Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

Great Flash with wireless capabilities......perfect

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

Easy to use. Good value for money. Not very heavy.
Solid build.
Cons:
With usual batteries it takes considerable time to charge between shots.More then on board flash on K-5.
Does not come with a stand.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

Bought this in the Pentax version. After I got it, I discovered it won't function as a master or controller in wireless mode -- didn't read the wireless and high-speed sych sections in the on line manual carefully enough before purchase -- but it does make a great wireless slave or stand-alone, camera-connected (hot shoe or cable) flash. One must buy the 58 AF-2 for master capability, and apparently its master setting, at least in the Pentax version, is limited to shutter speeds at normal flash synch or less, and no controller setting (which is why I bought a Pentax AF540FGZ, which will control slaves in high-speed synch and function only as a controller if desired).

The flash seems solid, but then I never considered flashes as items to be banged around, even with my cheap, totally manual (with a circular dial on the back that indicated which f-stop to use based on distance from the subject) K-Mart (Focal) flash purchased in the mid 70s for my Mamiya/Sekor 1000 DTL. I'd much prefer to have the flash foot break off rather than destroy the hot shoe or other items on the camera body.

The uncluttered back, two buttons and on-off switch, is nice, and the menu is pretty straigtforward, though some of the fonts are tiny. Lots of sliding switches or buttons are handy for quick changes, but they are mechanical items that can break or get dirty.

I'm pleased with the color of the light emitted, and the flash is plenty powerful for my amateur needs (mostly taking flash photos of a black Lab puppy as he grows, inside the house). With the *istD, the camera flash can be configured as a controller for remote slaves, so my baby dog doesn't go running to another room, as he did when he saw me coming with the camera-and-flash combo.

Settings remain in memory when the flash is turned off, or when batteries are removed, which I consider a plus.

In short it's a great standalone flash or slave, at a great price, but I went with the Pentax 540 for full master/control functionality rather than the Metz 58. If I need another slave, it'll be a Metz 50.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

Has a metal shoe, great exposures in most circumstances.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

I have a Pentax AF360, Mecablitz 50 AF-1 and a Sigma 610 Super for my pentax camera.

The Mecablitz and Sigma both gave 1 stop under-exposed results consistently, while the Pentax AF360 gave the worse result, always more the 1 stop under-exposure.

However, only Mecablitz allow up to 3 stop compensation for the exposure, which may overcome the under-exposure problem.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

still learning to use the flash on my kx and I'm a photo noob. but it feels solid and made of good quality.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

I am very pleased with the overall product. The construction is very good, and access to all the functions is not too complicated (do not worry too much about the 2 buttons to press to access specific features).
Currently I have used this flash indoor for family birthday, and portraiture. The results are fantastic compared to the pop-up flash (I use a Pentax K5)!

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

This product works fine and is well-built and I think it's a solid choice, especially compared to the equivalent Pentax flash. I've been using it mostly on the camera, but some experimentation off-camera with wireless P-TTL has worked better than expected so far. The battery life has been pretty good, but I haven't had to use it really intensively yet.

This flash is very feature-rich, but the interface is the biggest downside. You have to cycle through lots of menu items to get to what you want, and some of them should really be in a separate setup menu (ft/m display, crop/ff display, etc.) There's no reason to have to go past those things when you want to set wireless mode or rear curtain sync.

Other cons are that it can't act as a wireless controller and the battery compartment is annoying, but those aren't big issues.

All in all, I think this flash presents very good bang for the buck. It's reasonably powerful, feature-laden, and well-made.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

I needed a flash with all the trimmings, but without the price tag. This flash fits the bill!! Hundreds of $$ less than the Pentax original, but still manages to reatain all the functionality. Heaps of power levels, all the P-TTL function. Getting to some of the menu's can be a bit tricky, but once you're used to it, no big deal.

I use remote off-camera flash in the studio a lot, and this one is easy to use and works well. It feels well built, looks great ... my best purchase this year.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

I much prefer to get by with available light, but I needed a good flash to use for indoor shots of education programs I help run, and it does the trick. I've used it straight ahead to reach the front of a small auditorium from the back row, and the diffuse/bounce functions work for active shots in closer quarters.

I considered the Pentax 360, but chose this Mecablitz instead because of the swivel head, and it was a really good call.

It's a good balance of features, ease of use, and cost. As with other hot shoe flashes I've seen, I wouldn't mind if the construction felt a little sturdier.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

I have a Pentax K-m and this is my first flash. So I didn't really know how they work and what I was getting into, but I was able to put this right on and make it work. I read a bit of the manual which came with it, and it was much more helpful than I expected. I am sure I will still need to get someone who knows flashes to show me everything it can do, but for now, I am very pleased and finally able to take decent pictures inside. :)

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

I've only had it for a couple of months so I can't vouch for it's long term durability but it's well made and I don't anticipate any problems. I like the uncluttered control panel even though you have to push two buttons at once sometimes. I'm using it on a K20D and everything works fine.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

I have the Pentax AF-360 and a Sigma DG-530-ST but wasn't 100% happy with any of them because the Pentax doesn't have a swivel head and the Sigma only has very limited manual functionality.
Now the Metz 50 AF-1 ticks all boxes. I also like the fact that the manual settings go down all the way to 1/128 power.
I also feel that P-TTL is more consistent with this flash but that might only be my perceiption after some limited testing.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

Used flash with a Pentax K-5 DSLR. Excellent results. The flash works seemlessly with the camera. Repeat flash rate is very good. In built diffuser/reflector is handy.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

Used it several times with lithium batteries and NiMh accum.
Sometimes P-TTL make mistakes (over or underexposure) - can't understand is this camera or flash bug (or I have few experiense :).

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

I bought this to replace my Pentax af360fgz. I was very excited about the tilt-and-swivel feature this flash overs over the 360. Granted with a much bigger GN, metal hot-shoe and at a very affordable price, it seemed like a no-brainer.

But I was very disappointed when I received it. I though the 360 was pretty plasticky but the Metz was really worse. It just felt like you could easily pry it apart and the tilt-and-swivel head movements feels overly smooth and lifeless. There is a "Made in Germany" label but it feels in no way "Made in Germany". I was really expecting something more substantial. As solid as the metal hot shoe feels, it doesn't help given the overall poor built.

The battery compartment is also poorly designed such that it does not hold the batteries in place as you insert them in.

I am returning the product based on the reasons above and skipping the chance to put it to actual use on the field. I'll probably stay away from Metz for a long time...

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

i wanted a good quality flash that would work with wireless P-ttl and all that good stuff. this fit the bill nicely. it's roughly the same price as the pentax af360 flash, but has the all important swivel head. i've also been told by those who have used both that the metz units have superior build quality. i can't compare, but i can say that this metz flash feels very robust. also, the menu system isn't as awful as people say. the dreaded "double button" select won't really get used much unless you're changing to wireless slave mode. when using on camera p-ttl mode, the double button is rarely needed.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

Very good flash,
Used with Pentax K-X. Good result.
Slaved mode very usefull for occasional studio shooting.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

New to on camera flash but was able to use straight out of box in P-TTL mode to get great shots. Also has manual power. Solid built and menu easy to access once you read manual. Also like the fact firmware is upgradeable.

Comments about Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax SLR:

Mostly indoors, sometimes outdoors for fillflash. Good light output and even distribution. Works flawlessly in wireless mode. High quality construction - fixes nicely to hot shoe. By far the worst feature is the two button press for changing flash modes. Difficult to do when mounted on camera and standing up. Please Metz add extra button. Would be nice to include mounting foot when using wirelessly and carrying bag.