Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/11/29

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Subject: Re: Help with the M6
From: CapsTeeth@aol.com
Date: Sat, 29 Nov 1997 11:46:33 -0500 (EST)

In a message dated 97-11-28 23:42:05 EST, you write:

> > For daylight fill, use slow film to offset the slow
>  > sync speed and you're ok.  Just set the ASA dial on the 283 to a 1-to-2
>  > f-stop faster film speed and go from there.  That fools the strobe into
>  > underexposing the flash and you get an "auto fill flash" of sorts.
>  > 
>  If I'm not mistaken the ASA dial on those non-TTL auto flashes are not
>  hooked up to anything inside the flash. When you change the ASA it only
>  serves to show the user a different F stop and max distance. So it might
be
>  safer not to change the dial and just close down your lens 1 or 2 stops.
>  That way you don't risk forgetting to reset it. Please correct me if I'm
>  wrong.  
>  
                   If you close down the lens you are changing the ambient
exposure, which is not what you want to do with daylight fill flash.  By
setting the ISO dial on a 283 (you are absolutely right, it isn't connected
to anything) to a faster film speed the flash will tell you what f-stop to
use for each of the 4 colored settings of the auto sensor based on its
"assumption" that you're using faster film and the flash is the "only" light,
thereby underexposing by however many stops you've chosen.  You, in turn,
pick whichever one of the available f-stops that gives you the correct
ambient exposure without using a shutter speed exceeding the sync speed.
 That last point is where Leicas (and Nikon F3's) can be a pain.  But with
slow film and a still subject it's not an insurmountable problem.

Doc