FED rangefinder + METZ flash gun

[henryvk]

Hello everyone,

as the title indicates, I've have come by a working late 70's METZ flash gun. A Mecablitz 34 BCT 2.

Is this thing any good with a FED rangefinder? It fires when I set the FED to 1/30 sec but I'm not really sure how to operate the flash. It has 3 automatic aperture settings as well as a "M"anual setting.

Do I just set it to "M" and use the f-stops indicated on the scale relative to ISO/ASA? So, 200 ASA at 4m distance makes it f11?

But what do the automatic settings do? Does the flash read from it's little light meter/photosensitive thing in front and calculate flash based on that? Is that only for cameras that can sync flash with all speeds?

Also, is there any issue using this flash caused by the FEDs flash sync speed being only 1/30 sec? I mean, other than that being sort of slow, as it were? I get that 1/30 sec is when the curtain is all the way open but how does the flash gun "know" that? Is that irrelevant or will the duration of the flash be too short to provide sufficient exposure?

This is a kind of a monster of a flash gun but it seems to work well and the time it takes to charge from a fresh set of batteries is only a second or two, which is kind of cool.

Obviously, I am entirely new to flash photography; please excuse any and all dumb questions.

Anyway, any help is appreciated,

Cheers,
Henry

 

[Chan Tran]

Setting the camera to 1/30 isn't much of a problem unless you use the flash in bright light.
For auto you set the red mark on the left slider to the ASA/DIN of the film you use. On the right slider choose one of the 3 A settings. Set the aperture on the lens to the same aperture the right slider is pointing at. The distance is the maximum distance you can use.

 

[AgX]

You got 2 choices:
.
-) use the flash at manual:
set the green slider at M
set the film sensitivity at the scale by means of the red slider,
read the aperture to set at the didtance you set the canera at.

-) use the flash at autoexposure:
set the film sensitivity at the scale by means of the red slider,
set the green slider at any of the three A
read the aperture to set at the camera at the green line
read the max distance (reach of the AE) at the green line

 

[AgX]

You posted your inquiry at the "Rangefinder" forum. However there is nothing camera-group specifc with these flashes.

It only becomes specific, even model-specific when you use the next generation of flashes which got a further or more contacts at the base of their foot. These are intended to communicate with a specific model of camera, as setting sync shutter time, setting the aperture by the flash or indicating at the camera that flash is ready to fire or has fired with suffcient exposure.
At a further generation of flashes TTL flash metering was added.

 

[henryvk]

You got 2 choices:
.
-) use the flash at manual:
set the green slider at M
set the film sensitivity at the scale by means of the red slider,
read the aperture to set at the didtance you set the canera at.

-) use the flash at autoexposure:
set the film sensitivity at the scale by means of the red slider,
set the green slider at any of the three A
read the aperture to set at the camera at the green line
read the max distance (reach of the AE) at the green line

Thank you, that's the explanation I was hoping for. I didn't figure that for the auto settings the green line indicates the maximum distance.

Cool, sounds simple enough. I can't wait to try this thing out and I figured it'd be good have in order to get more out of my cameras during the dark winter months in these latitudes.

You posted your inquiry at the "Rangefinder" forum. However there is nothing camera-group specifc with these flashes.

Yeah, I was mostly aware of that but the FED rangefinder was the most pertinent camera I wanted this flash to work with. I do have TLRs that I could use it with but that's not as important.

 

[MattKing]

You were correct about how the flash accomplishes automatic control.
I think that model includes thyristor circuitry, which means that it essentially only uses enough energy to properly expose the shot, and leaves the rest in the charged capacitor. That means that when you are close to your subject, the flash will be shorter in duration, and will recycle more quickly.
The direction you point the sensor is very important, as is anything near the subject which might reflect light back to the flash.
It is capable of bounce flash as well - either side bounce or ceiling bounce or reflector bounce. You keep the sensor pointing at the subject, and point the flash-head at the bounce surface. That is how I used similar flashes (mostly) when I did a lot more flash work. That approach does eat up a lot of light though, and you have to watch out for coloured walls and ceilings.
That flash has a high trigger voltage, so you need to avoid using with it electronic cameras unless some other protective circuitry is used.

 

[AgX]

Cool, sounds simple enough.

Basically at all these flashes the dials/scales can be reduced to the same pattern, even if they look different at first sight.
Typically the auto-apertures vary with the film sensitivity set. But there are also flashes where these apertures are fixed. But all this can be realized if one looks at the dial or plays with it. The only things switched are the apertures (be it electrically or optically) and the manual mode, and at few models the manual output. The film sensitivity setting is always just a part of a slide ruler. (Here a problem might be that it does not really lock anymore and thus may corrupt aperture reading during use.)
There are few flashes from this period that remain enigmatic without manual, concerning their setting.