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General Flash Questions for Contax G1/G2

Richard,

For photographing your children, G2 and TLA200 is great. I'd suggest you to familiarise the flash usage, e.g. experiment with the flash compensation especially dealing with dark or distant backgrounds on off-centre composition. For more advanced use of flash (e.g. bounce flash etc.) you can use flashes like Metz or others. The manuals only give you minimum information, but you need to try yourself.

I personally use TLA200 for snapshooting family events and it works great. Sometimes I also use my Nikon SB25 if I want more advanced flash features with manual calculation. With TLA200 you won't have a studio quality pictures in terms of lighting but for snapshoots to me it is acceptable.

For my photography activities, normally I don't use flash, I just push the film e.g. ISO 400 to 3200.

By having G2 you are on the right track ;)

Trisnadi
 
My friend and I have encountered similar problems with the TLA200 flash on the G2, but after some experimentation, we both found that while shooting with the 90mm lens if the flash is set to 45mm setting and when shooting with the 45mm lens, set the flash to the 28mm setting, the exposures were perfect. Try it and let me know how it works out.

John
 
I have a Nikon SB28 for my F100, any advice on how to use with G2? How do I eliminate red eye when using the TLA 200 on my G2?
 
Hi Richard

Don't be afraid about your decision. You have the best system, you can get for your money. The G-system needs a bit more experience and reading of the manuals than other systems. But after a few rolls of exposed films, you will be happy with the G2 and the TLA200. I use the G2 for every kind of motifs, except close-up and tele. A little advice about the TLA 200: I set it always to 28 mm, irrespective of the lens I use.

Hans Villars, Switzerland
 
Hi Richard,

Set the flash to auto mode with corresponding f stop and u'll be all set. I basically use Panasonic PE-28S with my G2, and the results were quite well. A major advantage of using auto mode on the flash rather than the TTL mode on TLA200 is that you can do fill-in flash a lot easier, e.g. simply adjust the f stop on the flash to be one or two stops larger than the setting of the lens.

About 50% of the baby photos on my album is shot using G90 with the PE-28S. www.pbase.com/shuhsien

Best, Shu-Hsien
 
The camera doesn't compensate by throwing more light, since it's sending info to the flash via the meter in the camera body. The camera doesn't 'know' there's something covering the strobe (as far as I know....) - in my case, this piece of plastic, as I mentioned, isn't clear, nor opaque, but allows a relatively good amount of light through when the flash fires. It diffuses, but at the same time, since the plastic isn't clear, it also decreases the brightness somewhat. Will it cure the red-eye problem? Well, I've been satisfied with the results, compared to the atomic-like blast that some of my shots had with the TLA 200 sans diffuser.

That being said, I really would like to try what another poster mentioned, that is, setting the flash to 28 for all shots - built-in diffusion, right? Sounds like a plan...
 
Mark, I know it depends on the flash and the camera in question, but there are some systems which would "know" something is over the flash head. In the case where the flash pre-fires and the sensors pick up what light is returned to the film, it might say, "oh, it's underexposing" and then simply compensate. This technology is not incorporated in all systems. I don't know if it was used in the G-series.

Please see the following articles written by someone who knows the right terminology for what I'm bumbling through here. Very thorough explanation with diagrams and photos in these two articles:

http://www.photozone.de/3Technology/flashtec6.htm

http://www.photozone.de/3Technology/flashtec2.htm

The next question would be, does the G2 and the flash this person wants to use a pre-flash. Does it do balanced TTL flash metering? Someone here can probably find the answer in the manual. (Although I think that the answer was already given in setting the camera for 28 or 45 when using the 90mm lens, that would effectively dial down the output I think)

-Lynn
 
Lynn,

Thanks for the links, I'll have a look. When setting the TLA 200 for different focal lengths (I believe that's the flash the original poster was asking about) it appears to just move the element closer or further from the diffuser built in to the lens. You can see the bulb moving back and forth inside. I believe what this is effectively doing is diffusing the blast over a wider area, which would hopefully address the 'too strong' problem.

The person who posted the original query has the same problem many of us have had with the TLA 200 - often washes out photos (too bright!) or red-eyes. I've used a Vivitar with a rotating bounce head, but the flash unit itself is nearly as big as the camera! I've been trying to find a way to use the TLA 200 effectively, not resorting to a bigger flash unit. The diffuser I made, as I mentioned, seems to do the trick. I'll have a look at the links you posted. Thanks.

Mark Edwards
 
7-2-03

After reading the many recent comments concerning the G system and fill flash, it seems that there is still much confusion. Perhaps this will help...

The G system flash circuitry is not as sophisticated as many SLR's and does not function in an equivalent manner when used in aperture priority mode (AE or AEL). With SLR's, one can "lock" the ambient light with the attached flash turned off, turn on the flash, and "dial down" the flash output by using the exposure compensation dial.

This will not work with the G system. With the G system, the AEL will "lock" in the shutter speed (aperture has been manually selected), but the exposure compensation dial will change the shutter speed rather than adjust the flash output. This is the reason that some of you are having problems with over-exposure.

In order to use the TLA 200 for fill-flash, try the following method: (1) Set the G camera to "manual" mode. (2) Meter the ambient light, adjust the shutter speed within sync range, and select the proper aperture (will vary with film speed being used). The shutter and aperture will be "locked" due to manual mode. (3)Turn on the TLA 200, set the flash to TTL, and adjust the exposure compensation dial on the G to achieve the desired effect. If exposure comp is decreased, the flash output will be "dialed down". Bracket as necessary. Be aware, that at close range (1 meter or less), over-exposure may still occur.

A few points...(1) The above system will work with the TLA 140 but be sure to maintain the subject distance within the flash's range for the aperture and film speed being used. (2)Depending on the brand of flash, one can select "Auto" flash mode rather than "TTL", set the appropriate aperture on the G, then reset the flash dial to one or two stops more open (ie. change from F11 to F8 or F5.6). The flash will output less light when set for a larger aperture setting. (3) Setting the TLA 200 on its widest aperture (28) also helps to diffuse the light output (expect variation depending on the lens being used).

Hopefully, the above magic will work for you and help to "soften" the G fill-flash mystery.
 
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