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12/19/2006 05:47:23 PM · #1 |
| I expect to be coming into some Christmas cash shortly and thought I'd put it towards a flash. Any pros and cons to the Canon 580EX or the Metz 54 MZ-4? Is one better than the other? Thanks. |
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12/19/2006 06:15:01 PM · #2 |
I'd say the Metz flash units are the best.
Their build quality is, IMO, better than Canon, or almost any other flash unit out there. The 54 MZ-4 also has the second fill light that will help fill in the shadows when you ceiling bounce and will make nice pretty catchlights in your subjects eyes. (You can turn it off too). The flash unit also has an interchangable foot, which means that to use it on a different camera system, you do not need to buy another flash unit, only the foot for that system.
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12/19/2006 06:27:45 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
I'd say the Metz flash units are the best.
Their build quality is, IMO, better than Canon, or almost any other flash unit out there. The 54 MZ-4 also has the second fill light that will help fill in the shadows when you ceiling bounce and will make nice pretty catchlights in your subjects eyes. (You can turn it off too). The flash unit also has an interchangable foot, which means that to use it on a different camera system, you do not need to buy another flash unit, only the foot for that system. |
Thanks Spazmo. I see that you have a 10D...so I'm assuming that the Metz will work with that as well as my 30D? Curious since I just picked up a mint used 10D from a DPC member. |
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12/19/2006 08:21:46 PM · #4 |
the canon will work on any canon camera (well, any digital one and that's all we care about, right?)
The metz is a flash unit and a 'shoe', where the chip resides. you need the canon shoe (3102 i think) to use eTTL mode. If you buy new it shouldn't be an issue, but the 30D is eTTL II and the 10D is eTTL - you need M3 programming for the 30D and I'm not sure it's backward compatible to the 10D - call Bogen in NJ and ask just to be sure.
You can use open light modifier on the metz in eTTL mode (like a lightsphere without the dome or a bounce card) but you cannot use a closed device (like an omnibounce or LS with the dome on). Metz for some reason uses a sensor in the flash head behind the strobe bulb that reads the light and perhaps this is why it's more consistent than the canon flash units, but if you use a closed modifier the flash-back confuses the sensor and you get practically no output.
the canon 580 recharges faster if that's important, and IMO, feels more solid in the hand than the metz unit.
I also have a sigma EF500DG Super (bought used for $170) and it works just as well as either of the above, but feels cheaper in the hand.
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