Really took the plunge and invested in this wonderful, if expensive flash gun from Metz. Whilst in London Camera Exchange, I spied three Metz flashguns. One was the 54 MZ-4, another the 45CL-4 digital and the third being the 76 MZ-5 digital.
All three had secondary flash units for a start. Now I may be a real stick in the mud, but I've REALLY missed having a secondary flash since moving over to digital photography. I used to have a hammerhead Metz flashgun with my non-digital slr, and it hardly ever let me down. Seeing these three Metz flashguns lined up the way they were, I knew my Nikon SB600 was on borrowed time. It left me wondering why on earth the SB600 and SB800 don't have secondary flash units to serve as fill-in flash when bouncing the primary flash unit. If Metz can do it with the 54 MZ-4, why not Nikon?
Well I've owned this gun now for over three weeks, and I've already been out on a job with it! Ease of use? Not a problem - with the dedicated appropriate Metz interface, the control unit that sits on top of the hotshoe is well designed and easy to opperate.
Why not the 45CL-4?? Well, all in all, I fancied the 76 MZ-5, for which I needed only the gun (with all bits included) and the SCA interface. With the 45CL-4, I would have needed the same SCA interface plus a sync cable (effectively provided with the 76MZ-5) which brought the price of the whole package significantly nearer the 76MZ-5.
I had a problem with the battery charger - supposed to charge the battery for at least 2.5 hrs on first charge. Mine kept cutting out after 30 mins each time. Have to sing the praises of London Camera Exchange (Southampton Civic Centre Branch) who were really supportive over this. Came home with a second battery and charger having swapped them over in store. Unfortunately, this unit only charged for 15mins at a time!! With support from Metz and London Camera exchange again, a third battery and charger was issued, and this one worked fine. Thanks guys at London Camera Exchange - you did everything to help sort my problem out.
How does the gun perform - brilliantly so far. With the secondary flash unit operating when primary flash is being bounced, background shadow (which I HATE) is virtually eliminated. The unit is powerful enough to bounce flash at distance with quite high ceilings.
With the SB600 in 'bounce' mode, I always had to use compensation, cos there was never enough light if I didn't. With over 150 shots taken recently, I never had to use the compensation factor at all.
With the dedicated SCA interfaces, the flashgun should survive future camera upgrades.
You might guess I'm rather pleased with it. Expensive yes, but really worth it!!!!!
