Non-TTL flash still used often in MF?

[vini_da_jackal]

Can anyone tell me how popular the use of MF photography with non-ttl

flash is today? I'm trying to get a rough idea as to the quantity (or

percentage/market penetration) of pro's still using this type of

system for a product idea of mine.

 

thanks,

 

Vince

[kevin_ing]

Are you only interested in answers from working pros?

 

If not... I can say that I never use TTL flash with MF cameras because none of my MF cameras have TTL capability. I don't miss it either, even if I'm using on-camera flash in which case I either go manual or use the flash's built in thyristor.

 

That said, I generally avoid using flash whenever possible. =)

 

-Kevin

[joseph_ho]

no pro either but when shooting for school publications with a non ttl digital camera, i relied on thyresistor control with some good results. i had to reallly watch out for surfaces that would mess up the reading though. i also use manual control a lot with studio type lighting.

[david_goldfarb]

How many current cameras even have TTL flash capability?--the Bronicas (perhaps they see weddings as a big part of their market), a few 645 cameras aimed primarily at a market used to 35mm-camera features, Hassy 203FE, and a few others, and none of the cameras that are more than 10 or 15 years old.

[mediumformat]

And for those lucky enough to have one, the Rolleiflex GX/FX TLR has TTL flash, as does the 6000 series SLR. I would love to have it on my older TLRs, but I still use a sturdy old Vivitar 285 auto thyristor, which works very well once you get the settings where you are pleased (for fill flash).

[dave_schneider]

And of course in the studio, unless someone can tell me how to connect my Speedotrons to my Bronica and accomplish TTL control.

[j_woodson]

with my Rolleflex 2.8E, both purchased by my father almost 40 years ago, then passed down to me. As mentioned above it "works very well once you get the settings where you are pleased (for fill flash)".

 

Actually, I grew up using this equipment - learned the basics - and still shoot frequently with it.

[felipe_sangines1]

If the MF system you are using does not have a TTL metering

capability for flash, indeed you would not miss it, there is no way

to miss something you never had ( ? ). On the other hand if you

are

using a MF system with TTL flash metering, I don't think you

would

like to give up this capability.

The already mentioned Rollei TLR and SLR do have TTL-OTF

metering

with one additional capability, at least with the 6001/6008/6008i :

you can

meter studio strobes too !

[vini_da_jackal]

Thank you to all of you for your helpful replies. Any wedding photograhers out there that would like to comment? Non-pros are welcome too. I'm mainly interested in non-studio use - i.e. portable flash w/MF used in somewhat quickly changing situations.

[dick roadnight cotswolds]

I think that most old pros have managed without TTL so long that they are happy without it.

 

Much MF work is studio, and I know of no studio flashes that are TTL flash compatible - would your product apply?

 

TTL is great for bounce, candids, tele and macro.

 

The Hasselblad 555EDL, 503 and I think the 553 (the current and recent motordrive(able) Blads have TTL flash capability)

[fotografz]

I shoot weddings with an assortment of 3 different MF systems

depending on the situation to be encountered. The Hasselblad

503CW and 555 ELD both offer TTL which is sometimes a God

sent when you're moving so fast and using different filters.

Shooting with these cameras in certain lighting conditions often

requires fill flash unless you want the "Night of The Living Dead"

look to your subjects. The Contax 645 has a wonderful in camera

TTL flash metering system that once mastered is a really great

feature. The Mamiya 7II would benefit greatly from TTL which it

does not have.

[paul_graham]

I shot a wedding a week ago and used my newly purchased Etrsi (S2A finally traded in to Ffordes of Inverneshire, God bless them ) with a Vivitar 283 set to 400asa with 160asa VPS.

Because it was my first wedding with the Etrsi I also shot VPS with my Nikon F90X and SB27 as a fill flash.

Guess which pictures looked stunning?

Clue... not the Nikon!

My own theory is that the Nikon underexposed ambient rendering it dark even with Marix metering, and blasted just a little too much fill into the pictures.

Whereas ( puckering up my lips to blow my highly polished own trumpet) my Lunapro told me to set F8 at 125 and combined with a stofen and fooling of the flashgun worked absolute wonders!

Then I had to go and spoil it by letting the guests go to the reception, in a theatre with lighting that resembled Gollum's underwater cavern!

Oh the joy of wedding photography.

[audun_sjoeseth1]

Hasselblad 503CXi also offer TTL flash metering (but not gliding mirror system). Bronica SQ-Ai (and ETRSi) and Pentax 67II (and most newer 645-models) have TTL flash control.

 

After trying TTL flash with Nikon F3, I have decided to have TTL flash metering in my future 6x6 camera for fill flash in door and for macro work.

[andrew_ito]

I use a non-TTL Sunpak 120J auto bare bulb flash for weddings

with a Fuji 645. It works great for me. You get some fall off on

wide angle group shots, but for smaller groups it works fine.

[moses_sparks]

Well, as some others pointed out, many MF cameras don't have TTL flash capability, and that's true of my favorite, the Mamiya RZ Pro II.

 

I use mine in pretty dynamic situations though, and the results are great as long as I have enough time to Polaroid and fine tune to ensure exposures are what I want.

 

I use a Quantum Q-flash X2 powered by a 400 watt Lumedyne pack, so output is never an issue. If the set-ups are changing quickly (like weddings or group portraits) I use it on Auto so that I can change camera position without worrying about the flash-to-subject distance.

 

I usually start by setting the flash to 2 stops under my ambient light reading, using Polaroid to evaluate and tune exposure, and then just shoot. The Polaroid step is critical to me because ALL Auto flash is highly variable depending on subject distance, reflectance, etc. and even with color negative film I am not content to just "get close" with my exposure, I want it dead on.

 

Once I have it dialed in it's very consistent.

 

The Auto mode actually has an advantage over TTL this way, because I can set any output I want and see that value on the LCD display, without having to dial in compensation or trick the flash into thinking it's lighting faster film, etc.

 

I don't like doing a lot of math when people are looking at their watches and wanting to leave!

 

There is also no compensation necessary because of the difference in reflectance between Polaroid and celluloid. TTL flash used with a Polaroid back will always overexpose the subject because it's not as reflective as film, which is what the TTL is calibrated to.

 

Then you're back to compensating on the flash to handle the two different materials.

 

Some might argue that the TTL will be inherently more accurate than Auto, making the Polaroid step unnecessary, but I feel a lot more confident seeing the exposure myself instead of letting the camera make that decision.

[vini_da_jackal]

Again, thanks to all for your contributions and answers! I feel I received some very useful info.

 

Vince