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TV • VIDEO • CAMCORDER • MECABLITZ
MECABLITZ 34 AF-3 P
Operating instructions
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Foreword Dear Customer, Please read these operating instructions carefully, even if, at first sight, some points may not appear We thank you for your confidence in our meca- to be of interest. Our design work placed particular value on ensuring that operation of the mecablitz is blitz MB 34 AF-3P. as simple as possible, but it should be noted that the system cameras for which the flashgun is The MB 34 AF-3P flashgun has been especially intended offer a great diversity of capabilities. designed for P
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Contents 1. Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 6. Flash in the individual camera modes . .11 2. Preparing the mecablitz for use . . . . . . .5 7. Autofocus measuring flash . . . . . . . . . . .11 2.1 Power supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 8. Flash techniques and flash functions . .13 2.2 Loading and replacing the batteries . . . . . .5 8.1 Automatic fill-in flash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 2.3 Automatic flashgun cut-out circuit . . . . . . .6 8.2 Exposure
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1. Safety instructions • NEVER fire a flash in the immediate vicinity of • In the event of flash shots with full light output the eyes! Flash fired directly in front of the eyes observe an interval of at least 3 minutes after a of a person or animal can damage the retina and series of 20 flashes. This will protect the flash- lead to severe visual disorders - even blindness! gun against overload. • Spent batteries should be immediately remo- • NEVER place material that is impervious to light ved. Chemi
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2. Preparing the mecablitz for use 2.1 Power supply The flashgun can only be operated with 2 CR2-type lithi- um batteries. This type of battery can be stored for many years with practically no loss of energy, thus making it ideal for occasional amateur flash photography. Batteries have become discharged or spent when recycling takes more than 60 seconds. The batteries should be removed from the mecablitz if the flashgun is not going to be used ➭ for a prolonged period. ☛ Fig. 1: Unlocking and exc
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2. Preparing the mecablitz for use When loading the batteries ensure correct pola- 2.4 Mounting/Removing the flashgun rity. Incorrectly loaded batteries can destroy the Mounting: flashgun! All batteries must be of the same • Turn off the mecablitz. make and have the same charge level. Exhau- • Turn the clamping nut upwards against the sted batteries must not be thrown into the case of the flashgun. dustbin! Contribute to the protection of the environment and discard exhausted batteries • Slide th
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3. Setting the mecablitz into operation 3.1 Preconditions The mecablitz must only be used with TTL flash controlled autofocus cameras! The sensor of TTL flash controlled cameras OFF ON measures the light reaching the film through the camera lens and instantly cuts out the flash when the film has been correctly expo- sed. Please refer to the camera’s operating instructions to find out whether your camera features this function. A full-power flash is fired if the camera does Fig. 3: Switching the
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4. Flashgun instructions to the camera The mecablitz transmits different signals and 4.2 Automatic flash sync speed control messages to the camera when it is connected to Flash readiness has the following effect on the camera and is switched on. system cameras: Camera mode: Effect: 4.1 Flash-ready indication Programmed auto exposure mode [P]: The green light on the mecablitz illuminates Camera changes to 1/30 - 1/250 sec. flash sync when the flash capacitor is fully primed, thereby speed, dependi
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4. Flashgun instructions to the camera 4.4 Information displayed in camera viewfinder when flash unit is switched on Displays in viewfinder Meaning prior to shutter release not illuminated Flash unit not yetready for firing or blinks slowly permanently illuminated Flash unit is ready for firing Warning with SF1/SFx: is illuminated in the camera's viewfinder but the flash is not triggered when the shutter is tripped. The camera has activated the triggering lock Fig. 4: Exposure o.k. because the ambient
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5. TTL flash control The mecablitz receives its information exclusively The table on page 33 gives the maximum range from the connected TTL-controlled AF-camera. for the selected aperture. The minimum lighting distance is approx. 15% of the maximum thres- Exposure measurement in TTL mode (TTL = hold range. through-the-lens) is completed by the camera’s sensor. This sensor measures the light reaching If the actual distance is shorter than the the film through the camera lens. An electronic minimum
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6. Flash in the individual camera modes 7. Autofocus measuring flash If the mecablitz is switched on and ready for firing, a flash will be fired each time the camera's shutter is released. The amount of light is controlled by TTL. AF red-light beam Triggering lock (only SF1 and SFx) On the Pentax SFx and SF1 cameras, the flash will not be fired when the prevailing light is sufficient for an exposure in normal mode. The exposure is then completed with the shutter speed indicated in Fig. 5: AF red-lig
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7. Autofocus measuring flash Notes: Low-speed lenses, e.g. with an aperture of f/5.6 or f/8 (such as zoom lenses), significant- • The AF measuring flash is only supported in the ly restrict the range of the autofocus camera's "SINGLE AF" mode. measuring flash! • When the camera’s autofocus system is on, the • The AF measuring flash is not activated in the electronic circuit will automatically activate the camera's continuous focusing mode or when autofocus measuring flash whenever the the autofocus
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8. Flash techniques and flash functions Fill-in flash in daylight will soften harsh shadows and diminish the contrast, thereby producing a more balanced exposure when shooting against the light. The camera’s computer-controlled metering system automatically selects the shutter speed, working aperture and light output in such a manner that both the main subject in the foreground as well as the background are uniformly exposed. Fig. 6: Fill-in flash in daylight (left without, right with fill-in flash 8
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9. Lighting and attachments Your mecablitz provides full and even illumination guiding edge of normal 24 x 36 mm negatives when using len- ses of 35 mm focal length and longer. A wide-angle diffuser is supplied with the flash- gun to increase the coverage if you wish to use a 28 mm wide-angle lens. A telephoto attachment (identified with a "T") is case gap included for telephoto lenses of 85 mm focal length onwards. Please note that use of the wide-angle diffuser Fig. 7: Mounting and removing the
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10. Care and maintenance - Troubleshooting Remove grime and dust with a soft, dry cloth. Do not use cleaning agents as these could damage the plastic parts. Forming the flash capacitor The flash capacitor incorporated in the flashgun undergoes a physical change when the flashgun is ☛ not switched on for prolonged periods. For this reason it is necessary to switch on the flashgun for approx. 10 minutes every 3 months and to fire a few flashes The batteries must supply sufficient power to light up the fl
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11. Technical data Guide number ISO 100/21°: 34 (with telephoto attachment) Number of flashes: Flash recycling time: 28 (without attachment) ca. 100 ca. 6 s at full light output Lighting: Rectangular 20 (with wide-angle diffuser) Without attachment: horiz. approx. 56°, vertical approx. 40° Lighting for 35mm camera from 35 mm focal length With W-diffuser: horiz. approx. 75°, vertical approx. 55° onwards, with wide-angle attachment from 24 mm, and with With T-attachment: horiz. approx. 25°, verti
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Lighting distances Example: 2 2,8 4 5,6 8 11 Film speed ISO 100, camera aperture f5.6: ISO 50 10 7 5 3,5 2,5 1,8 The table indicates a maximum distance of 5 m. 100 14 10 7 5 3,5 2,5 The minimum lighting distance is 15% out of 5 200 20 14 10 7 5 3,5 m which equals approx. 0.75 m. 400 28 20 14 10 7 5 W – 20% [m] T + 20% This table indicates a section of the most im- portant maximum lighting distances in different ISO/aperture combinations. The sticker can be applied to the back of the flashgun. 17
