New to RFs, need advice :)

[ehwhatthe]

Hi guys,

Recently got a M7 and a SF20.

I've got a question pertaining to flash photography on the M7.

When the flash is set to TTL and the M7 set to auto, the camera only shoots at 1/50 and the flash power doesn't seem strong enough to light up the subject given the lighting conditions.

Wondering if the exposure/power output on the flash is actually accurate or have I been wasting frames?

Thanks so much

 

[lordpain]

one question - how do you know if the flash is not strong enough? have you used a lightmeter or examined the negatives?

 

[crispy12]

Did you set the correct aperture on the flash to correspond with your lens?

Leica M7 has a flash sync of 1/50. Try reading up on the strobist blog for some flash basics, I found them very helpful.

 

[ehwhatthe]

Appreciate the replies !

one question - how do you know if the flash is not strong enough? have you used a lightmeter or examined the negatives?

I didn't use a light meter nor examine the negatives.

Rather, I based it on my past experience (although not as vast as most of the people here) and concluded that given the lighting condition I was in, the aperture and shutter speed, the flash output was wayyyy lower than what was needed to properly expose my subject.

Perhaps I may be wrong. But I have since decided to stop using the TTL mode on the flash or perhaps the flash altogether until I gain a proper understanding of the system.

I'll also wait for this current roll to be processed and then see if the images are indeed not exposed properly or perhaps it was just my judgement that was incorrect.

Did you set the correct aperture on the flash to correspond with your lens?

Leica M7 has a flash sync of 1/50. Try reading up on the strobist blog for some flash basics, I found them very helpful.

Oh my. When you mentioned correct aperture, I got a OMG moment. lol. I totally forgot that I had to set the aperture on the flash, think it was set at default at 2.8 while I was shooting at F2. But in that case, wouldn't the flash increase the output based on the aperture reading.

A question I have now is, when I put the M7 on A mode and flash on TTL, it indicates 1/50. Does the shutter speed automatically go down according to lighting conditions or does it stay at 1/50?

 

[lordpain]

i think its hard to gauge flash output by just guessing. my feeling is that the flash is more than sufficient and the camera is constantly firing at 1/50 (which is the max sunc speed) to avoid overexposing. It is best you examine the negatives after shooting or use a lightmeter

 

[ehwhatthe]

i think its hard to gauge flash output by just guessing. my feeling is that the flash is more than sufficient and the camera is constantly firing at 1/50 (which is the max sunc speed) to avoid overexposing. It is best you examine the negatives after shooting or use a lightmeter

Okay thanks!

Does that mean that when shooting TTL mode on the flash, I don't have to manually set the aperture and the camera will only shoot at 1/50?

Sorry, have to double confirm. My kiasu Singaporean habit =) afraid to waste frames on the film :/

 

[Riotbmx]

afraid to waste frames on the film :/

You're not wasting frames if you learn from the mistakes. And for this case, only the negatives have the answer.

 

[crispy12]

Sorry my previous comment is if the flash is set to auto. If set to TTL, it should automatically increase the power based on the light input. The other factors include subject distance, direction of flash or processing of your negs.

In my experience the sf20 works quite well for what it does..

 

[fstop]

Sorry, have to double confirm. My kiasu Singaporean habit =) afraid to waste frames on the film :/

You can afford a Leica M7 and SF20 but you can't afford to use a few frames of film to test the flash?

 

[magicianhisoka]

You can afford a Leica M7 and SF20 but you can't afford to use a few frames of film to test the flash?

A very owch comment. I guess maybe the TS doesn't want to waste precious moments as well? At least I'm hoping that cost isn't the main issue

Anyway, you might want to read up on basic issues regarding flash usage. GN 20 is pretty darn low. Most compacts come with GN 7. So based on that idea, you'll need to be close most of the time. Don't expect to light up a subject 10m away.

 

[catchlights]

Okay thanks!

Does that mean that when shooting TTL mode on the flash, I don't have to manually set the aperture and the camera will only shoot at 1/50?

Sorry, have to double confirm. My kiasu Singaporean habit =) afraid to waste frames on the film :/

do you know TTL stands for thru the lens?

and do you know flash exposure has noting to do with shutter speed?

and do you know what is your camera max sync speed?



to make each frame of film counts, I suggest you read some books on basic photography, there are many such books available in our national library.

 

[ehwhatthe]

You can afford a Leica M7 and SF20 but you can't afford to use a few frames of film to test the flash?

Well, to each his own. If someone can bare to use an entire roll to test the flash without having the "sayang" feeling than by all means go ahead.

I just feel that it would be "sayang" to not know the quirks of the camera before testing the flash. Losing frames is heartache. Losing the moments that were supposed to be captured by that frame is even more heartache.

do you know TTL stands for thru the lens?

and do you know flash exposure has noting to do with shutter speed?

and do you know what is your camera max sync speed?

to make each frame of film counts, I suggest you read some books on basic photography, there are many such books available in our national library.

Hi catchlights, I'm new to RFs but not exactly new to photography.

The only reason i brought shutter speed into the question is because I wanted to know if the M7, when on auto, does the shutter speed vary according to lighting conditions as all I see in the VF is 1/50 shutter speed with a lightning bolt. I know a lot of people would berate someone if he uses the auto function on a leica, but I just got the camera and would like to test everything to ensure that it is in good working condition.

Having used the ETTL feature on Canon cameras, it did not occur to me to manually change the aperture setting on the camera. As mentioned in the thread title, I'm a RF virgin and have never used flash when shooting films. What may seem second nature to the more experienced may be totally new territory for someone like me. Rather than just blindly shooting the M7, I'd like to know more about the camera. But somehow, it seems like owning a leica means that I would naturally have to know everything.

Would you be so kind as to recommend some books for a good, informative read?

Thank you

 

[crispy12]

Flash is quite simple lah, but the principles of flash exposure is opposite from available light photography so it can be confusing. Don't need to be so harsh on him.

Read strobist blog, see flash 101 on their website. Shutter speed controls ambient exposure, aperture controls subject exposure and ISO affects both. Don't use auto first, it'll just confuse you. Start with manual and go auto when you understand how it works.

 

[ehwhatthe]

Flash is quite simple lah, but the principles of flash exposure is opposite from available light photography so it can be confusing. Don't need to be so harsh on him.

Read strobist blog, see flash 101 on their website. Shutter speed controls ambient exposure, aperture controls subject exposure and ISO affects both. Don't use auto first, it'll just confuse you. Start with manual and go auto when you understand how it works.

Morning and thanks crispy12, I will do just that

 

[fstop]

ehwhatthe, sorry for coming across rather brusque in my ealier message. Didn't intend to.

I think the best way to learn about flash photography is to shoot in full manual mode, so that you know how each setting (aperture, power output etc) affect the outcome. Perhaps you could mount the SF20 on your Canon DSLR and experiment with it.

 

[ehwhatthe]

ehwhatthe, sorry for coming across rather brusque in my ealier message. Didn't intend to.

I think the best way to learn about flash photography is to shoot in full manual mode, so that you know how each setting (aperture, power output etc) affect the outcome. Perhaps you could mount the SF20 on your Canon DSLR and experiment with it.

Hey no worries man.

Yea I was thinking about that, perhaps it will be an easier and not to mention instant way to experiment.

Thanks!

 

[ehwhatthe]

hey guys. Just an update. The photos turned out alright even without me dialing in the aperture setting on the flash. Perhaps I was just lucky this time but will continue to dial in the aperture on the flash settings.

thanks for the help!