Contax TLA 20 User manual

FlashHead
   Blitzkopf
  TOtede flash
  Cabezadel llash



  Shoe LockingRing
  Schuhklemmring
  Baguede verrouillagede sabot
   Aniflo de enclavamientode la zapala
  Normal-Auto-FlashSensor
  Sensorltir normaleBlitzautomatik
  Capteurde flash normal-automatique
  Sensor normal y automdtico del flash
  Hot Shoe Contacl
  Mittenkontakt
  Contactpour griffe porle-accessoire
  Contaclo de la zapata encendida

  TTL Auto FlashContact
  TTL-Blilzautomatikkontakt
  Contactd'6clair automatiqueen TTL
  Contactodel flash automdticoTTL

  Flash-ReadySignalContacl
  Blitzbereitschattssignalkontakt
  Contaclde t6moin de charge
  Contactode sef,aldel flash disponible
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( B a t t e r y  I n s t a l l a t i o n )
The TLA30 Auto Flash Unit is powered by four 1.5 V AA-
size penlight batteries, alkaline-manganese or
manganese, or by four 1.2 V rechargeable Ni-Cd batteries
of the same size. The use of high performance alkaline-
manganese batteries is particularly recommended.

E SliOethe batterycompartmentcover out as illustratedand
removeit.




E  Insertthe four batteriesinto the batterycompartment
accordingto polaritymarkings"(D" and "O"  insidethe
compartment.Then replacethe cover.The flash unit will not
functionunlessthe polarityis correct.

Test Flash
To test the flash unit, first set the power switch to "ON" and
then press the combinationFlash-ReadyLamp/TestButton
controlwhen it lightsred. When not usingthe flash unit
immediatelyafterwards,reset the power switch to "OFF" to
conservethe batteries.


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Precautions                                                     Vorsirh!s n:8re  fie!n
   o  Recyclingtime will slow down as the batteries                  .   Die Blitzfolgezeitwird bei Batterie-
  weaken.When the flash-readylamp fails to lightwithin    spannungsabnahmeldnger.Leuchtetdie
  30 secondsof the prevrousflash,it meansthe batteries    Blrtzbereitschaftslampenicht innerhalbvon 30
   are inadequatelycharged.When this occurs, replace     Sekundennach Ausldsungdes letztenBlitzesauf,
    all four batteriesat lhe same time.                     bedeutetdies,daRdie Batteriennicht ausreichend
   o  Batteryperformancewill deterioratetemporarily       aufgeladensind. In diesemFallealle vier Batterien
  when batteriesare exposedlo near sub-zerotemper-      gleichzeitigauswechseln.
   atures.When usingthe f lash unit in cold areas,it is        o  Die Batterieleistungnimmt vortlbergehendab, wenn
  recommendedthat the batteriesbe protectedfrom the      die BatterienTemperaturenum Null ausgesetztweroen.
   cold by keepingthe flash unit in a bag or in some cold     Bei Verwendungdes Blitzgerdtesin kaltenGebietenist
  weathergear, or that a set oJ fresh batteriesbe kept      es empfehlenswert,die Batterienvor Kdlte zu
  on hand. Batteriesthus weakenedwill regaintheir          schr.itzen,indemdas Blitzgeratin eine Tascheo.d.
  power upon being returnedto normaltemperatures.      gestecktwird, oder einen Satz frischerBatterien
    r  Batterycontactscontaminatedwith oil or sweat can     bereitzuhalten.Auf diese Weiseschwachgewordene
  cause poor electricalcontact.Wipe the contactsclean     Batterienerholensich wiederan einem Platzmit
   with a dry cloth beforeuse to ensuremaximum          normalerTemperatur.
  oerJormance.                                                                           .  Durch Ol oder SchweiRverunreinigteBatteriepole
                                               konneneinenschlechtenelektrischenKontakt
                                                    verursachen.Vor Verwendungder Batterienihre pole
                                                          mit einemtrockenenTuch sauberwischen,um eine
                                                maximaleLeistungzu gewiihrleisten.





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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             i:d*i!!;-,ii,'.           -'"-,:^-.+.,,-;:-,itl

( M o u n t i n g  t h e F l a s h U n i t )
   The TLA30 is designed to function only on cameras with
   a hot shoe (Direct X) contact.

  E  Loosenthe shoe lockingring and then stidethe flash unit
  base all the way into the accessoryshoe for positivecontact.
   o Make sure that the flash unit base is firmly pushedall the
  way into the shoe;otherwise,positivecontactwill not be
   ensured.




  E  Firmtysecurethe flashunit by turningthe lockingringas
   far as it will go in the directionof the arrow.





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Flash Mode                      Type of Operation             GN (ASA 100, m)
            Blitzbetriebsart                         Arbeitsweise                    LZ (ASA 100, m)

                                           Direct TTL llash
                                     (UsingContax137 MD Quartzand Contax139 Quartz).
                                         Electronicflash exposureis automaticallycontrolledby
                                    camera'sbuilt-insensor.Couplesat all aperturesof the
                                        lens in use.                                    3 0 - 4
                  TTL        Direkter TTL-Blitz                                    (Continuouslyvariable)                                                                                                  (stufenlosregelbar)                                           (mit der Contax137 MD Quartzund Contax139 Quartz).
                                     Die elektronischeBlitzbelichtungwird durch den
                                     eingebautenSensorder Kameraautomatischgesteuert.
                                       Bei allen Offnungendes verwendetenObjektivsgekuppelt
     AUTO
                          (Green)    Normal Auto Flash
                               (Grrin)    Couplesat apertureindicatedby green or red mark.
                                         Electronicflash exposureis automaticallycontrolledby        30
                                    sensoron front of flashunit.                           (Continuouslyvariable)
                                                                                                  (stufenlosregelbar)                                  Normale Blitzautomatik                                                  t  (Red)                                      Bei der durch die gruneoder rote Markeangezeigten                             (Rot)                                   Blendegekuppelt.Die elektronischeBlitzbelichtungwird
                                     durch den Sensoran der Vorderseitedes Blitzgertites
                                    automatischgesteuert

                     F         Manual Flash Operation                            30
                                         "F" denotesfull output;"1 14" and "1/16" denote 114and
                                      1/16of full output,respectively.    MANUAL          1/,4                                                           1 5
                                   Manueller Bl itzbetrieb
                                         "F" bedeutetvolle Leistung',"114" und "1/16" bedeuten
                   1116       jeweils1/4 und 1/16der vollenLeistung                        7.51 4

T h e w h r t e i n d e x m a r k s " a '    A   a n d " , f ; u " a r e u s e d
     r n s e t t i n gt h e A S A f r l m s p e e d f o r t h e f i l m r n u s e U s e
      t h e  A       i n d e x f o r T T L a u t o f l a s h , n o r m a l a u t o f l a s h
   a n d m a n u a lf l a s ha t ( F ) f u l l o u t p u t W h e n u s i n g 1 1 4a n d
   1 / 1 6 o f f u l l o u t p u l i n n r a n u a lf l a s h . s e t t h e f i l m s p e e d t o                      ' , i      '      t h e            a n d " , f u   r n o e xm a r K Sr e s p e c t i v e l y

   T h e o r a n g e c o l o r e d marks" v     U'  and "'$u" are
   u s e d a s f i l m s p e e d indexmarksfor the f rlmberngused
  w h e n m a k i n g f l a s h exposureswrththe WrdePanel
     ( w r d e - a n g l pe a n e l )





  B y s e t t r n gt h e A S A f i l m s p e e d s c a l e t o t h e s p e e d o f  t h e
      f r l m r n u s e . i t r s p o s s i b l et o r e a d o u t t h e f o l l o w r n g
   e x p o s u r ed a l a  ( a ) I n t h e T T L A u t o m o d e . t h e f l a s h
     r a n g e f o r t h e a p e r t u r e r n e f f e c t : ( b ) l n t h e N o r m a l A u t o
  m o d e , t n e c o v e r a g e a p e r t u r e r e a d i n g sa n d t h e f l a s h
     r a n g e s f o r t h e g i v e n a p e r t u r e s :a n d ( c ) l n t h e M a n u a l
  F l a s h m o d e  t h e c o r r e c t a p e r l u r e r e a d r n gf o r t h e
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selectedf lash-to-subjectdistance.                       signalindicatesthat the subjectwas not withinthe
                                                                ' h  Q a r - .                                    correct flash range.The Auto Check Lamp is not
 In the TTL Auto and NormalAuto modes,the Auto        designedto operatein the TTL Auto or the Manual
 FlashRangeGuideshows the effectiveflash ranqefor      {lash modes.
 the coverageaperlure.AIignthe white band'serlreme
 right(Thickwhite band)with the coverageaperture            lr,          .,arlyLamp/Test Button
 readingon the ExposureComputerDial.The white       The Flash-ReadyLamp lightsred when the flash unit is
 bandindicatesthe effectiveflash rangefor the given      readyto flash.This controlalso doublesas a test
 aperture.                                           buttonfor test flashino.

@ Normal Auto Flash Mode Index Marks (Red and
Green)
The red and green indexmarks indicatethe coverage
aperturesto use in the NormalAuto mode.

 l i l    l ' r .     '     ; j o d e - . r . . c l o r
The selector is used to switch lo any of the three
modes,TTL Auto, NormalAuto and Manualflash.Be
sure lo set lhe selectorpreciselyon the click-stop
position.
(E Auto Check Lamp (For Normal Auto Flash Mode
Only)
In the NormalAuto flash mode,this lamp is used to
indicalewhethersubjectwas within effectiveflash
range.After lhe exposure,it will signala green after-
flash for about three secondsif your subjectwas within
effectiveflash range;otherwise,the absenceof such a
                                                                                                                         't7


                             1 r. *    -*;       ,.;,:i      ,L.    .,i

Bas|cElefficFrosh
   Hqnfrbt b.M  etuorten
FroCrAe(f,rcnlque fondd'nentol
    Flqdr electr6nlco btutco

When using the TLA30 with the Contax 137 MD Quartz
  and the Contax 139 Quartz, merely set the camera to
  "AUTO" and the f lash unit to "TTL". When the f lash unit
    is ready to f lash, the camera automatically switches over
   to the camera's synch speed and two LEDs inside the
   viewfinder indicate that both the f lash unit and camera
   are ready to flash.
  tr
  The Contax137 MD Quartzand the Contax139 Quartzare
   set to "AUTO" by turningthe shutterselectorand the shutter
   controldial,resoectivelv

  a
   Slidethe flashmodeselectorto the "TTL" ctick-stopposition





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[!  set rhe ASA Fitm speed.
   Rotateand sel the ExposureComputerDial by aligningthe
   white " A " indexmark with lhe correct ASA film speedfor
   the film in use. To rotatethe dial, exert finger-tippressure
   againstthe two little round-shapedprojectionsplaced
   oppositeeach other on the dial, makingsure to set the scale
   squarelyon a click-stop.




  El CnecXthe LED IndicatorsInsidethe Viewfinder
  Turn on the PowerSwitchand check the LED indicators
   insidethe viewfinder.When the green flash-readymark " f   "
   lightsup in the Contax137 MD Quartzand the Contax 139
  Quartz,the flash systemis readyto flash.The LED indicators
   insidethe viewfinderfunctionin the followingpattern:
  Contax 137 MD Quartz: Whenthe unit is readyto flash,the
  cameraswitchesto the synch speedand simultaneously
  signalsa steadyflash-readymark " ,C " and flashesa red
  LED at the "60" position.
  Contax 139 Quartz: Whenthe unit is readyto flash,the
  cameraswitchesto the synch speed;and then with a
  pressingof the exposurecheck button,the green flash-ready
  mark "al  " lightsand a red LED flashesat the ,, 1125"                          137MD Quartz 139Ouartz
  position.
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E  set the Aperture.
   Rotatethe aperturering to the desiredaperturesetting.
   Becauseof the direct TTL meteringfeature,you can freely
   selectany aperturewithinthe full aperturerangeof the lens
   In use.
  The effectiveflash rangevarieswith the aperturesettingin
   use. For example,if you choosef/5.6 with ASA 100 film in the
   camera,you will needto alignthe extremerightof the white
   band on the Auto FlashRangeGuidewith the "5.6 " mark on
   the ExposureComputerDial. In so doing,you will obtain
   correct flash exposureover an effectiveflash rangebetween
   approximately0.7 and 5 meters.Your subjectwill be correctly
  exposedwithinthis flash range.

 @ tvtaXethe Flash Exposure
  Focusand press the shutterrelease.After the exposure,the
    " f   " flash data indicatorinsidethe viewfinderwill flash (or
   steadilylight if the unit is fast-recycling)for about a secondif
  your subjectwas within effectiveflash range.lf the indicator
   fails to light,changethe aperturesettingor the flash-to-
   subjectdistanceand re-shoot.





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o  In additionto flashingat the synch shutterspeed,the LED
    will sometimesflash also at the "OVER" positionwhen
   shootingagainstthe light or with daylightsynch ftash(See
   page 66).This indicatesthat the readingfor the correct
   shutterspeed is faster than the synch shutterspeed.lf the
   exposureis made in such a situationwithoutany adjustment,
   the backgroundwill be overexposedshowinga washedout
   effect.To overcomethis, turn the aperturering until the
  "OVER" indicationgoes away;then, shoot.
   o On completionof the auto flash exposure,the camera
   revertsto the non-flashauto exposurefunctionuntil the flash
   unit has recycled.
   o When makinga test flash exposurewithoutfilm loadedin
   the camera,lay the flash test sheet suppliedwith the flash
   unil over the film planeto ensuresufficientreflectionsurface.





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When shooting subiect against a dusky background or in
   a room of greath depth, often your main subject is
   properly exposed but the background comes out dark and
      f lat. ln this instance you can obtain a more natural and
    better lighting balance between your subject and
   background by employing direct TTL Auto  f lash with the
  AE Lock of the Contax 137 MD Quartz and the Contax 139
   Quartz.

  E  Set the lensapertureafter makingsure that the camera
   has beenset on "AUTO" and the flashunit on "TTL"


      |l  Compose your photograph in the viewfinder, focus and
   then set the camera's AE Lock The shutter speed is locked
    at the value approplate for the subject at the time the tock
   was set, and an LED f lashes at the locked shulter soeed
   posrtron





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B Wnenthe LED mark "ar  " insidethe viewfinderliqhts.
   take the oicture
      .  The AE Lock can be set eitherbeforeor after the f lash
   unit has charged.
   o Whenthe Contax139 Quartzis beingused,the same
   effect as when the AE Lock is used can be obtainedby
   leavingthe flashunit on "TTL" and settingthe camera's
   shutterspeedat 1/60secondor slower However,with the AE
   Lock,it is a much simplertask and producesmuch more
   exoressiveresults.





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Along with TTL Auto  f lash in which exposures are
   controlled by the camera's independent sensor, the
  TLA30 also offers Normal Auto flash over two aperture
  ranges, using  its foreside sensor to control for correct
  exposure.

  The operatinginstructionsgiven here are applicableto the
  ContaxRTSbut they are equallyapplicableto YashicaSLRs
  and to SLRsof other makes.

   [n Set the Camera'sShutter Speed.
  Rotateand set the shutterspeeddial to the flash synch
  speed.On the ContaxRTS,the synch speedis 1/60secondor
  slower.
  The synch speedvarieswith each camera so determinethe
  propersynch speedby consultingthe instructionmanualfor
  the camerayou are using.

  E Set the Film Speed.
  Rotateand set the ExposureComputerDial by aligningthe
   white " a " indexmark with the correct ASA f ilm soeed.





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El set the Aperiure.
   Set the aperturering to eitherof the two settingsindicatedby
   the red and green indexmarks for the NormalAuto flash
  mode. For instance,when usingan ASA 100 film speed,the
   correct coverageapertureswill be f/8 and f/4. Check the Auto
   FlashRangeGuidefor the correct flash rangefor the
   applicableaperture.When the extremeright (thickwhite
   band)of the white band is alignedwith the indexmark for
   NormalAuto flash,the white band indicatesthe flash range
   for the flash unit. For instance,you shouldkeep your flash-to-
   subjectdistancebetween0.7 and 4 metersapproximatelyand
  between1 and 9 metersapproximatelyfor flash exposuresat
   f/8 and f/4 aperturesettingsrespectivelyas indicatedby the
   green and red indexmarks.

  E Set the Flash Mode Selector.
   Slideand set the FlashMode Selectorto a NormalAuto index
   bar correspondingto the color (red or green)of the index
  mark used to select the correct coverageaperture.





40

E  Turn ON the PowerSwitch.
  Set the PowerSwitchto ON and wait for the Flash-Ready
  Lampto light.





 @ Take Your Picture.
  Focusand press the shutterrelease After the exposure,the
  Auto Check lamp will light up green with an after-flash(about
  three seconds)if your subjectwas within the effectiveflash
  range.To check for flash rangebeforemakingflash exposure,
  pressthe Test Buttonwhileholdingthe flashunit in position
   identicalto that duringactualexposure





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""_"J

  (Normal  Auto Flash Operation with the Contax 137     (Normaler  Blitzautomatikbetrieb  mit der Contax
  MD Quartz and The Contax 139 Quartz)                137 MD Quartz und Contax 139 Quartz)
  When using the TLA30with the above Contaxmodels,you can      Bei Verwendungdes TLA30 mit den obigenContax-Modellen
   take NormalAuto flash exposuresby keepingthe camera set       konnennormaleBlitzautomatikaufnahmengemachtwerden,
  on AUTO.Alter the flashunit charges,the camera             wenn die Kameraauf AUTOeingestelltbleibt.Nach Aufladung
   automaticallyswitchesover to the synch speed and two LED       des Blitzgerditesschaltetsich die Kameraautomatischauf die
   indicatorsinsidethe viewfinderlightshowingthat both camera      synchronisierteVerschluRzeitum, und zwei Leuchtdiodenan-
  and flash unit are readyto flash.And exposuresal slow shutter     zeigenim Sucherleuchtenauf, um Blitzbereitschaftder
  speedscan be made by using the handyAE Lock system.With     Kameraund des Blitzgertitesanzuzeigen.Bei Verwendungder
   the Contax 139 Quartz,even when its shutter is set faster than      praktischenMeRwertspeicherungkdnnenauch Aufnahmenmit
    its synch speed,it automaticallyswitchesover to the synch        langenVerschluRzeitengemachtwerden.Die Contax139
  speedafter the flash unit charges,enablingyou to take synch      Quartzschaltetsich nach Aufladungdes Blitzgereitesauto-
  speedflashexposuresin such situations.                     matischauf die synchronisierteVerschluRzeitum, selbstwenn
   o  Sincethe camera'smeteringfunctionis operativeeven in         ihr VerschluRauf eine kurzereZeit als ihre synchronisierte
   the normalauto flash mode,you will sometimessee the LED       VerschluRzeiteingestelltist, so daR in derartigenSituationen
  mark ",    "  f lashor steadilylightafter the exposurehas been      Blitzlichtaufnahmenmit der synchronisiertenVerschluRzeit
  made, regardlessof whetherthe subjectwas within flash         gemachtwerden konnen.
   range.Thus,when checkingthe flash range,be sure to do so       o  Da die Belichtungsmessungder Kameraselbstbei
   by usingthe flash unit'sAuto Checklamp to ensurepositive      normalemBlitzautomatikbetriebfunktioniert,kommtes manch-
   confirmation.                                           mal vor, daR die Leuchtdiodenmarke"  .t  " nach der
                                                            Belichtungblinktoder standigaufleuchtet,ohne Rricksicht
                                                               darauf,ob sich das Motiv innerhalbdes Blitzbereichsbefunden
                                                                    hat. Der Blitzbereichsolltedahermit Hilfeder Blitzautomatik-
                                                          Pruflampedes Blitzger?itesUberprUftwerden,





44

When you want to take tlash photographs at certain f ixed
   flash outputs depending on your photographic intentions
   or the prevailing picture-taking situation, you have the
  option of using any one of three manual flash modes, lhe
   "F" mode for tull output, and the "7/4" and "1/16" modes
   for reduced outputs.
  The operatinginstructionsgiven here are applicableto the                                                                                                                                          aI .
  ContaxRTSbut they are equallyapplicableto the Yashica
  SLRsand to SLRsof other makes.

    [l  Set the Camera'sShutter Speed.
  Rotateand set the shutterspeeddial to the synch speed.The
  synchspeedvarieswith each camera so determinethe
  propersynch speedby consultingthe instructionmanualfor
  the camerayou are using.

  E Set the Flash Mode Selector.
   Slideand set the FlashModeSelectorat a click stop for "F",
  "114"or "1/16".The guidenumbersare 30, 15 and 7.5lor
   the "F", "114" and "1/16" settingsrespectively,at ASA 100,
  meters.





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t3l
  Rotateand set the ExoosureComouterDialso that the
   correctASA f ilm speedalignswith the indexmark
  correspondingto the selectedmanualflashoutput.(When
  usingthe full manualoutput,set the dialat the white" A "                                                                                     \
  indexmark)
                                                                           I



   tr
  Focusand set the apertureringto the coverageaperture
  readout f rom the ExposureComputerDial as applicableto
  the desiredflash-to-subjectdistance For instance,when you
  haveselectedthe "F" flashmodewith ASA 100 film in the
  camera,the correctaperlurefor a f lash-to-subjectdistanceof                                                                                \
  5 meterswill be f/5 6 When not usingthe ExposureComputer
   Dial,you can computethe correctapertureby usingthe
  followingformula:
   GN (GuideNumber)= SubjectDrstance= f/number



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