Minolta Maxxum 2800AF User manual

The MAXXUM Flash 2800AF is designed for totally automatic flash photography with
your autofocusing Minolta MAXXUM cameras. lts push-button controls simplify setting, and
Direct (TTL off-the-film) Autoflash Metering operates in all flash modes to assure accurate
exposure. The AF illuminator is automatically triggered for autofocusing in low light or total
darkness. For depth-of-field control and faster recycling, either high or low power level can
be selected.
  The 2800AF uses the Minolta MAXXUM's new flash program for professional flash
results with the simplest operation ever: In P mode, fill-flash is completely automatic with
no calculations or manual settings required. Any aperture can be used in A mode, while
slow-shutter sync and fill flash are also possible. S mode operation is possible with
MAXXUM 9000. In M mode, you can set both aperture and shutter speed for creative
effects.
   Carefully read this manual to learn about the 2800AF's parts and features and keep this
manual handy for future reference.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Names of parts                       .2  A-mode operation .                       :        ...15
Batteries                            .3    Slow-shutter sync               ...16
  Automatic charge control. .   .         .5   A-mode fill-flash                              . . .17
  Cold-weather operation . . .   .         .5  S-mode operation                 ...18
Attaching and removing flash.  .         .6     Fill flash and slow-shutter
Basic information and settings   .         .7    sync in S mode                 ...19
 Power level selection  .   .              .7  M-mode operation                ...20
 AF illuminator   .                    .8  Exposure adjustment . . . .   .         ...21
  X-sync speed                       .9  Wideangle adapter                 ...21
 Camera settings                10  Accessories.                      ...22
  Flash settings                 10 Technical details                 ...23
P-mode operation               12 Care and storage                  ...27
 Programmed fill-flash .   .                14

NAMES OF PARTS
0 Flashtube                @ Power-level selector
O nr illuminator                           (D Test button
 (O External power input                     (p f ilm-speed slide
O Adapter grooves            @ Distance scales
O Battery cover                           (D Sutf icient-exposure  signal
@ f itm-speed scale                         (E Power switch
O P-mode flash range                       (D Mounting clamp
                                         (D Mounting foot@ A-mode/M-mode flash ranges
O Flash-ready signal

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BATTE R  I ES AN D POWE R





   The MAXXUM Flash 2800AF is Powered  To install batteries:
by four AA-size batteries. Either alkaline-   1. Slide battery cover out. Wipe terminals
manganese, rechargeable nickel-cadmium, or  with a clean dry cloth.
sealed carbon-zinc batteries can be used.       2. lnsert batteries with ends as shown inside
                                              the chamber.
                                         3. Reinsert cover in grooves, press down on
                                              edges of batteries, and slide cover  f ully in.

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NOTE                                    Checking batteries
o To prevent battery leakage or bursting,  To check battery capacity: Turn on
never mix batteries of  different types, power and wait until the flash ready signal
brands, or ages.                       glows indicating   f lash is fully charged.  lf
o lf flash will not be used for more than charging time is longer than the time listed
two weeks, batteries should be removed.   below, batteries should be changed or
o Used batteries should not be discarded in  recharged.
fire.                                      Alkaline-manganese 30 sec.---change
o Keep batteries away from young children.  Nickel-cadmium 10 sec.---recharge
 .  lf  batteries are not inserted correctly,   Sealed carbon-zinc 30 sec.---change
flash will not charge and leaking or bursting
of batteries may result.

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Automatic charge control                     Cold-weather oPeration
  To conserve battery po\ rer, the 28004F     ln cold weather, always use fresh bat-
                                                                                      anautomatically turns itself off  if operating   teries and keep a spare set warm in
button is not touched within 15 minutes   inside pocket. For prolonged use near or
                                                                                                   areafter full charge is reached. Once off, flash  below 0oc (32" Fl, Ni-cd batteries
                                                                                      becan be riradied for firing by touching the  recommended. Battery capacity will
operating button.                               restored as temPerature  rises.

ATTACHING AND REMOVING FLASH





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To attach: With power off, turn mounting  To remove: Switch power off. then com-
clamp fully to the right. Then slide flash's   pletely loosen mounting clamp. Grasp base
mounting foot into camera's accessory shoe  of flash, and slide flash straight out of
and turn clamp to the left to secure unit.       accessory shoe.

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BASIC INFORMATION AND SETTINGS
Power level selection
  The MAXXUM Flash 28004F can be set
at "Hi" power for maximum flash range or
                                                                                         o.     3 57    2030m"Lo" power for faster recycling or sequen-   lFrlenav-K._\tial shooting in C drive mode.
  To set: With power on, press the power-      5.6--#level selector to set to "Hi" or "Lo" power.
  The colored markings below each power
level correspond to the flash ranges on the                           16J 3 571015 305090ftflash-range scales. For example, with ISO
100 film at "Hi" power,  f lash range in
Program mode is 0.7m (2.3 ft.) to 'lOm (33
ft.); at "Lo" power, O.7m (2.3 ft.) to 2.5m
(8.2 ft.).

AF illuminator for autofocusing        NOTE
  When required, with low-contrast subjects o The working range for the AF illuminator
in low light, the AF illuminator  is activated is based on Minolta's standard test method
when the operating button is pressed half- with a 50mm lens. lf longer focal lengths are
way. LEDs in the AF illuminator project a  used, the camera may not focus lens accu-
beam of near-infrared light onto the subject. retely. In this case or whenever focus signals
The camera's autofocus system uses this  blink, set focus mode switch to M and focus
light to determine subject distance and  lens manually.
adjust the lens.
   This system is effective for subjects up to
5 meters (16 feet.) away, which makes it
ideal for taking most snapshots. When the
subject is beyond this distance or whenever
the focus signals blink, set focus mode
switch to M and focus manually.

Camera settings                              Flash settings
  1. Check that film speed setting is within 1. Set power level: "Hi" for maximum flash
 camera's range for TTL Direct Autoflash range, or "Lo"  for sequential shooting
 Metering: ISO 25 to 1000 for MAXXUM and faster recycling.
 7000; ISO 12to 1000 for MAXXUM 9000.  2. Set film-speed slide to the same film
 2. MAXXUM 7000: For single-frame ad- speed as set on the camera.
 vance, set drive mode to "S". For continu-
 ous film advance, set drive mode to "C". NOTE
 When shooting flash sequences, set camera's .  For shooting flash sequences in C drive
 focus mode switch to M position and focus mode, use of nickel-cadmium batteries  is
 mode switch to M position and focus manu- recommended.
  ally. This will switch off the AF illuminator
 and enable shooting at up to 2 frames per
 second.
  MAXXUM 9000: For manual  f ilm
 advance, no special settings are required.
 When using the optional Motor Drive
 M D-90, refer to its owner's manual for
  information about  f lash operation.


1o

PROGRAMMED AUTOFLASH OPERATION (P mode)
  1. Set camera to P mode, and press  f lash   4. Make sure subject is within P-mode flash
  unit's power switch to start charging. When   range. lf lens' maximum aperture is smaller
 charged, flash-ready signal glows on back   than  f /2.8 (e.g. maximum aperture of AF
 of the unit and flash signal in viewfinder   70-210 lens is f l4l, refer to table on page24
  blinks.                                        to check the flash range for that aperture.
 2. When charged, X-sync speed and selected   5. Press operating button all the way down
 aperture are displayed in the viewfinder and   to release shutter.
 data display panel.                         6. lf exposure was sufficient, flash signal in
                                                                                                      signal 3. Press operating button halfway to auto-   viewfinder blinks rapidly and "OK"
 focus. To hold focus, keep operating button   on flash unit glows.
 pressed halfway, and recompose (if neces-
 sary). When focus signals in viewf inder blink,
 focus manually.





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NOTE
o When used with MAXXUM 7000 set to
shutter-priority (S) mode, operation will be
the same as in P mode.
o In all flash modes, if shutter is released
before flash is charged, flash does not fire
and camera uses aperture-shutter speed set-
tings for ambient light.
o Program shift is not possible when using
f lash.





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Programmed fill flash
   In P mode, fill-flash exposure is calcul-
ated automatically. In bright sunlight,  f lash
duration is reduced to fill shadows without
overexposing the main subject. X-sync speed                            il
is automatically set according to the ambient
light level, thus giving more natural rendition
of the background.





                                               With programmed  fill flash

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A-MODE AUTOFLASH OPERATION
   In A mode, any available aperture can be   4. Press operating button all the way down
used. Set smaller apertures for increased   to release shutter.
depth of field, or larger apertures to achieve   5. lf exposure was sufficient, flash signal in
maximum flash range for distant subjects.   viewfinder blinks rapidly and "OK" signal in
Also, flash recycling time is reduced when      f lash unit glows.
larger apertures are set for close subjects.
1. Set camera to A mode.               NOTE
2. Set lens to desired aperture. When flash  o For A- or M-mode autoflash, flash range
unit is charged, X-sync speed and selected   at  f 12.8 can be determined by referring to
aperture are displayed in the viewf inder and   the P-mode flash range.
data display panel.                  o Refer to the table on page 24 to check
3. Focus on main subject and refer to the   flash ranges for aperture settings from f11.4
flash-range scales to check that subject  is   to  f /32 at ISO 100.
within flash range for the aperture selected.
lf not, move closer or use a larger aperture.

A-mode slow-shutter sync                   5. While still pressing AE.lock, focus, and
    In low light, such as at dusk or dawn, release shutter.
  slower X-sync speeds can be set to increase
 background exposure while maintaining NOTE
  normal exposure of the main subject.     o Metered speed should be at least one stop
  1. With flash unit turned off, touch operat- slower than the camera's maximum X-sync
  ing button to turn on camera's meter.       speed. lf not, subject may be overexposed
  2. Select an aperture so that the metered since required shutter speed cannot be
 speed is 1/60 sec. or slower with MAXXUM obtained.
 7000, 11125 sec. or slower with MAXXUM o Before releasing shutter, make sure main
 9000.                                   subject is within flash range for aperture
  3. Turn on the flash unit. When unit is  selected.
 charged, shutter speed will be set to camera's o  lf shutter speed is too slow for hand-held
 maximum X-sync speed.                      pictures, mount camera on a tripod.
 4. Press and hold AE lock button. Shutter
 speed will now be set one full stop faster
 than metered speed to prevent overexposure
 of the background (e.g. lf metered speed is
  1/30 sec., speed is set to 1/60 sec.).


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                                                               Fill flash in A-mode
                                                    ln most situations, Program mode can be
                                         used for automatic  fill flash without settings
                                         or calculations. A-mode  fill flash should be
                                   used for greater control of background
                                         exposure or when you want to set smaller
                                                apertures for increased depth of field.
                                     The procedure for fill flash in A mode is
                                           the same as for slow-shutter sync operation;
Regular A-mode flash                          however, subject brightness will be higher,
                                    and you may need to use a netural-density
                                                          filter on the lens to set shutter speed below
                                            camera's maximum X-sync speed.





Using slow-shutter sync

S.MODE AUTOFLASH OPERATION (MAXXUM 9OOO ONLY)
   S-mode autoflash can only be used with   2. Switch flash unit on. When flash reaches
the MAXXUM 9000.  lf the MAXXUM    full charge, aperture is set automatically to
7000 is set to S mode, operation  is the same     f 15.6, flash signal in viewfinder blinks. and
as in P mode.                                     flash-ready signal on flash unit glows.
   With the MAXXUM 9000 in S mode, any   3. After focusing, check whether main
shutter speed from  1 l25O to 30 sec. can be   subject is within flash range for f/5.6. lf not,
set and aperture  is set automatically to f/5.6.  move closer to subject.
TTL flash metering automatically controls  4. Press operating button all the way down
exposure for this aperture setting. For  to  release the shutter. lf exposure was
S-mode autoflash operation    :                    sufficient, flash signal in viewfinder blinks
1. With MAXXUM 9000 in S mode, set   rapidly and "OK" signal on flash unit glows.
desired shutter speed. For hand-held shots,
shutter speeds from 1/60 to 11250 sec. are
recommended.

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          Fill flash and slow-shutter sync in S mode      2. Switch flash unit on. When flash reaches
      S mode is particularly useful for mixing   full charge, aperture is automatically set to
      flash illumination with ambient light.     f 15.6, flash signal in viewf inder blinks, and
      Shutter speed can be adjusted to control   flash-ready signal on flash unit glows.
     background exposure, and by  pressing  3. After focusing on main subject, press and
       camera's AE lock, aperture is set automati-  hold camera's AE lock (AE L  button).
        cally to that required for normal background   Aperture will now be set for normal expo-
      exposure. When shutter is released while   sure of the background.
      pressing AE lock, TTL   f lash metering   4. While pressing AE lock, check whether
      reduces  f lash duration to prevent over-   subject is within flash range. lf not, rnove
      exposure of main subject. To use:               closer to subject.
       1. With MAXXUM 9000 in S mode, set   5. While still pressing AE lock, press operat-
      desired shutter speed. Any speed from   ing button all the way down to release the
           1 l25O sec. to 30 sec. can be set. Set faster   shutter. lf exposure was sufficient, flash
      speeds for less background exposure, slower   signal in viewfinder blinks rapidly and "OK"
      speeds for more background exposure.          signal on flash unit glows.

I

I
   METERED MANUAL MODE AUTOFLASH (M mode)
        In M mode, flash duration is controlled 3. Focus on main subject and refer to the
                                                                                                                                                                     is    by the camera's Direct Autoflash Metering flash-range scales to check that subject
     system, so no calculations are needed for  within flash range for aperture selected. lf
      correct  f lash exposure.                      not, move closer or readjust settings.
      1. Set camera to M mode.                  4. Press operating button all the way down
     2. For natural background exposure, set to release shutter.
     aperture and shutter speed according to  5. lf exposure was sufficient, flash signal in
     metering indicators in the viewfinder. Any  viewfinder blinks rapidly and "OK" signal in
      available aperture and any shutter speed  f lash unit glows.
     from cameras maximum X-sync speed to 30
    '   sec. or "bulb" setting can be used.





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