Highest powered auto metering flash for bouncing.
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Shooting horse shows in a barn or arena? Not sure any sort of reasonable auto flash is gonna be able to bounce of the ceiling in that sort of venue, and bounce works best with a smooth white ceiling not the mess of girders, etc that makes up the ceiling at most such events.
The 60 series have a GNm of 60, the 45 series have a optimistic GNm of 45, call it one stop more power but it will seem like more, because it is. In any case the auto exposure on all Metz flashes seemed to me to be spot on, and Soligor pretty close to it.
Not so worried about the 'blad but you can fry the contacts or brains of some cameras with too much trigger voltage so check that too. The newer 60 CT-4 has a much safer 5 volt safe sync voltage.
s'Funny just taught this to my intro to film photography class on Monday.
And a Metz 60 series uses a lead acid battery, you can modify one from an emergency exit light, the only thing different are the connectors.
The 60 series have a GNm of 60, the 45 series have a optimistic GNm of 45, call it one stop more power but it will seem like more, because it is. In any case the auto exposure on all Metz flashes seemed to me to be spot on, and Soligor pretty close to it.
Not so worried about the 'blad but you can fry the contacts or brains of some cameras with too much trigger voltage so check that too. The newer 60 CT-4 has a much safer 5 volt safe sync voltage.
s'Funny just taught this to my intro to film photography class on Monday.
And a Metz 60 series uses a lead acid battery, you can modify one from an emergency exit light, the only thing different are the connectors.
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The size of battery that the Metz 60 uses is quite hard to find.
MattKing
Moderator
+1 - it is the exterior dimensions that make it a challenge.
And it has to be right to fit into the battery pack, which has the big capacitors in it. For that reason, the handle-mount flash itself is bulky, but quite light.
You misunderstood what I meant. I was not hinting at equivalence, but the contrary. Some photographers need as much battery capacity as is offered and do not bother with capacity/ weight,volume issues. Others need highest flash output but only with two or three exposures, they would prefer to take along as little battery weight as possible.
On the design stand point you don't need that dryfit battery to run the Metz 60. It's possible to switch the power unit to NiCad operation and solder 4 AA NiMH batteries to its terminal and it would actually recycle faster and gives about half the number of shots. So really there is no need for such a battery to power the Metz 60 well. It's just that Metz built it that way.
MattKing
Moderator
The dryfit batteries replaced the much more finicky and maintenance intensive wet cells that the older Metz 402 used. They give ease of use, great capacity and better performance than the NiCads, which were the other rechargeable batteries available when the 60 CT series was current.
They really are good to use!
They really are good to use!
There's plenty of Metz flashguns around at good prices. I bought a case full of Metz 45 CT battery packs and accessories about 18 months ago, there were about 25 battery packs for Metz 45 CT-1 to CT-4 flash guns, there 's a large power pack for a Metz 60 CT1-4 and a boxed battery. It had all come from a repair shop that had closed down, My older Metz unit is a 402 so pre CT series uses a power pack and the battery unscrews so I refurbished it with new NiCads after about 30 years use, it has the option of NiCAd or Lead acid batteries, but the Lead acid batteries don't last long.
I'd picked up a mint boxed 45 CT-1 at a flea market a few months earlier and then a few months ago a CT-1 and a CT-4 for £20 ($26) with no battery packs. Luckily about a dozen of the ones I'd acquired before were OK, and I have 4 chargers.
Now I have a cased portable flash set-up with spare batteries, I l also have two holders for regular AA rechargeable batteries, Sometimes I need to paint an interior or cavern with multiple flash exposures and assistance
In all honesty for normal use I've never had an issue with lack of power with the 402 and now 45 CT- or CT-4 even when used bounced off a ceiling and the Auto settings are spot on in terms of exposure. I prefer the flexibility of the 45 CT's not having the heavy power pack of the 402 or the 60 CT's.
Ian
I'd picked up a mint boxed 45 CT-1 at a flea market a few months earlier and then a few months ago a CT-1 and a CT-4 for £20 ($26) with no battery packs. Luckily about a dozen of the ones I'd acquired before were OK, and I have 4 chargers.
Now I have a cased portable flash set-up with spare batteries, I l also have two holders for regular AA rechargeable batteries, Sometimes I need to paint an interior or cavern with multiple flash exposures and assistance
In all honesty for normal use I've never had an issue with lack of power with the 402 and now 45 CT- or CT-4 even when used bounced off a ceiling and the Auto settings are spot on in terms of exposure. I prefer the flexibility of the 45 CT's not having the heavy power pack of the 402 or the 60 CT's.
Ian
Y'know, I rarely shoot events unless it's a great client. Accepted an event gig, but the night before realized my Nikon DSLR body (D7100, which I have a Nikon TTL flash for) was dead. My only other DSLR-type camera was a Samsung NX1 (mirrorless). So I dug out an old Vivitar 285 and made sure it still worked, hadn't been fired in years.
The shots were undistinguishable from TTL (other than what a kickass sensor the NX1 has, damn you Samsung for abandoning that system). Those old Vivitars really did the job.
In this case the flash electronics do nothing on behalf of exposure control, it is done by the camera. The flash only has to start illuminating and the camera says when it's enough...
The TTL measures the received light and calculates when to cut off the illumination. The photographer does not need to estimate the distance the light travels and calculate the f/stop.
The preceding posts about Metz 60 and Metz 45 being truly more powerful than the inflated ratings of the zoomhead flash units of today are valid. The Metz 76 is based upon its zoom head at 105mm FL coverage, while the Metz 45 is based upon its fixed head 35mm FL coverage.
If you look at the Metz 76 user manual, you will discover that at 35mm FL coverage it has 45.5 as the GN listed...about the same as the Metz 45 !
A Quantum X5dR can, when powered with 400 w-s, output at GN70, but that rating is based upon its standard reflector which only covers a 'normal' FL!
If you look at the Metz 76 user manual, you will discover that at 35mm FL coverage it has 45.5 as the GN listed...about the same as the Metz 45 !
A Quantum X5dR can, when powered with 400 w-s, output at GN70, but that rating is based upon its standard reflector which only covers a 'normal' FL!
Most flashes without TTL can do that too with their own sensors. Not TTL but no need for calculation.
Good info. I wonder what the x5dr would measure as at 35mm....... It is definitely not a low price option though.
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