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T3 flash tricks

G

Guest

Flash-tricks from others

There are a few hints on the net, how to improve the results with the external flash. The first one is coming from one member of the G-list.

Here's the text from the Contax G Pages...
“1. It gives very good exposure when set to the lens your using. 2. For fill flash portraits, it gives a "velvia" type of exposure when set to one lens wider than your using (if using the 35 lens, set it to 28). Perfect exposure every time. No glare. 3. For fill flash landscapes, set it properly and it gives great results. 4. Using the 35/70 zoom is great with this flash. You want to highlight something, zoom to 35 & set flash high (up to 90). You want a diffuse light for portraits, set flash to 28 for the 35 zoom length, and 45 for the 75 zoom length. 5. Still concerned, try a female nylon stocking bootie over the head- wow. 6. In over 100 rolls of film I've shot with the 200 (I use it a lot during the day), I have only a few red-eye pictures. Almost as a rule, these occur where I am shooting at an angle to the eyes, not directly into them. I'm not sure this makes sense, but that's what I see. “ end of quote.
So it seem so make sense to set the TLA 200 on position 28 instead of 35 to achieve better results with the T3. I have not tried that yet, because I use seldom flash.

The other one is from a different thread for the T3:

“Most of the times I shoot indoors I find that a lot of what I do exposure compensation-wise depends on the surroundings (high ceilings? light or dark walls? color of furniture?). That translates to mean that, depending on those variables, I'll shoot at +.7 to +1.5 with color neg film and with Tri-X because with the diffuser negs can be a little on the thin side when indoor lighting is subdued or non- existent. The TTL feature with the diffused TLA200 on the off-camera sync cord, however, works like a ch& and I've been really pleased with the results (the first time I got back color prints I was dazzled). Nevertheless, you'll probably have to experiment a little with your combination. I calculate conservatively that with the Rosco on the flash I'm cutting my distance in half, so I set my aperture with that in mind; I've found that the "P Mode"--as the manual shows-- gives you the greatest range so I stick with that a lot unless I'm trying to isolate my subject a little more. Oh, one thing, make sure your T3 is set on one of the autoflash settings unless you're going for some other-than-normal effect.
I'm telling you, if you want to travel light and can work with a 35mm lens, you can do a whale of a job with the T3 and its gear (for instance, indoors with some ambient light or outside with lights in the background (whatever) try setting the T3's flash on the "night" setting with the TLA200 off-camera zoomed out for the 90mm lens . . . whooa!).
Let me know how all this works out for you.

-- Cosmo Genovese (cosmo@rome.com), November 15, 2001”
End of quote.
 
Whoa! The T3 DOES allow the use of the TLA 200 on a Contax TTL extension cord? Their literature says no! Please confirm; this WILL be the dealmaker for me!
 
the extension cord only works if you attach the optional sa-2 adapter = to t3 and then extension +tla2-00 and a flash bracket, a little to big for t3. = the sa-2.tla200 is good enough=20
 
So, Contax T3 to SA-2 adapter to TLA-200 is the standard setup? I know which TLL extension cord to use, but which flash bracket?
 
Chris,
I have similar set-up (the SA1) with a Contax T2, where the flash is triggered by the photocell in the SA1 that reacts on the built-in flash, so not a TTL cord like the T3.
It requires some experience to get a feel for whether underexposure setting is required and at what distance/scene (note that the camera does not "know" that there is a second flash and the second flash will always fire at maximum power), but it works beautifully once you have the touch of it and with almost any flash. I use a TLA 200 or TLA 280, depending on the extra flash power I need. Yes it seems a bit over the top to have a compact camera with a large volume flash, but it is really produces nice results. And there is one more advantage: I use the SA-1 with my digital Coolpix 5 MP camera as extra flash power and of course it works with this one as well.
So, while I have no experience with the T3 and the SA2, I guess it will work nicely.
Peter
 
Chris -

I have the TLA200 flash, SA-2 bracket and TLA100 Ext Cord. Yes, they do function perfectly together with the T3. The picture taking process is not too articulate though. You hold the flash head in your left hand and the camera with your right hand while composing/framing, but you get use to it. BTW, flash results are much better with the TLA200 than the built in. Accuracy is significantly improved, and you can change the focal length on the TLA200 - 28, 35, 45, 90 - for special effect.

Check out this LONG thread on the T3: http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=005ic4

**Half way down, read posts by Cosmo Genovese on how he uses the TLA200 flash with the SA-2 bracket.

If you're adaptable, creative and enjoy using the 35mm focal length, the T3 is quite versatile.

Niki

===================

"Whoa! The T3 DOES allow the use of the TLA 200 on a Contax TTL extension cord? Their literature says no! Please confirm; this WILL be the dealmaker for me!"
 
Ah! What I'm thinking is Contax T3, SA-2, TLA Extension Cable 100SS, and TLA 200 with softbox. That would be perfect, but I'll check the other thread. It would seem that the SA-2 flash adapter, since you have to set the TLA-200 to "TTL" when mounting it, would, in face, be TTL, and, thus, wouldn't know or care if the flash were attached to an extension cable or not.
 
That was exactly the setup I was envisioning, Niki-Tuan. I'm thinking that, for noncritical shots, i.e., landscapes, cityscapes, and non-flash situations, I'd have a camera no bigger than a pack of playing cards (or Luckys), yet, if I wanted, I could have a full-blown TTL setup with softbox and gray card, if that was what I needed. I'm pretty much set; as soon as I get my tax check, I'm ordering a T3, black, of course.
 
One more question:

Is the T3/SA-2/TLA100 (extension cord)/TLA 200 setup flashmatic or TTL? The spec sheet for the TLA 200 specifically states that it is TTL only, but, of course, Contax could program a flashmatic circuit to control their own TTL flash if they chose. SO...is the T3 flashmatic or TTL? If anyone can check, the TTL sensor would be inside the film chamber, most likely just below the shutter pointing up at the film plane.
 
What I'm thinking is that, either way, I can use my pet emulsion--Fujichrome Velvia (ISO 50)--and AE exposure mode on the T3 to force it to f/5.6. If my understanding of the built-in flash (which I dearly wish I could simply deactivate in favor of the TLA 200) range, ~7 feet at ISO 100 and f/2.8 is the tale of the tape. If I take away one stop of this range on the film (ISO 100-->ISO 50), then two more by forcing f/5.6, then the effective range of the built-in flash would be ~7 feet÷2÷2÷2, each two corresponding to a full stop. If my calculations are correct, the built-in flash range would then drop to ~.875 feet, or, in practical terms, zero, since the camera will not focus, and thus not flash, closer than 1.1 feet. If I wanted f/2.8, I could use a neutral density filter and exposure compensation to get the two stops back. I could also, of course, use my other favorite emulsion, Ilford Pan F Plus (also ISO 50) in exactly the same way.
 
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