Metz Mecablitz 30 Bct 4 Manual
Djuan Rugs
I'd really like to at least see this work. I don't know how much I'd use it, but it seems like it would be right at home on something like a Nikon F or especially my Hassy 500C(the latter of which I do use all the time, although usually with studio lights if I'm doing flash at all or occasionally a 60CT4). I can't find a manual or really even a lot of discussion on this online-there's another just like it on Ebay now(although the one up now has a second strobe head) but other than that everything I find references the older 45CT series handle mount flashes.
Has anyone encountered/used one of these? If you have, do you at least know the battery voltage? If I could find a manual it would be really wonderful. Butkus has a manual for the "Babyblitz", which seems to use a similar flash head to the one I have, but with a smaller/less powerful pack that seems different enough to not make me want to try and carry the information over. This flash specifies the use of two "90V Microdyne Anodes", which I'm guessing may be small 90V radio batteries but at the same time I feel like I've seen 90V batteries in old camera flashes before. If it truly needs 90V, that might need some creativity. I've run old battery radios with 10x 9V batteries in series, which works great for that and lasts a long time, but that's also in a low current application. A lot of old radio batteries were dual voltage-6V/9V and 90V, with the 9V for the tube filaments and they can really suck power(I would often use C or D cells for that). I can't imagine a 90V radio battery lasting long in a flash....
Metz Mecablitz 48 AF-1 flash is built very well. It has swivel and tilt head, reflector card, and wide-angle diffuser. Being a little brother of Metz 58 AF-1 flash unit, Metz 48 AF-1 inherits a lot of its features: second curtain synchronization, high speed sync, wireless slave mode, etc. The unit is fully TTL compatible, and it allows doing things manually as well. It is going to ease your future firmware upgrades with the USB port connection. The only flaw is the tilting lock, which may not be suitable for some applications.
The recycling time is only 3.5 seconds at full power, which gives a better chance not to miss another precious moment while your flash is getting ready. For some reason, some web-sites say that this flash requires 5 seconds to recycle. The manual we have says 3.5 seconds. To verify which number is correct, we did a quick check. To our satisfaction, the unit recharges in about 3.5 seconds after firing at full power.
Also, we have to mention that there is no pouch included with the flash. Off camera shoe stand is not included, as well. All you get is the flash itself and the manual (for the units they sell in the United States).
I have been doing some research on Flash units for Pentax -- anticipating purchase (soon) of a K-5. Still cannot quite decide between Pentax flash and Metz. Big help would be finding an ENGLISH manual in PDF form for the Metz Mecablitz 58 AF2 for Pentax. Does anyone know where I can get this manual in PDF? Metz Germany and Metz UK only have German manuals!(?) and Bogen in the USA has none -- or I cannot find them. HELP!
I went through this "Eye-blink" problem with my old Nikon D70 camera. This problem has been solved with newer Nikon cameras -- I do not wish to revisit that problem -- I have too many wedding photos with eyes closed/half-closed. For Pentax, what I know now is that Metz appears to have implimented P-TTL on the Metz mecablitz 58 AF2, so it may be the smae situation with the Metz flash as with the Pentax flashes.
I downloaded and looked at the original German manual for your Mecablitz. I think your flashgun has a manual mode and also what I call an auto-ranging mode whereby the flashgun and not the camera body determines when enough light has been emitted. Those modes should work with a D500.
I am surprised that you have to rely on full manual mode. Doesn't the Mecablitz 50-AF1 have a thyristor mode, where a photocell on the flash itself varies the power based on reflection from the subject?You could use that, in which case you set the camera to full manual and the flash manages to deliver the correct amount of light. Fixed ISO also, of course.
Unfortunately, the 50 AF-1 does not have "auto thyristor" (auto aperture) mode. . . Just various TTL and manual modes. The strobe lacks a light measuring sensor which is amazingly accurate in my long experience using Metz flashes. It's a pity because older Metz strobes with the auto aperture mode work great with any Nikon DSLR using manual settings. I wish that strobe designers had retained the option on at least some models; I usually prefer it to TTL. I still use a Metz "potato masher" flash that I bought new in the early 1990s.
This Metz is a "bridge flash" between the Nikon film and digital camera eras. Some early digital Nikons are compatible with this flash. There is a table in the manual listing the cameras and supported flash functions.
Metz user manuals are multi-lingual. The English portion of the Mecablitz 50 AF-1 begins on page 88. Viewing in a web browser is usually unsatisfactory. Open in Preview, Adobe Reader, etc. and if the default setting is too small enlarge it for a better reading experience.
My most common set-up is one off-camera main light (TTL) plus on-camera fill (TTL with -2 EV compensation). There are times when manual will do it for me, but I don't always have time to measure and/or experiment.
Sorry, I cannot be any help with off-camera TTL. For the kind of lighting I do, I find that using a flash meter and manual strobes is faster and more accurate. Fortunately, there is no shortage of TTL aficionados on this forum. . .
If you are thinking of the "manual" triggers (RF-602, RF-603, RF-603II, RF-605), then yes, they will work, but all they can do is trigger the flash with correct timing. You won't have any of the other features that are probably why you're paying extra for a TTL-capable Metz flash.
If you are thinking of the TTL triggers (YN-622N), then yes, they will work not only to fire the flash, but also with FP/HSS (if you end up upgrading to a body that can do that--the D5200 can't), 2nd curtain, and iTTL. However, the interface for power control and groups is nonintuitive with only LEDs to indicate the state of the flash, and you might prefer a YN-622N-TX dedicated transmitter on the camera (the LCD display and buttons make some things much simpler) if you want to explicitly set the flash's manual power level from the camera.
When using Nikon cameras, the flash must be set to TTL! Everything works fine. I set the zoom on the TX to AU (automatic) and the zoom on the Metz matches the zoom on my lens. I can put the TX in manual mode and it also works, but the TX has more setting in manual mode than the Metz so there is a limitation there.
Please note that the Metz Mecablitz 64 AF-1 flash has a radio receiver, but it does NOT work with the YN transmitter.
According to the flash manual (page 191, "Remote Slave Flash Mode"), it's compatible with the Nikon "Advanced Wireless Lighting" system, which apparently is different than the YN's system.
BTW, the Nikon SU-800 is $337 in the U.S., while the YN-622N-TX is about $44...
Hi, that's a great question! :-)
When it comes to third party brand flashes used on Canon PowerShot cameras equipped with a hot shoe, your mileage may vary. Even if the flash unit is said to be "TTL compatible" or "E-TTL compatible", third party flash manufacturers only test them with EOS dSLR cameras, not PowerShots. Therefore, even if the flash works fine with a camera like an EOS 70D or 700D, it's a whole different story with PowerShot cameras like the G12.
You may get the Metz's E-TTL to function properly with your G12 set to Av, Tv, P or Auto exposure modes, but Canon programmed the G12 so that only genuine Speedlite EX flashes will give you E-TTL flash metering in Manual exposure mode. In other words, only manual flash exposure would be possible with a non-Speedlite flash. If you plan on shooting with flash in M mode with the Metz, the G12's LCD will not preview the exposure properly (it may appear black).
Older G models like the G10 and G11 didn't have the G12's quirks when 3rd party flash units are mounted in Manual exposure mode. I suspect that Canon discourages the use of non-Canon Speedlites beginning with the G12; as the company wants the user to buy a Speedlite instead of a generic flash.
It's also very likely that your G12 (and any other PowerShot G) will not recognize the Metz 40MZ-2 and will grey out the External Flash options in your menu - therefore you can only control the flash settings on the Metz flash head itself. The G12 will only enable the External Flash menu when it detects a Canon Speedlite on the hot shoe.
At best, if the Metz unit will still fire on your G12 (but no E-TTL capability) and you're comfortable with manual flash adjustment, go for it. :o)
Hope this helps. :o)
93 months ago(permalink)
Yes, you're correct - worse comes to worst, you'll have to make do with manual flash control with no E-TTL on any exposure mode.
Anyway, I should've asked you whether you already have that Metz flash unit or are intending to buy one. If you're planning to buy one (is it brand new or second hand?), it's better to find out how compatible it will be on a PowerShot G12 - just in case E-TTL doesn't work with any of the G12's semi-automatic, Program and fully auto exposure modes.
Basically, if you're going to end up using the Metz as a purely manual flash unit there are also other very low cost, manual flash only, Yong Nuo strobes to consider as alternatives. :-)
93 months ago(permalink)
Ok if necessary I will use this flash unit without TTL with my G12, not in manual mode but in flash computer mode (using the internal flash sensor).
No I don't plan to buy, I already own this 40MZ-2 for my Contax bodies (167MT and AX).My Rollei 35SE has already his own Rollei flash and my Mamiya bodies (330f and 645 proTL) are using my Metz 45-CL4.
Originally posted 93 months ago. (permalink)
tiger9fr edited this topic 93 months ago.