Handheld flash for Mamiya 7

rustyair · Sep 11, 2013

Hi,

I'm looking for a Handheld flash for Mamiya 7 (street portrait on a tripod).
Can you recommend me one under $300 and one under $200?

Thanks,

LiamG · Sep 11, 2013

How about a Nikon SB-24/26/28? They aren't compatible with digital TTL, so you should be about to get one for <$100, all fairly bright for close range stuff. Vivitar 283's are dirt cheap as well, but perhaps not (IMO) as fast to use manually.

ctsundevil · Sep 11, 2013

I've been using a Metz 54MZ-4 with my Mamiya 7. It works great on auto or manual. I bought it used on eBay.

Muihlinn · Sep 12, 2013

Metz potato mashers (CT/CL) are powerful, cheap and reliable, if previous recommendations aren't what you're looking for.

David Allen · Sep 12, 2013

Hi there,

Metz 45 or the more powerful Metz 60 can easily be found around the 50 - 100 Dollar, Euro, Pound bracket and remain extremely good and reliable. So many were sold that extra batteries, synch cords, etc regularly come up on auction sites. I have both units with extra batteries and, although very rarely used, they both work fine. By the way, the trick with the more powerful Metz 60 with its shoulder carried external battery pack is to not carry it on your shoulder (always keeps falling off or getting in the way) but to sling it around your waist.

Bests,

David
www.dsallen.de

polyglot · Sep 12, 2013

Any Nikon, Canon, etc flash will work with appropriate radio slaves or PC-sync cables, as will any third-party clones eg Sigma, Metz, etc. Sony/Minolta too, though you require a foot adapter. You should be able to get something with about 80-100Ws of power for under $300 secondhand, under $100 for an off-brand cheapy (Sigma, Vivitar or even a Chinese generic).

When comparing battery hotshoe flashes, the power ratings are very deceptive because they quote GN instead of total energy. And they quote GN with the narrowest possible beam that the flash can produce, which differs between models. So you might find that a cheaper, lower power flash that produces a very narrow beam can quote a higher GN than a more powerful flash that produces a wider beam. My Minolta 5600HS(D) each produce about 1 stop more power than a Sigma flash that claims the same 56m GN.

John Koehrer · Sep 12, 2013

Vivitar 283 under $50. good power, if you want variable output use a VP-1 that plugs into the socket for the auto sensor. Simple handle can be made from a piece of dowel with an accessory shoe glued on. GN of 110 with ISO 100 film.

Any flash whether it's rated by WS, GN, joules or furlongs per fortnight are guesses, I mean estimates. So much will depend on the design of the reflectors there is no real comparison of one brand to another.

polyglot · Sep 12, 2013

John Koehrer said:
Vivitar 283 under $50. good power, if you want variable output use a VP-1 that plugs into the socket for the auto sensor. Simple handle can be made from a piece of dowel with an accessory shoe glued on. GN of 110 with ISO 100 film.

Any flash whether it's rated by WS, GN, joules or furlongs per fortnight are guesses, I mean estimates. So much will depend on the design of the reflectors there is no real comparison of one brand to another.

No. GN is the product of total power and optical gain (like antenna gain) i.e. beam narrowness from the reflector. If you shoot with direct illumination then GN is a meaningful measure. But if you shoot with any modifier (e.g. umbrella or softbox) where all the power goes into the modifier, then it's power that matters and GN is irrelevant.

The cheap flashes (Sigma, Vivitar, Yongnuo, etc) are cheap because they're quite low power and they strive for a big GN for advertising purposes through a very tight reflector pattern. Of course, they don't tell you the actual power.

Old Metz flashes are generally pretty high in power and (particularly when/because they're not compatible with a modern TTL system) can be found quite cheaply. That's the way I'd go if I were you.

Marvin · Sep 13, 2013

Vivitar 285

benjiboy · Sep 13, 2013

I would recommend a Metz 45 CT5 spud masher gun it has a true guide number of 45 meters, variable power Full, Half, quarter, plus 6 auto computer apertures, and T.T.L capability s with the correct S.C.A adaptor, this is a reliable professional flashgun that has high quality German engineering going for it if you need to come back with pictures not excuses that's within your budget http://www.ebay.com/itm/Metz-45-CT-5-Flash-/161105050252. I have no connection with eBay or this seller.

pasiasty · Sep 13, 2013

Yongnuo YN-560, version III has even an integrated receiver. Note that Yongnuo's remote transmitter, RF-603, does not have active middle contact, they are compatible only with cameras they are designed for (i.e. modern Canons, Nikons...). Their older transmitter, RF-602, might have it active, I'm not sure this.

John Koehrer · Sep 13, 2013

The OP asked for a handheld flash to use with a Mamiya camera. So............ Distance X F/stop = GN. IE: 10' X 11 = 110 This has nothing to do with power into a light box/umbrella or parachute, it's simple and gives a guide not an absolute value.
Makers use this as a basis of comparison using a reflector that will give an evenly lit area with a standard lens.
With units that have changeable reflectors the GN on it's packaging may or may not give a GN for each variable
but you can still determine a GN for yourself.

FWIW the Vivitar 283 and 285 have the same output. The 283 is slightly smaller & lighter. The 285 has a variable power dial and Zoom head, effectively changing the coverage of the flash.

benjiboy · Sep 14, 2013

John Koehrer said:
The OP asked for a handheld flash to use with a Mamiya camera. So............ Distance X F/stop = GN. IE: 10' X 11 = 110 This has nothing to do with power into a light box/umbrella or parachute, it's simple and gives a guide not an absolute value.
Makers use this as a basis of comparison using a reflector that will give an evenly lit area with a standard lens.
With units that have changeable reflectors the GN on it's packaging may or may not give a GN for each variable
but you can still determine a GN for yourself.

FWIW the Vivitar 283 and 285 have the same output. The 283 is slightly smaller & lighter. The 285 has a variable power dial and Zoom head, effectively changing the coverage of the flash.

The Vivitar 283,285 are shoe mounted flashes, hand held flashguns in my book are hammer head, spud masher type flashguns .

EdSawyer · Sep 14, 2013

Sunpak 383 super.

ambaker · Sep 14, 2013

Sunpak 622 Super Pro. It will fry the fur off an armadillo at 100 yards.

Seriously very powerful, reasonably rugged, and a variety of heads available.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Ken Nadvornick · Sep 14, 2013

Have you considered possibly going "off-the-grid" and trying something completely different like a handheld flashbulb unit? Perhaps a Graflex Graflite using Press 25 bulbs?

Because of the much longer bulb burn times the quality of the light can be quite different from those instantaneous 1/10,000th of a second electronic bursts. You can get a much more natural looking light because the burst doesn't seemingly freeze the subjects at an almost molecular level.

They'll also usually buy you the complete and totally fascinated attention of your subjects, which can be quite useful at times.

Press 25s generally run about 50 cents to a dollar each on the auction site, so it depends on the volume you would use and the effect you might be wiling to pay for. The Graflite units themselves can be had very inexpensively.

Just a (different) thought...

Ken

[Edit: Also worth noting is that flashbulbs are generally far more powerful than the average on-camera electronic flash units even from the glory days of film. Here's an example of an entire aircraft hanger lit up nicely by a single Press 25 bulb in a 5-inch reflector. You can see the shadows behind the spotlight housings in the rafters to get an idea of just how much light was thrown. The aircraft is a B-25G Mitchell medium bomber in ground attack configuration. Sorry for the hotspot on the nose. My bad...]

polyglot · Sep 15, 2013

Yes, a Sunpak 622 in good condition would be an excellent choice. Make sure the battery either has plenty of life left in it, or be sure that you can repack it.

John Koehrer · Sep 15, 2013

benjiboy said:
The Vivitar 283,285 are shoe mounted flashes, hand held flashguns in my book are hammer head, spud masher type flashguns .

And Vivitar had a very nice "L" bracket with a removable handle for them.

elekm · Sep 15, 2013

John Koehrer said:
And Vivitar had a very nice "L" bracket with a removable handle for them.

And there were brackets for 35mm and medium format cameras.

benjiboy · Sep 16, 2013

John Koehrer said:
And Vivitar had a very nice "L" bracket with a removable handle for them.

If you are going to use a Vivitar flash bracket you may as well use the real thing, the guide number of a Vivitar 285 is 39 meters 120 feet and has 4 auto apertures, the Metz 45 CL5 guide numberis 45 meters (146 feet) and it has 6 auto apertures and is much more versatile and powerful.

John Koehrer · Sep 17, 2013

benjiboy said:
If you are going to use a Vivitar flash bracket you may as well use the real thing, the guide number of a Vivitar 285 is 39 meters 120 feet and has 4 auto apertures, the Metz 45 CL5 guide numberis 45 meters (146 feet) and it has 6 auto apertures and is much more versatile and powerful.

Ayup. And street photographers always work at the extreme limit of their flash.

Not quibbling about the differences in the units but as availability of the flash and more importantly the accessories for it,
in the US there's much more available for Vivitar than Metz.

We're going have to accept that one person's tool is another's poison.

benjiboy · Sep 17, 2013

All the Metz 45 series accessories are available in the U.S.A even Amazon.com stock them.

Handheld flash for Mamiya 7

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