Hexar AF flash

A question for those with experience.

 

I work in B&W only. I've used the Hexar AF with flash a little, but not often

enough to really get a good idea of how it works in all situations. I know that

in lowish-light conditions, in a church for instance, using the Hexar flash

gives very good results, balancing so well, that it is almost impossible to

tell that a flash has been used - it just adds enough pep to the lighting to

make the subject stand out a little more. This works very well with concerts

given in churches where there is strong backlighting from the church windows.

There is no point, in this situation, in setting the flash to a -1 fill - it

works as a fill-flash anyway.

 

My question is, how does it work in very low-light situations - say where the

ambient lighting might be between 1/30 f2 and 1/4 f2 when using HP5 400 ISO?

Does it still automatically work as a fill-flash?

 

I ask because I will be photographing in South Indian temples, which are often

very dark, lit only by votive candles. I know the conditions and have used a

Summilux 35/1.4 (which I will also have with me) wide open at 1/15, with some

success, but want to know how to add a bit of light to the situation to stop

motion blur, without destroying the ambient feel.

 

Will the balance of the Hexar flash with ambient light work to keep the ambient

feel, automatically balancing, or must I key in a higher guide no. and so

underexpose with the flash as if I were using the flash on -1 or -1 1/2 fill?

 

I know how to balance this well with the Leica, but want the automated speed of

the Hexar. The last thing I want is a flash look.

Suggestion: test it yourself now, instead of waiting until you are in the temple. Only that way

will you know for sure if the flash lives up to your expectations. When I wanted to find out if

the SF-20 would do fill in my Leica M6TTL, I loaded film on it and tested it myself. Now I

know it works wonders.

 

Have fun in the process!

I'm not sure that this is practical for you from your location, but HP5 @ 1600 ISO and processed by DR-5 http://www.dr5.com/hp5.html might give you the speed you're looking for without flash.

>want to know how to add a bit of light to the situation to stop motion blur, without destroying the ambient feel.

 

These are conflicting requirements: you need faster shutter speeds to stop motion, but a slow one to maintain the ambiance.

 

The HP5 route as suggested may be the only way.