Flash Sync with Mamiya 645 Leaf lens

I'd like to be able to use a flash at a higher shutter speed than 1/60th with my 645E. I've been looking at the leaf shutter lenses, and have two questions. Does the sync cable connect to the lens or the body? Obviously its not syncing to a curtain, but if I were to drag the shutter to lets say 1 second, when in that 1 second would the flash fire, if I had it on reduced power?
Thanks for reading!

DoryBreaux said:

to use a flash at a higher shutter speed than 1/60th with my 645E. I've been looking at the leaf shutter lenses, and have two questions. Does the sync cable connect to the lens or the body? Obviously its not syncing to a curtain, but if I were to drag the shutter to lets say 1 second, when in that 1 second would the flash fire, if I had it on reduced power?
Thanks for reading!

Click to expand...

You would connect the synch cable to the lens.
It is the shutter in the lens that is synched with the flash, so the timing of the flash would be determined by that shutter. I don't recall what range of shutter speeds were available on the 70mm leaf shutter lens I had, and the instruction manual for that lens that is available on the internet doesn't show that information. My guess is that the flash will fire as soon as the leaf shutter is fully open.

Looking at the 645E manual and accessory lens available at http://www.butkus.org/chinon/mamiya.htm doesn't show if leaf shutter lens are usable on your body or not. If leaf shuttered lens are usable then the flash will be connected to the sync socket on the lens. If a flash sync selector is on the lens then M is for standard flash bulbs, X is for electronic flash, F is for gass filled flash bulbs.
Flash sync is X - as soon as the shutter reaches full open regardless of speed; F - flash fires 5 milliseconds before shutter opening; M - flash fires 15 to 17 milliseconds before shutter opening.
F sync can be used for electronic flash if no X setting is available, an additional 1/3 to 1/2 stop of exposure may be needed.

Thanks very much for your replies! Very helpful! That Butkus site looks very useful...
I've been thinking of moving on to a Super or Pro, or perhaps even an RB or RZ.

Read this http://www.cameramanuals.org/mamiya_pdf/mamiya_m645_70mm_lens.pdf

With any leaf shutter lens, the focal plane shutter is simply set to a sufficiently slow speed (1/8 or slower!) see page 7 of above. The flash PC cord is connected to the terminal ON THE LENS.

This links information about the newer lenses, which cause the newer bodies to automatically select the slow speed for the focal plane shutter (unlike the older camera and lens in the previous link)

http://ianbfoto.com/downloads/Mamiya 645/Mamiya_645_Leaf_Shutter_Lenses_Product_Sheet.pdf