Hi Bob,
You have a point there. I probably did not think it all the way through
when I rattled off what I wrote. The only time the 3T is going to be an
advantage is probably when you want flash + a fairly slow shutter speed
(compared to 1/60 sync speed) with some flash control. But if you want
fill flash and most of the flash is going to hit a small foreground
target, then GN's are the way to go (except perhaps indoors).
My test was a quick test of flash control with taped contact. The
reason to tape over the top contact (closest to the film advance side)
is to trick the camera into not forcing 1/60th speed (in either manual
or auto mode). With the tape and the OM-4t in auto mode, the flash
output is still controlled (that was what I was testing) and the
shutter speed is also controlled. I used the memo function to save the
actual shutter speed the camera used. The meter said 1/4th speed
without flash, while the speed when the flash went off was near 1/60th.
I was shooting a flat target, so not a valid real world test. Plus I
did not use compensation as that would also effect the total auto
exposure rather than just the flash. Compensation *can* be used on the
OM-3t to adjust flash output. The OM-4t does not do TTL flash control
on manual speeds.
So the only real advantage of the 3t is that the compensation dial can
be used to control flash output independent of shutter speed. GN's are
probably more accurate with a close subject and a distant background
outdoors. GN's can be a problem indoors with reflective surfaces, so
flash auto or flash TTL is desirable.
You can knock the 3t all you want, not a problem. I don't need any
ratial-holic justifications for owning one (or two even :^). Actually
the only real rationalization I have is that the camera works in very
cold weather, and has a diopter adjustment that the OM-1 does not have.
But the real reason to have one is the mystique. Perhaps if the 3t had
rear curtain sync with its integrating TTL flash exposure control, we
would have some more flash + ambient combinations to discuss, rather
than how old we are all getting to be. And I can calculate GN's on my
HP-35, but I lost my bamboo triple log slide rule years ago.
Wayne
At 01:19 PM 4/7/2003, Bob wrote:
>but the TTL flash will be influenced by the background, no? if one wants
>the BG -1 stop, then the flash will try to compensate and will overexpose
>the subject. it seems that if you meter the background, then spin the
>compensation dial to adjust for the over-exposure, then you havn't really
>made your life easier (or more accurate) than manual GN.
>
>also, i don't think i understand your test. why did you use the memo
>function? this essentially puts the camera in manual mode instead of
>letting the TTL read the light. with the -4 and taped contact, one does
>indeed get SS lower than 1/60. i think in your instance, the camera shut
>down at 1/60 as the flash put out enough light to fill the exposure. i am
>also sure that the flash will be controlled by the TTL as it has variable
>recycling times and not the long one as if it had just done a full dump.
>the beauty of having the AUTO is that it will read both the ambient and
>flash light to fill the exposure needs.
>
>i didn't think about using the flash on AUTO with the camera on manual. it
>seems like it should work just as well, but only if the flash is mounted on
>top of the camera.
>
>i'm not trying to knock the -3Ti, just trying to understand it! ;) also,
>sorry for my butchering of the language - i'm much more of a numbers guy. ;)
>
>Bob
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