This flash is the first flash I tested on my DSLR (the Konica Minolta D5D) a few years ago with a hot shoe adapter to adapt the ISO shoe to the Minolta shoe.
First I was surprised that it worked, then I décided to purchase professional hammerhead using these old technologies. So I stopped to use the Braun SCA 340.
Now I have used several old flashguns on my DSLRs, it's time to do a review and to compare it with the models I prefer.
This model is known as the Leitz 340 SCA or the Braun 340 SCA VarioZoom
The Braun SCA 340 feature a zoom head with 3 positions :
- 28mm (wide) GN= 79 feets @100iso
- 45mm (normal) GN=112 feets @100iso
- 100mm (tele) GN=155 feets @100iso
The color temperature is 5600°K
The back panel can be used in auto mode (computer)
A horizontal slider allows to select the iso setting.
The you have only 2 choices for aperture : f/4 or f/8. I would have prefered more settings! But you have the zoom head and a 2 led indicator system telling you the distance covered by the flash settings.
In manual mode, there is no power reduction available. So my conclusion is that the internal circuitry of this flash is not complex at all. But on the other hand the Braun 340 SCA is not very versatile. You can only adjust the zoom head and your camera ISO setting.
The build quality is correct. All the buttons and swithes are smooth to use and the head swivel in both direction smoothly. But the plastics are less professional than the one found on the Braun BVC 370 or less robust than the one found on the Sunpak 411.
The battery compartment is well built :
I measured it's sync voltage applied on the shoe (using this method) and I found 3.55 volts:
So it is a voltage safe flash with a lot of DSLR.
When used in computer mode (auto f/4 or f/8) the exposure is accurate and reliable in direct light or slightly bouced to the ceiling. If it is bounced to the wall the exposure can be slighly under exposed.
The Braun SCA 340 VarioZoom is not very compact compared to small hammerhead like the Braun BVC 370:
Just shorter but as wide as the hammerhead.
But you will look less old fashionned with a cobra flash than with a old hammerhead. This last point added to the low trigger voltagel, and you can consider this Braun 340 SCA VarioZoom as intersting if you do not need more than 2 F/stop settings in computer mode.
