Find it very intriguing to own one, I directly contacted LightPix Labs through their Facebook page and ask them whether this speedlight called FlashQ Q20ii can support a film camera. When they said "yes!" I’ve made my order and now I’ve got a chance to use this speedlight very extensively.
Just for the purpose of testing this new speedlight, I’ve bought myself a cheap film SLR called Minolta SRT Super (also known as SRT 102 in some countries) and a Minolta MD Rokkor-X 28mm f2.8 lens. (Honestly I don’t want to use my Leica M6 as a lab rat.. lol! Because if anything happened to my M6, it’ll be an expensive repair).
Without further ado, below is my findings and experience of using this speedlight with a film camera:
It might support the cold shoe mount, but you’ll need a PC Sync Cord to link the camera body to the speedlight. Honestly, I’ve never tried this before so I would not suggest for you to try this method. So, if you are using a very old film camera which has the cold shoe mount, I’d suggest you get another a film SLR or any film RF camera that has a hot shoe mount.
2. This is a 100% manual speedlight.
If you are looking for a TTL function, look somewhere else. This is a 100% manual speedlight that use 2 x AA batteries to operate. By the way, it does support a rechargeable AA battery and you can charge the batteries within the speedlight itself – USB charger cable is provided within the package.
3. The flash power is not that strong compared to a normal speedlight (the one that you can turn the flash head around).
The flash sync speed for my Minolta SRT is 1/60s. Therefore, I am purposely set the camera to shoot 2 stop under expose by adjusting the aperture accordingly so that the flash can fill the lights on the scene. I’m mainly using f11, f16 and to a certain extend f22 (based on the light condition during the shooting). I’ve set the speedlight with 1/8 and sometime 1/4 of the power. Unfortunately, almost every frame that I’ve shot is under exposed because the flash power is not that strong.
My recommendation: If you want to use this speedlight with a very small aperture such as f8 or above, I’m highly recommends you to use:
- 1/1 of the power for f16
- 1/2 of the power for f11, and
- 1/4 of the power for f8
Note: Please bear in mind that this is purely based on my experience only. You might find it differently once you’ve test it out in your own environment.
I’ve learned the hard way. I’ve put the film inside my camera and set the speedlight after. Because of that, I’ve lost several frames (all shots were under exposed) mainly because the flash didn’t fire accordingly. So, be extra careful and make sure it fires before you put the film inside the camera.
If you expect it to recycle immediately, this speedlight is not for you. But for me, 7 seconds is more than enough. I’m not a hardcore flash user by the way so, I can live with that.
6. The wireless flash trigger works like charm.
I have no complaints about this little baby. Just make sure you’ve charged it every time before you start using it.
LightPix Lab FlashQ Q20ii
And if you want to get more discounts before making your purchase, I’d suggest you to text them in their Facebook page using FB Messenger and ask for a discount code. Just to let you know I’ve got 20% discount by asking them directly using this method. 😊
Once you’ve tried it, don’t forget to share your experience with me!
Disclaimer: I’ve bought this speedlight myself and this review is purely my own. I didn’t get any commission out of this review.
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