I'm not a fan of TTL flash automation. I'm also not a fan of "flash unit bloat." Adding more and more stuff to flashes doesn't make them better it makes them more complicated, less reliable and much more "siloed."
When I started shooting stuff with my two older Leicas one of my complaints was the paucity of good, affordable flashes for the brand. Sure, they have two models of TTL dedicated complexity starting at $600+ per flash but there was nothing else out there by third party makers that meshed with those cameras.
What I really wanted was a flash that had the old fashioned metering mode that included a little metering "eye" on the front of the flash which would measure the amount of light bouncing back from a subject and shut of automatically when the flash senses that it had delivered the right dose of quick light. This was the predecessor of TTL and it has advantages.
The flash is not required to be "dedicated" to one generation of cameras from one maker. It can be used interchangeably between all cameras that have flash sync.
The automatic operation doesn't depend on a series of pre-flashes to assess the correct exposure as do modern TTL flashes. And those pre-flashes are a real nuisance since they cause some people to blink and others to assume that the pre-flash was the "real" flash and so stop paying attention to their pose or the direction of their expression. Preflashes are a tool of Satan and will soon be completely replaced by camera makers with even more expensive flash exposure measuring tools that incorporate Lidar. Or something similar.
The only times I use flashes where automatic exposure is helpful are at events where I am photographing individuals and small groups and also trying to make candid photographs in the same kinds of locations. I have cameras and flashes that work together to do TTL flash but I never find the final output to be at all consistent. In fact, I think the last time I was able to use TTL flash with any consistency was when using a Nikon SB-800 and a Nikon D700 camera. Since then everything has been decidedly downhill.
And, coincidentally, the worst TTL flash I ever owned was the Nikon SB-900 which had a thermal cutout switch that temporarily (10 minutes? 20 minutes?) killed the flash after a handful of flashes. It protected itself at all costs even if one of those costs was my performance of the job. Thank God for fully manual flashes in the back-up bag....
I wanted to use a couple of Leica SLs for the job I did in Santa Fe this Spring but so much of the three day conference depended on making candids and quickly posed group shots with flash and I didn't think fully manual "guide number" flash would be quick enough so I switched to the Panasonic cameras with dedicated TTL flashes. But even there I was having to ride the exposure compensation dial to get the consistency I wanted. I spent weeks before the show searching for an "automatic" (NOT TTL) flash I could buy but didn't find one.
Today I did yet another search and the flash shown here popped up. It has two exposure modes. It has manual, with a quick and nifty exposure reference scale on the rear dial to help get you in the ballpark. And it has automatic. You set the lens aperture and then you match the aperture on the dial on the back of the flash. You set your ISO. You are done. You go shoot.
I read as much as I could about the unit. I love the retro/ James Bond laser weapon expanding flash reflector. I love the look of the bare bulb in the middle of the reflector. When you finish with the flash the reflector folds down, the bulb is retracted and there is a panel that hinges down to cover the stuff. Looks as though you have a cell phone from the late 1990s in your hand when its packed to go.
The camera has a built-in battery that's 1700 mA and Lithium Ion. It's specced to deliver 150 full power flashes from a single charge. It's rechargeable via USB. There is a single contact at the bottom of the hot sync. No TTL dedication whatsoever. It even comes with a cord in case you need to sync the flash to the camera via a sync port.
The flash is called a Godox Lux Senior. There is a Lux Junior. I'm not a fan of that one because the flash tube guts are too close to the camera. It seems it would be a "red eye" magnet.
The Godox Lux Senior retails for $120. I think it looks glamorous. I have a big gala coming up in mid-November and I'm intent on using this flash with the Leica SL or SL2 cameras. My only (and I mean my ONLY) hesitation is that the battery is not removable so you can't carry a spare. In the past I would have declared this to be a "deal-killer" but instead, with a more flexible approach, I just ordered two of the flashes. If one won't make it through the night I'll have an identical back-up. And, during the dinner break I can always use a battery bank for a quick recharge in the camera bag. All good.
Should be here on Wednesday so I'll test and report back --- just in case there is a gotchas I haven't uncovered. My audience at the gala will be attorneys and spouses who are mostly over 50 years old. Many over 60. They'll love the retro vibe. And it will be fun to include the flashes as part of the working outfit.
We could do worse.
Images made available from Godox. I thought they were fun as well. No affiliation or special relationship. The only thing my company and Godox have in common is my Visa card...
20 comments:
Is that a portrait of Vivian Maier?
Kirk, I've been holding off pulling the trigger on the Godox Lux Junior so I'm eager to learn how your Senior works out. Also, B&H's page for these flashes indicate they are compatible with Fuji, Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Sony. No mention of Leica. I'd like to use one on a CL. I await your findings.
I don't think so. I'm pretty sure it's a very modern (current) shot with a living model. But I think you were teasing me....
Hi Biro,
There's no communication between the flash and any camera except for the center pin flash sync so there should be no difference in use or performance between any of the cameras. I'm expecting mine on Wednesday and will give a full report on Thursday. Stay tuned.
Thanks.
I also found TTL flash with digital to be hopeless, finally tried my prehistoric SB-24 Nikon which works brilliantly in auto mode and I use rechargeable AA's, works on every camera I own.
All the best, Mark
Who is James Bone?
On the rare occasions I have been asked to help out with photos needing flash and digital (me now being a film-based amateur), I have used an old flash-unit from the end of the film days and the same manufacturer as the camera (Pentax) which automates as much as it can with shutter-speed and viewfinder flash-ready signal, then the flash is controlled by a simple sensor as you describe. I bounce the flash rotate-and-tilt-head off cards or walls etc. and the sensor remains predictable. If / when the old Pentax flash dies, it is good to know about the Godox option.
You need the right hat for that flash. It's a beautiful unit but I'm not a fan of straight-on flash and this thing doesn't bounce. I'm curious to read your review.
Gordon, Thanks for the catch. It should read "James Bond." I have corrected it... Bad spell check. Bad.
Even Quantum, who have some of the most expensive flashes out there with a bewildering array of ittl and ttl accessories, says their stuff is most reliable when set to "automatic". I think my favorite flash of all time was a Sunpak Auto 611 with a remote sensor that slid into the camera's hot shoe.
This brought back memories of the old Vivitar 283 -- I guess the first really popular auto exposure flash. I especially liked that the sensor could be used on a remote cord. I could work with the sensor on the camera and the flash in my left hand or on a stand. Add in the manual vari-power accessory and an optical slave to do multiple light setups.
I guess it was in the 1970s When I saw an ad in a photo magazine. I went to my dealer and ordered the first two he could get in stock. Many years later when I heard they were discontinued I went online and bought the last two new units I could find -- I may have gotten the last one in stock at B&H.
I used them for many years, right up until Yongnuo came out with radio remote power settings. If your Godox doesn't work out I still have a few 283s back in the closet -- some of them probably still work.
I might get myself one - it is not extremely expensive and SO CUTE! And if I got it right you can easily use it as fill flash - just dial in one or two stops more open than the lens.
On my Leica Ms and my SL2, I use old Nikon flashes and they work perfectly in auto mode, like described above. The pins mate with the Leica contacts as if the Leica was a Nikon. I think Leica copied the design. Canon pins are all different.
I also use the Nikon SC-17 off camera cable to move the flash 4 feet off camera and it also works perfectly.
Rolleiflex, Nikon, Pentax?
The Godox Lux is a neat idea, but not for me. I avoid direct flash as much as possible, preferring bounced. That also helps to avoid the "blinkies" from the TTL pre-flash. Like Anonymous posted, the old Nikon flashes work fine in "Auto" mode on my Leicas. But my preferred flash is the Metz-based Leica SF-58 which supports Leica TTL and has Auto mode.
Looks really cool!! I still use my good old Metz potato masher flash. I look forward to seeing the images you produce using this funky new flash. An attention getter for sure!
Eric
It looks good and the relatively large reflector is a real plus. People always want to bounce the flash, but when event shooting this is rarely possible and bouncing it off a white card is no better than using it direct unless you have a very large card. I too look forward to hearing how you get on.
Hi Chris --- and everyone else who commented !!!
I've been shooting with flash at events for....wait for it.....about 42 years. I would love it if every building, hotel ballroom, conference facility and meeting room came equipped with 12 foot high, bright white ceilings. Golly. That would be so good. You could use any flash that tilts up for bouncing and you could bounce off the ceilings using a fully manual exposure mode. You'd generally know the math of the distance and power and, really, it would barely ever change. Set once and forget it. I guess you'd have to tweak if bigger groups were more distant.....
But the reality is generally really different. I've been shooting a lot in the Austin Four Seasons Hotel Main Ballroom for years and the ceilings are really, really high and also painted an off white that goes yellow. I guess you could shoot everything at ISO 3200 and try bouncing off the ceiling there but you'd also have to contend with the fact that most of the light will end up being top light and then you'd need auxiliary fill flash light to fight the "raccoon eyes."
I try to make my direct flash exposure about one stop more than the ambient light in the rooms I'm working in. Sometimes, if the room is predominantly lit with tungsten I filter my flash to convert its color output to tungsten as well for a better match. If you do that you are getting a 1:2 ratio from the flash and the room and you've gotten into a nice narrow space of color. It can look really good.
Also, if you use a flash in a fully manual exposure mode and you must bounce you can just put the flash on a sync cord, take it off camera and point it at the ceiling to your heart's content.
I'd love it if anyone perfected TTL flash for huge conference venues. I really would. But for now I want to try making the best shots possible under real world circumstances. And every city, venue, etc. is different so your mileage will certainly vary.
I'm not sure the flash I wrote about there will be any better than just using one of my fully manual Godox YN flashes. But I do think I'll enjoy the novelty of it. Not everything has to be serious science. We are allowed to try new things just for the fun of it.
But yeah, Chris, you are right about all of this. And, dragging a huge white card through hordes of people in a crowded cocktail hour scrum is beyond difficult. Especially when you know the images are destined for quick spots on temporary social media and will mostly be consumed via telephone screens.
Looks like the old flash my dad used to have, except you had to insert little disposable flash bulbs in that one. Loved playing with the fold-out blades when I was a kid. Maybe I get one, just for nostalgia’s sake.
This is soooo cool!
And i saw it could be used without the dish to get a softer look.
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