Metz 45CT5 & Fill Flash

[UKJohn]

'I think Ed is asking about TTL flash. IIRC the SQA doesn't have TTL worse the CT5 doesn't support the Bronica module. The CL4 does but if the camera won't no use worrying.'


Nick,

Sorry Nick I haven't quite got the gist of your reply so forgive me if I am repeating myself.

Yes the Bronica doesn't have TTL metering, they way I normally use the flash (which is not that often hence my experimentation and questions) is to take an incident light reading on the subject, set the camera at the specified shutter and aperture and then set the same aperture on the flash. The Bronica has a leaf shutter so it will sync with any shutter speed. This will of course make the flash the dominant light source.

For fill flash I understanding that you open up the aperture on the flash head by 1 or 2 stops (eg: if the camera is f16 then the flash is set at f11 or f8 respectively) which should make the flash give a weaker pulse of light so that the ambient light source is dominant.

Am I correct in my understanding of this is how the Metz 45CT5 or the 45CL4 work? From your reply are you saying that the 45CT5 is not compatable with the Bronica SQA (which has no internal metering system - it is totally manual).

Cheers

John

[UKJohn]

Ed,

Thanks again for your input. I'm not sure what Thyristor mode is but I'll try and give my explanation as to what I meant by Auto mode...

45CT5 - On the top of the flash head is a circular dial there is one red 'M' which I believe relates to a manual setting then there are 7 green 'C' which I understand relate to a computerized or auto mode. The auto mode allows you to select 7 different aperture settings subject to the film speed used. For example if a 400ASA film is dialed in the aperture range is from f4 to f22. There is a digital redout on the back of the flash which confirms what has been dialed in such as f no. film speed and distance (which I assume is the effective distance for that setting - I guess???).

45CL4 - On the top of the flash head there again is a similar dial but the range of settings are different. There is a range set of apertures from 2.8 to 16 which I assume are in the auto mode, there is then a TTL setting, and three manual settings M, M1/2 and M1/4.

I'm sure I'm only confusing the situation but I have made the positive step and purchased instruction manuals for both flash units (from www.oldtimercameras.com) which I'm sure is a wise move.

Cheers

John

[Nick Zentena]

Am I correct in my understanding of this is how the Metz 45CT5 or the 45CL4 work? From your reply are you saying that the 45CT5 is not compatable with the Bronica SQA (which has no internal metering system - it is totally manual).

Cheers

John

No I meant the CT5 can't use the Bronica TTL module cable.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ist&sku=152173

That won't work with the CT5 but even if it did it wouldn't work with your body.

I think you understand fill flash just fine.

[UKJohn]

Hi Nick,

Thanks for the reply, the lead from the flash to the Bronica is a bog standard sync lead no thrills, so I would guess that from dialing in the adjusted f no into the flash head the CT5 will work fine for fill-in.

Perhaps as suggested in a previous response a diffuser across the flash head needs to be incorporated also.

Once again cheers

John

[OldBikerPete]

As previous posts have said, a diffuser will reduce shadows if you are shooting indoors so that light bounced off adjacent walls will reduce the flash shadow for you - watch out for color casts caused by light reflected off colored walls or other objects. You can move your subject away from backgrounds which will catch the flash either indoors or outdoors.
If that's not good enough then you need to graduate to flash umbrella or other reflectors or multiple flash units.

[Ed Sukach]

Typing rapidly - hopefully, I can complete this message before this @#$ PC freezes...

What you have written about using fill-in flash seems to be the "right way".

If I remember correctly, you are using two flash units .( ...???) which would seem to eliminate any flash sensor circuitry error. I would therefore suspect the exposure meter itself, or the method used for metering.

Remember that, if you are using the meter in "Incident" mode, the flash sensor will "see" the light refected from that particular scene and a change in the scene itself will affect the output of the flash unit. This could result in differing readings as you move about, holding the meter.

The best way to try to determine the correlation between the meter and the flash sensor output would be to take "reflective" readings from a large, blank field; a blank wall, or background, and try to eliminate the effect of the different "seeing" angles of the flash sensor and meter; and to keep both flash and meter in stable positions.

Why changes in the film speed setting of the flash unit should NOT affect the film exposure is beyond me. The only possibility I can think of is that, somehow, the field sensed by the flash unit's thyristor changes between exposures.