| Author: | | New Member Registered: May, 2011 Location: Brisbane Posts: 4 | | Review Date: May 21, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $450.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Size, power, easy to use, zoom. | | Cons: | Love/hate the locking pin | |
I had a long break from SLRs and big bounce flashes for about 10 years, so when I purchased this flash last year for my Kx I was pleasantly surprised at how compact it was.
My photography style is pretty simple and quick and the Metz has really delivered the goods. Just put it on the camera, turn it on and away you go.
My only grip is that you have to press side buttons to allow it to move certain ways.
And what about that locking pin? Well it makes me nervous every time I put the flash on the camera, and yet, once it is on I feel very confident that there will be no slipage on the hotshoe.
It also has a dickie little diffuser which once popped out, annoying and not really that necessary.
| | | | | | | Inactive Account Registered: April, 2008 Location: Beijing Posts: 21
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 28, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $276.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Powerful, fast recycle time, well built | | Cons: | Menu access complicated, locking pin broken | |
I started out with the 48 AF-1, then got the 50 AF-1 for multiple wireless flash setup. I also have a AF540 FGZ which I use as a master/controller.
Generally I love this flash, on my K-x it produce consistent results, but on my K-5 the results are mixed. It produce more consistent results than my Pentax AF540, with slight overexpose in most situation.
The menu system is a pain to use initially, requiring multiple button presses. Unlike the AF540 which have all the buttons to change settings.
My main complain on this unit is the broken hotshoe pin. Once the pin is broken, the flash is stuck on your camera. You need a long metal pin or a thin flat screwdriver to push the broken level up, to release the flash from the camera. THIS HAPPEN ON MY 50 AF-1 AND MY FRIEND'S UNIT AS WELL. . We got the flash at the same time, in Jan 2011. So thats 2 units with broken pin. Another reviewer above also reported this problem. We have email to Metz Germany and they acknowledge that this is an issue with the earlier batch for 50 AF-1.
Ok, Metz China distributor was kind enough to replace the whole hotshoe assembly for me. But they did not acknowledge/or aware that this is a product batch issue. Anyway, me and my friend was not assured that this won't happen again. 
Apart from this issue, I would recommend the 50 AF-1 for its value for money feature sets, built quality, powerful and fast charging times. Another thing is that it remembers your last settings after you turn it off, something the AF540 cannot do.
I used the 50 AF-1 extensively at a 3 day Joe Mcnally workshop, and it performed great in PTTL and high speed sync wireless mode (as slave unit)
Here are photos from the workshop. http://art2d2.zenfolio.com/joemcnally | | | | | New Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: Louisville ky Posts: 5
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: August 5, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $329.99
| Rating: 9 |
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Love it. Just get one and play with it.:ugh:
| | | | | | | | Review Date: August 17, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $288.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | good value for the money | | Cons: | weak locking pin mechanism | |
I experienced the same thing with the stuck locking pin as "a.seki" and "art2d2" have. It seems it is not a coincidental failure. I contacted my dealer in Germany for warranty claim, but so far the communication is not very good.
I have an Olympus/Panasonic version of the flash. So it seems the problem is not limited to Pentax version of the shoe.
I was less fortunate then "a.seki" and the flash got stuck on my camera. But I was able to remove the flash myself.
The details of the problem are here:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1285338/50%20AF-1%20stuck%20on%20my%20camera.htm | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2010 Location: New York Posts: 1,071 | | Review Date: September 4, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $229.95
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Good flash output, lots of features, good value, good warranty service in the USA | | Cons: | Malfunctioned under manual servo mode (replaced under warranty) | |
I got my Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 digital flash unit at B&H in the hopes of getting better control over lighting and consequently better pictures. Surely, it helped, as the tilt-and-swivel head enabled me to bounce flash producing much better results than the pop-up flash on my K-r. It certainly made a big difference in the indoor pictures I took, and it was a much better value than the PENTAX AF-360FGZ considering features and power. I had no problems with the locking pin, and the build quality was decent. The double-button "Select" combination wasn't a problem for me, and it keeps the control layout clean. Well worth the price, and I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a quality, yet reasonably priced, flash unit with good output and lots of features.
However, I did run into a problem while using the flash as a "dumb" optical slave (note that the flash can act as a P-TTL "smart" optical slave as well): the flash unit experienced a firmware malfunction where several internal variables were incremented, including firmware version, and some modes were displayed incorrectly. I tried resetting the flash unit and reinstalling the firmware to no avail, so I sent it in for service under warranty and Manfrotto Distribution replaced the whole thing with a brand-new full retail boxed flash unit. I don't think I'll experience this problem again with the replacement unit (this was probably a one-off issue), and I'm very happy with how Manfrotto Distribution handled this problem.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2011 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 366 | | Review Date: November 16, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $210.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Great bang for your buck. | | Cons: | bothersome navigation | |
P-TTL Flash that swivels and all that.
Works fine, and don't have much to complain about.
If anything, Menu navigation is bothersome, but it's not too bad.
Looks nice, works well, recharges fast.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Chicago Posts: 47
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: December 21, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $199.99
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Price, Power, Size, and Value | | Cons: | No Auto Thyristor, No P-TTL Commander Mode | |
I have been very happy with the Metz 50 AF-1 so far. I purchased it from B&H with a mini softbox and diffuser. It is a much better value than the Pentax AF360.
The first time I used this flash I was able to get very good results with no practice. I found the interface to be relatively easy to use and the p-ttl was surprisingly accurate in challenging lighting.
The only features it is missing are an auto thyristor mode and p-ttl flash command mode, I felt those where things I could like without for the price.
So overall I would definitely purchase this flash again.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2010 Location: Hong Kong / Irvine, CA Posts: 636 | | Review Date: January 18, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Fast recharge, no recharge noise | | Cons: | hard to operate | |
Very fast recharge
No recharging noise
Steel hot shoe plate
Hard to operate
Only work as Slave
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2008 Location: Greensboro,NC Posts: 503 | | Review Date: August 23, 2016 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | great P-TTL functionality | | Cons: | somewhat wonky controls | |
This is plenty powerful enough for what I use it for, mainly as a fill flash for portraits on occasion. When I hook it up it just works. I've owned this flash since I purchased my K200D in 2008, and it has stuck with me through a K7, K5, and now my K3. It still works flawlessly. I don't really remember what I paid for it, but I got it used though and auction site and I'm pretty sure it was less than $200. The controls feel a little wonky when you first get it, but you get used to it. I've thought about upgrading to a pentax flash with WR but this one works so well (in good weather) that I can't really justify the extra costs. Highly recommended if you can find one used now for really cheap, being this is a much older model flash. I will probably own other metz flashes in the future if this one ever decides to fail.
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