Customer Reviews

Metz 48 AF-1 Shoe Mount Flash for Canon E-TTL II Digital Cameras, Guide Number 158'

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have a Canon Xti, and really needed a flash that could double for Macro as well. All I needed was a flash that tilted down. I would have simply bought a Canon Speedlite 430EX, but wouldn't you know it, it does not tilt down. And I was not going to spend the money on a 580EX just for the tilt down feature. Smooth move Canon.

This opened my eyes to other possibilities. The Metz 48 AF-1 was unfamiliar territory, but I was familiar with the name and did a little research. It seems to be more popular in Europe, so finding information was a little difficult. The only real criticisms I have seen are regarding the buttons/menu structure, and what some describe as a weak tilting mechanism. Now that I have had a chance to use this flash for 4 months I can tell you that in my experience, the tilting mechanism is not weak. I have a Lumiquest Softbox on it at all times and I need to push it to make it tilt down. However, one needs to tilt it until they feel a small "click" in the mechanism. There is an angle indicator, but don't use that as your only guide. There is more of a lock than my old 580EZ, which has no locking mechanism at all, and I never had trouble with it.

As far as the buttons go, some may like it, some may not. It was not a factor in my purchase. And like anything else, you learn the system and get used to it. I have found it most convenient to use the buttons having the camera strap around my neck, and to tilt the camera forward, letting the it rest against my stomach. It frees both hands to make fast adjustments. But the Flash Exposure Compensation can be done easily with one hand.

I have only three criticisms of this great product. One it that the buttons are not flush with the body, and can be exposed to damage, or unintended setting changes if the unit is laid on its back. Two, is that the power button seems a little wiggly (not a technical term). And three, the surface is too smooth. It can feel almost slippery in my hand. It has a very slight texture which reduces friction (sounds odd, but true). It needs either a flat finish, or some strategically placed grip material (could look pretty cool and rugged if done right).

Here are the things I love about this flash. The color reproduction is hands-down better than Canon flashes (in my experience). I always use a gray card for White Balance, and it is almost not necessary. The flash has an option to detect the sensor size of your camera. This saves battery power with a cropped sensor as the flash does not need to waste light in an area outside of what the sensor will detect. Metz customer service is also top-notch. I thought I had a problem, and emailed back and forth with the company in Germany. There was no problem, but they really wanted to see samples and make sure. I appreciated the fast response, and their concern.

And for those who find information on the web stating this product is not true Electronic Through The Lens metering (ETTL), that is not true. It most certainly is. And the proof is constant perfect exposures with a Lumiquest Softbox covering the flash.

I am giving this product 5 stars because none of my criticisms outweigh the fact that this is a superior product in its category and price point. You don't have to get a Canon Speedlite. You may find that some non-Canon products work even better, and this is one of them.

And the best part: it's called the MECABLITZ!!!

Now this is a flash! I tried to go cheap with a Bower but wasted my money. This Metz flash does everything. The manual is easy to understand and apply. The flash is well made. Is very stable on the Hot Shoe attachment. I'm really pleased.

I bought this expensive flash because I needed maximum range on dark football fields on dark, cloudy nights. I have also used it for book design photography and have found it easy to use. Like all things electronic, it has more bells and whistles than I know about or will ever use, but I am quite pleased how it does the common tasks I need it to do. It cuts through light rain and produces wonderful effects when it is snowing. The down side is that it is large and somewhat clunky, but it probably needs to be for the job it does cutting through the murk. One other thing I have used it for is bounced light photography and was really impressed with the results. One of the nicer features is that one can bounce light from the side as well as from above. One could also use it with a light reflecting umbrella without needing camera sync. The price is high but it is well worth it for serious photographers who want reliable results.

This flash works great with 5d MKII. Hitting two buttons for "select" option is a bit awkward. For all the bells and whistles incorporated into this flash, it's lacking one important feature. This flash cannot be set to trigger when another flash goes off. It doesn't incorporate a sensor to sense another flash, what is up with that. Instead if you want to trigger it off camera, you have to trigger it via wireless flash trigger remote.

Compared to Canon's 430EX II, the Metz-48 is slightly more powerful and can tilt down but doesn't have a metal quick-release shoe, carrying case, or stand. Recycle times and build quality are similar on both flashes. The Metz menu system is a bit clunky but you can control the more common features from the camera itself. It's a bit of a pain to adjust the compensation on the flash with one hand because you need to press the +/- buttons to change it and then press both buttons together to set it (or wait 4 secs). One thing I noticed is that if you manually compensate power on the flash, it will lock out that menu on the camera.

The Metz-48 I received makes a very high-pitched tone whenever it is powered on (not just during charging). It's only audible in a quiet room, but still annoying to me. I may have just gotten a defective one because I've used others that do not have this issue.

If you can buy the 430EX II during one of Canon's rebate times, I'd definitely choose that over the Metz-48. Otherwise, it's a bit of a toss up since the 430EX costs about 20% more.

This one is well built and performs well. There are two things not quite up to par.

1) Like others has posted, the tilt is very weak.

2) The menu selection you have to push two buttons at the same time to tuggle is a little bit inconvenient. I would prefer a one hand operation with joy stick. All it needs is a lock function to prevent mistakes.