Film Rangefinder TTL Flash - few choices: Minolta CLE, Leica M6TTL M7

[WJJ3]

Off camera slow speed TTL metered flash with M6TTL, SF20, and Contax TLA extension cord 100.

I think the TTL flash metering in my M6 did well here, but it's hard to say if it did much better than a non TTL flash used properly would have done.



Considering the constraints of the TTL metering area in the M6TTL and M7 and the forethought required to make sure the system is going to quench the flash after the correct output, I think a non TTL flash is about as easy to shoot with.

 

[Takkun]

BTW I have two M5 cameras. I love rejects and misfits, misunderstood cameras

You're in good company; that's how I ended up switching to RFs, with the humble M5.

Re: the rest of your post: I agree on the late product cycle, and would also add that there just haven't been a lot of 35 RFs made since the M7— mostly the Cosina models, for which integrating TTL would have been a reach. These came out in the early 2000s when I'm sure most users, myself included, would already have a modern SLR, and you're buying a RF to get away from that.

I'm thinking on when I've used TTL flash, which nowadays is never, it was for fast action, macro, events; the sort of things SLRs had long been top choice for. Makes sense that the major 645 SLRs (Mamiya, Contax, etc) and later 6x6s offered TTL (read: weddings), but the big guys and MF RFs didn't. (Side note: did the Pentax 67ii have TTL?)

As for TTL multi-flash, I can count the two times I ever used it. Once was when I was bored while working the used counter at a camera dealer, and had access to a dozen old SB28s and the attendant cords. The other was on a location shoot when I worked for a small magazine, and I spent hours trying to figure out Nikon CLS, before giving up, pulling out PocketWizards, and eyeballing it on the screen. Again, probably great for wedding photographers who want to put lights in weird places on-location.

 

[hap]

My two favorite cameras have the same feature set:
1) autoexposure with full manual capability
2) TTL flash control

They are the Nikon F3, and the Leica M7.
Both require a bit of study in making the flash system work. But, they do work. I relied on my F3 TTL flash control all the time when doing macro photography in the operating room. Similarly, the M7's TTL flash system works just fine also.

Part of the problem for the M7 and M6TTL is that the documentation of the flash features is poor. There are some parts in the M7 manual, and the rest of the information such as how to get second curtain synch, and HSS, are actually in the Metz SCA 3502 instruction booklet (available online).

Also, I think it was just poor market timing for the M7. When I bought mine in 2015, everybody was going nuts over the M8 and M9, and "digital is the future". The film die-hards on the other hand felt that a proper film M camera should have springs and gears timing the shutter. Thus, the M7 was a pariah of its time, like the M5. (BTW I have two M5 cameras. I love rejects and misfits, misunderstood cameras). So, I bought my mint, almost NOS M7 at the princely sum of $1200 from a fellow enthusiast who was going all digital with the M9. He wanted to sell me his mint Summilux 75 mm f/1.4 (non-ASPH). That lens was offered for around $2K, but I turned it down. This is proof that I don't always make good decisions!

Even with multiflash TTL control available, I rarely made use of the feature. My subjects are my children, and they were too small to want to say around in one area long enough for me to deploy these flashes. I think a lot of non-professional folks would balk at carrying more than one flash unit on an outing.

I've often had the itch for an F3. Read the blog entry on Nikon website from the insiders who developed/designed the F3. It's fascinating, how the designer knew preceding F cameras nose to tail and decided the shutter and winding system could be improved...and he did it. I guess electronics did scare some folks.

 

[David Hughes]

One of the answers, but not the only one, is that a lot of us can use any old electronic flash with our film cameras and for occasional use they work well.

I've flashes that came with cameras that are worth less than the AA battery they need simply because they are old and you need to use the guide number and that seems beyond a lot of people.

Looking at the next most advanced ones and the same applies as most people are quite happy to use the little flash ready and test lights etc on the back and don't need it in the VF.

And so on and so forth.


Regards, David


PS The oldest consumer grade electronic flash I have owned and used was from 1953... The almost free one came from a box with a Cosmic Symbol but it does the job.