leica SF 24D what do you think or any suggestions for flash on the M8

panos · 02-10-2008

hi there ,

i have an M8 and i use flash quite often.
at the moment i am using a nikkon flash i think sb 28 not sure
that i bought second hand from jessops .not a digital flash.

BUT

there is no ttl so i use manually and sometimes is a bit of a pain.

i am thinking to buy SF 24D and i want another opinion.

what do you think of the leica flash ?
is it good?

i have attached an image so you can see the way i use the flash
Attachment 55775

and another question about hyperfocal focusing
i have done some tests and i find that within the range that i am supposed to be in focus it is not pin sharp.
i have stop it down a stop as well as recomended in a post i ve read about hyperfocal focusing

any suggestions?

thanks
panos

Mike Richards · 02-10-2008

Panos,

I bought the Metz 44-MZ2 flash with the SCA 3502 adapter for the M8. I ordered the Metz because it has a tilt head. I paid US$398 for the two items delivered in the US. I seldom use a flash and the Metz is too bulky for me. If you're interested, I'd be willing to sell it for $300 or 210 Euro. I live in Glyfada. You can contact me with an RFF message if you're interested.

pizzahut88 · 02-10-2008

TLL or not, that is not really necessary.
I use my SF20 in manual mode, just key in the aperture value, and it's all done for.
Exposure is very good, even in most back lit situation.
The small sensor on the flash itself does a wonderful job of controlling the power output.

The only draw back is the head does not tilt.

What I did be interested, is a smaller, more compact flash unit, perhaps one of those tiny contax ones.

delft · 02-10-2008

Hi Panos,

Your SB28 should be fine. Have a look at: http://www.strobist.blogspot.com/ to see what can be done with simple flashes.

Greetings,

Dirk

parameters · 02-11-2008

Dirk

can i use my nikon sb600 on my m8? if so, will the TTL works?

thanks in advance!
p

delft · 02-12-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by parameters

Dirk

can i use my nikon sb600 on my m8? if so, will the TTL works?

thanks in advance!
p

Hi Panos,

Your TTL will probably not work, BUT:
If the sb600 has an 'AUTO' - setting, where a sensor in the flash determines the amount of light produced, you can use that mode (time to dig up the maual for your flash...) I'm pretty sure the sb28 has such a mode.

A much nicer way of working is going completely manual. I assume the sb600 has a manual-mode (time for that manual again), where you can set the strength to 1/1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 etc. You can use a 2nd or 3rd flash too, if you can sync them to the main flash. To get a correct exposure, set your flash(es) to, say, 1/4 power and use a flash-meter, which will tell you the aperture to set on your M8 (keep shutter time at flash-sync speed), or use a 1st guesstimate, chimp, look at your histogram and adjust aperture and/or flash strengths (or even shutter speed!); repeat until satisfied. As long as the lighting configuration does not change, you can keep using this setting, occasionally chimping to see if an adjustment is needed.This is where digital has an advantage over film! The strobist's website I mentioned gives much more info.

Enyoy!

P.S. I don't know how dedicated an M8's flash-shoe is; you might want to use a pc-sync chord.

grduprey · 02-12-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by parameters

Dirk

can i use my nikon sb600 on my m8? if so, will the TTL works?

thanks in advance!
p

No the sb-600 will not work on the M8 in TTL, I have tried it and it only works in Auto mode. However it is a huge ton of weight on any M, same as the Metz flashes.

I use the Leica SF-24D and get great results in TTL mode. However, it lacks a tilt head. I seldom use flash,mainly for fill or when absolutely required. Just do not like the results otherwise, just too artificial of a look in most cases. For fill it is fine and the SF-24D is perfect for that.

Gene

panos · 02-13-2008

thanks guys
much appreciated

cme4brain · 02-14-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by panos

hi there ,

i have an M8 and i use flash quite often.
at the moment i am using a nikkon flash i think sb 28 not sure
that i bought second hand from jessops .not a digital flash.

BUT

there is no ttl so i use manually and sometimes is a bit of a pain.

i am thinking to buy SF 24D and i want another opinion.

what do you think of the leica flash ?
is it good?

i have attached an image so you can see the way i use the flash
Attachment 55775

and another question about hyperfocal focusing
i have done some tests and i find that within the range that i am supposed to be in focus it is not pin sharp.
i have stop it down a stop as well as recomended in a post i ve read about hyperfocal focusing

any suggestions?

thanks
panos

I have the Leica SF24D flash, and it is a fine GN66 flash for what it is. There is no bounce function, and it is not terribly powerful for daylight flash fill, but it is TTL (some minor advantage) and it is light and small- big advantage. I would buy a used Metz 44MZ-31 or equivalent off of ebay- I have this- as it has full communication with the camera to set ISO and lens focal length. It is bulkier than the SF24D but it is powerful (GN150) with a tilt head. Get both.