Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/07

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Subject: Fill Flash w/ Metz & M6 - More
From: Kermit_Daniel@monitor.com
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 10:46:48 -0400

I just read Richard Hemingway's reply to my M6/fill flash question (Thanks)
and I want to check that I'm thinking about this right.  Everything he
wrote makes sense to me, but I was thinking about it a little differently.
I've been thinking about the M6's slow sync speed as a limit on useable
film speeds --- it limits me to slow film outside.  I've been thinking
about the fill-flash possibilities this way: Most of my lenses have a
smallest aperture of f16, so what is the film speed that will give a
correct exposure at f16 and 1/60th sec. under the lighting conditions for
which I will want fill-flash?  That is the fastest film I can use if I want
fill-flash.  Based on the "sunny 16" rule that means Kodachrome 64 or
Pan-X.   I can live with that.  Of course, inside or on dark days I've got
more options.  The bigger problem for someone like me, who doesn't always
shoot a whole roll of film, is that it limits my ability to grab my camera
and run outside for a few fill-flash pictures on whatever film it happens
to be loaded with.

That's a serious concern, but one I'll have to think about on my own.
Meanwhile, I'm still very interested in hearing anything anyone has to say
about using a Metz flash to calculate and produce fill-flash.  I guess what
I'm really asking is how good the Metz flashes are at calculating the
correct fill-flash.  I would guess that it will do about as well as my R7
when I'm using a lens with the same angle of coverage as the sensor on the
flash, but it will be less robust with lenses covering different angles,
and it will never do as good a job as the R8 with it's fancier metering.
But that's just my guess.  I would like some real information from anyone
who has used the internal fill-flash features of a Metz (or any other
brand; Metz is the only one I know of that offers units that calculate fill
flash themselves).

Thanks again; I apologize for how long this is.

Kermit