metz 45 CT 4

[billy_bunton]

<p>Hi people,<br>

My Grandad died recently and in his will left me Hasselblad 501CM, a tripod, and a METZ 45 CT 4. I don't really know much about photography, so the flash is a bit alien to me even though it looks like it will be relatively simple once explained.<br>

I have visited metz website and they allow downloads of the manuals but the 45 Ct 4 is not on there, and when I called they just fobbed me off to London Camera Exchange. Who, amazingly, seem to think that I cannot shoot any faster than 60th second with flash! I dont know much about photography but that seems not very accurate advice to me, its a leaf shutter after all. So yeh, dont trust them anymore - plus they never had the manuals. Although they insist they are simple to use.<br>

On the head of my Metz are a load of numbers and two spindles to set the settings. I've worked out that the small blue numbers are the film speed, however opposite the ASA numbers are numbers that I don't recognise, they are blue like the ASA numbers, and when i set the indicator to 400 ASA on the opposite numbers the indicator there is on number 27. Other numbers that are there are 30 (to the left of 27) and 24, 21, 18, and 15, I have not a clue what they are for but next to 15 is ''DIN'' - what ever that means?<br>

On the outskirts are aperture numbers,... 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16. So I take it once I have a light reading I set the indicator to the aperture I am shooting with. <br>

The numbers that between the ASA and aperture numbers I'm not sure about, I think they are for the distance my subject is but with only two indicators I dont see what they are there for - maybe just a guide?<br>

When I turn the flash on it goes to auto, and have to move the big indicator to manual for the light to go from auto to man on the back of the flash. So moving the indicator to manual means I am no longer telling the flash what camera I am using?<br>

I'm hoping someone here can help me out with this stuff, or maybe someone knows where I can get an online manual from. It would great if I can work it as then I can start taking some portraits of my friends.<br>

Anyway, hope I have been clear enough with my problems, hope you can help.<br>

Cheers all,<br>

Billy :) </p>

 

[picturesque]

<p>Lucky you.</p>

<p>As far as I know, the Metz 45CT-4 and the Metz 45CL-4 are identical except for the LEDs on the back of the flash head. The CT came first. So if you download the manual fo the CL, you should be fine.</p>

<p>Set the ASA, set the large dial with the big white arrow to the aperture you want to use and shoot. You can adjust comp by changing the ASA or changing the aperture on your lens, or setting a wider or smaller aperture on the flash than on the lens. The distance numbers will tell you the range you have for the aperture and ISO in use. DIN is of no importance--don't know the specifics, but it is another method of expressing light level, like ASA and ISO. My 45 has only 4 manual settings so I use the flash in auto thyristor, although you can get accessories for it to control manual flash to a finer degree. And you can't use it in TTL with the 501.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>And you can use all shutter speeds with the leaf shutter lens.</p>

[billy_bunton]

<p>thankyou Nadine :)<br>

i'll try that out and download the manual.<br>

p.s. i dont feel very lucky, i'd rather have my grandad back, he was the only one who ever cared for me, took me out of care after my parents died. now all i have from my family is this camera equipment. if it had been won in a competition, i'd probably sell it but due to the emotional connection i wanna have a go at photography.<br>

there are two little loops on the head of the metz, would that be to fasten a umbrella?<br>

sorry, i dont mean to go on!<br>

thanks again for replying :)<br>

Cheers mate<br>

Billy</p>

[billy_bunton]

<p>p.s. in regards to the shutter speed in sync with the flash - what are london camera exchange on about? they a nationwide business over here in engerland, you'd think they should know better.<br>

its ridiculous, you'd think in a credit crunch customer services would improve. but no, not a chance of that.... you should've seen the burger i got from my local chip shop the other day, just a bap with a burger in batter in - no butter, no lettice or mayo, cucumber or tomato. why should we give them our money?</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Those two loops actually have a specific purpose, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it is. It isn't to attach an umbrella, though, although it might have something to do with the diffuser white card that was made for it at one time (not sure).</p>

<p>I am sorry about your grand dad. I am sure he would have wanted you to enjoy the gear.</p>

<p>As for the store recommending 1/60th--that is kind of a hold over from the past. It used to be that whenever flash was used, it was recommended that you set the camera to 1/60th, although that was more for SLRs. Since flash exposure is dependent upon aperture, not shutter speed, it was thought that 1/60th was a good 'all purpose' shutter speed since it wasn't so slow one couldn't hand hold the camera or so fast, the ambient light wasn't contributing some to the exposure. Can you tell I've lived long enough to know this? :^)</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>You can go here: <a href="http://www.craigcamera.com/ib_m.htm">http://www.craigcamera.com/ib_m.htm</a> and order the manual. That's a great flash and that's a great camera if you know how to use them. </p>

[picturesque]

<p>You can download it off the Metz site.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.metz.de/en/service-support/instruction-manuals/photo-electronics/mecablitz.html">http://www.metz.de/en/service-support/instruction-manuals/photo-electronics/mecablitz.html</a></p>

[billy_bunton]

<p>ah, your fantastic the both of you. thanks very much :)</p>

<p>the camera itself feels really solid, compact, i like it. guessing by the name hasselblad are german, it feels german as well, as in reliable...i keep looking at it and holding it ?</p>

<p>thats quite interesting stuff about the 1/60th, in regards to the light i mean. So if i liked a scene and the way it was lit with the lighting that was available, but needed a little flash to get a correct picture, i minimise the flash influence by increasing the shutter speed - for which i need a tripod and a still subject - and that way i would get a photo of the scene the way i saw it? it would also be best to bounce the flash i'd imagine cus its a pretty powerful light?! ! !</p>

<p>thanks again :)</p>

<p>billy</p>

<p> </p>

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

<p>You have a superb camera. Hasselblad is actually Swedish. But the Zeiss lenses are German. A bit of history on the company here:</p>

<p>http://www.hasselbladusa.com/about-hasselblad/history.aspx</p>

<p>As for using flash, you need to think about this as two separate exposure. The ambient light exposure is controlled by both shutter speed and aperture. Flash, because the pulse of light is much shorter than the shutter speed, is controlled only by aperture. You need to think about additive effects when you get the two exposures close to one another.</p>

<p>Have fun and experiment. And take a few notes so that you can sort it all out.</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Hmmm...I don't think you have it right, Billy. If you like a scene the way it is, but want to add flash for fill, you do minimize the flash influence, because light is additive. However, you don't change the shutter speed, you minus compensate the flash by any of the methods I mentioned above. If you change the shutter speed, you are changing the ambient exposure. If you mean something else with your example, such as minimizing the ambient light because you are adding flash, then yes, you can change the shutter speed. With flash photography combined with ambient light, you use the shutter speed to control the ambient.</p>

[billy_bunton]

<p><em>"However, you don't change the shutter speed, you minus compensate the flash by any of the methods I mentioned above."</em><br /><em>"You can adjust comp by changing the ASA or changing the aperture on your lens, or setting a wider or smaller aperture on the flash than on the lens." - </em>Nadine.</p>

<p>cool, think i understand that now. thanks Nadine. so your saying, with experience, i'll be able to control the light by telling the flash that i am using say, 400 ASA when i am using 300 for example etc? i think i'll take notes from this thread and keep a little notebook with me.<br>

i went to photo my friend yesterday but my sync lead is dodgy so i gotta get a new one, had to shoot with natural light. is there a good book with easy to understand guide to using flash correctly? as i am getting the feeling that there is a lot more to it than taking a light reading and then shooting?<br />i dont have a lot of money see and i cant afford to make to many mistakes with it costing £4 a time to get film processed!<br>

maybe i should just shoot with the light meter and then maybe experiment by knocking down one setting at a time. for example if it says 1/60th at f/8 with a ASA of 400. i try taking the aperture to f/11 and see where it takes me.</p>

<p>p.s. i got black and white Ilford 400 film at present so gonna use that up and then try some colour. i ad my eye on fujifilm pro 400 H, though for no other rewason than it being 400 ASA, fuji and cus i liked the purple colouring on the box - wrong reasons for choosing film i know but gotta use something. would u agree this a good film to have a go with?</p>

[picturesque]

<p>Yes, Billy, you seem to have gotten it. I'd recommend you go the strobist blog and start with the lessons. You seem to catch no quickly, so it should be no problem for you. I don't know of any one book, although I have a good opinion of "Flash Photography" by Susan McCarthy. Also go to the following:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.dg28.com/blog/technique/index.htm">http://www.dg28.com/blog/technique/index.htm</a></p>

<p>If you want to really experiment, I'd get the cheapest, used digital camera that allows manual control and has a hotshoe or PC sync port. You learn a lot faster with digital. Just be sure you don't fry the camera with the slightly higher sync voltage of the 45. Or be sure the camera can handle the sync voltage which could be around 14-16 volts or so. Otherwise, experimenting with film is costly and slower.</p>

<p>Any film is fine if you re experimenting. In fact, you might haunt places that sell slightly outdated film for less money. If you process black and white yourself, you can also save. For portraits I always liked Kodak Portra NC, but Fuji has film that I'm sure is equally good. These films are optimized for scanning and for skin tone and have lower contrast. They are pro films. Pro films made for commercial purposes usually have higher contrast and saturation.</p>

[billy_bunton]

<p>cool!!!!!!!!!!!!</p>

<p>thanks nadine, i'm off now to photograph a friend of a friend today with natural light again so when i get back i'll follow up your links.<br>

i'm actually quite excited :)</p>

<p>thanks again!</p>