I decided to go retro at Christmas dinner tonight so took out the
pristine, black OM-2n and a T-32 and a roll of Kodak NPS 400. I've
decided I'm even gonna shoot TTL tonight on this wayback machine. I
don't think the 2n has been used more than once or twice since JH CLA'd
it in 2000. I bought it just to have a really pretty black 2n and it
is. Not only has it not been used for years but I don't think it has
ever been used with a T-32. My pair of 2sp's were my main cameras and
flash was done with a T32 in a BG-2. But I decided to travel light and
use just bounce flash from the hot shoe. I left the BG-2 at home.
Before hooking the T-32 up to the 2n I decided to give it a function and
power check in sensor auto mode on the 5D. Set ISO 400, auto mode at
f/8, lens aperture at f/8, 5D in manual mode with shutter at 1/30.
Popped off a couple shots. Exposure about one stop low. Opened up a
stop to f/5.6 and exposure perfect. Swung the camera around to a few
different spots and overexposures started cropping up. Backed off to
flash and camera agreeing again at f/8 as the best compromise.
Pack up the OM-2n, the T-32 and, to further the retro work, a 35/2.8,
50/1.8 and 85/2. No zooms tonight and most will be shot with the 35.
Now it's just before dinner. I grab a couple of shots here and there
and take a group shot just before everyone sits down at the table. I
set camera and flash on a nearby lamp table. As we're finishing dinner
I can see that the back of the T-32 doesn't quite look like I expect but
I'm not wearing my glasses and can't see it well. I wander over and my
fears are realized. After testing the T-32 in sensor auto mode I failed
to turn the the calculator panel over for TTL mode. All the shots I
have taken were done in auto mode with the camera also in auto mode. I
also notice that, although I started with the aperture at f/8 it's now
at f/11. I must have hit the aperture ring when fumbling with the
focusing ring. Ah, well. Who knows on what frame that happened. Make
mental note to always use the BG-2. A T-32 in the hotshoe blocks your
view of the aperture ring and focusing scales.
So, here's where I need help. Ignoring the aperture snafu (which I
don't think was harmful) how does the camera behave when firing a
non-TTL flash when the camera is in auto mode? I've scoured the OM-2,
OM-2sp and OM-4 and OM-4Ti manuals and can find no description of using
a T-series flash in other than TTL or manual modes. Anything describing
the use of sensor auto modes on a non-TTL flash unit assumes the camera
is set to manual mode at 1/30 second shutter speed.
What I *think* should happen is that the camera will see the fairly low
ambient light around the dinner table and, at f/8 or f/11, despite the
ISO 400 film, will decide to use a shutter speed somewhere around 1/15
second or so. That's well below the maximum sync speed of 1/60. Then
the flash will fire and, unlike these silly DSLRs, the flash will
reflect off the film during the exposure, the shutter will close
prematurely according to the camera's first estimate and the correct
exposure will be made despite my silly errors.
OK, that's the optimists viewpoints. Any pessimist naysayers out there?
Dr. Flash
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