tells me that quarterly income tax estimated payments are due in less than a month, so, dropping that kind of coin is out of the question. I'd prefer to keep the costs under $200 if possible. So... I'm curious as to what other types of flashes you guys are using for the R8, as I really don't know much about Leica flash stuff. It also may help to know that I'll be using the R8 with the aforementioned 50 and 90 (neither is a ROM lens) and Tri-X (mostly) and maybe a roll or two of some color negative (probably supra 400 or maybe the portra equivalent). Thanks, Norm - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html