Monthly Archives: April 2013

The Little Flash That Could

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Nikon SB-30 Flash (Yes, you mount a flash upside-down on a Rollei 35)

From day to day I may go between handful of different film cameras, but there is almost always just one flash that I take with me.

The compact little Nikon SB-30 Speedlight is a true gem of a flash.  It is incredibly versatile, able to work with almost any camera with a hot shoe.

It supports a variety of operating modes including:

  • Balanced Fill-Flash with modern SLRs like Nikon N90, F100, F6
  • Standard Through The Lens (TTL) flash mode with cameras such as the Nikon FE2, FA, F3 or even other brands such as a Leica M6 TTL
  • Non-TTL automatic flash metering with any other camera such as my Rollei 35S, Sprocket Rocket, or a Holga
  • Fully manual operation a full, 1/8th, and 1/32nd power settings
  • Auto and manual wireless slave function (for firing off-camera driven by another flash)

The non-TTL automatic option is great, as you simply dial in the aperture and film speed combination you are currently using and the flash’s own forward-facing sensor measures the light bouncing back from your subject and stops the flash output when it has reached the right level.

It has a handy compensation switch built in which allows you to bump the flash power up or down a half stop.  I often drop the power a half stop this way for fill-flash purposes.

Its lower power output matches is compact size, so for serious work you would be better off with a larger flash.  But it is so small you can take it practically anywhere with confidence that you can pop off a flash whenever needed.

Spinning Some Clay

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Yashica Electro 35 CC, Ilford HP5 Plus

Here is another B&W shot from my Yashica.  This was taken when my DSW and I took our first clay spinning class at Higher Fire in San Jose, California this past Fall.

We had such a blast taking the class (the “2 people, 2 hours, 2 projects” couples event) that we immediately signed up for a multi-week class.  Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into.

Don’t get me wrong, we loved every minute of it. Well.. except for the bowl making.

I am down with spinning cups, have a great time pressing square plates, and even managed to spin a plate or two (about as thick and heavy as sewer covers…).

But we are definately not at the skill level to create large bowls which bend and warp on the wheel like nothing else.  I need to make a whole set of cups or trays before I try something like a salad bowl again!