AF360 vs Metz w.r.t. Washout

braver · 03-14-2010, 11:24 PM

I got the AF360 and my pics are all quite white. Read at DPReview some guy trashing the AF360 for wrong exposures and praising the Metz with which he replaced it. True?

**sinus007** · 03-15-2010, 08:02 AM

Hi Braver,
I had 360 and then I've got Metz 48. Both are very good flashes. The difference is Metz has more power, it swivels and it costs more. You can reffer to the sticky for details.
If you're getting all your pictures overexposed, most probably you're doing something wrong. Read the manual, try different modes in a control environment.
In general, there's a saying: bad dancer always blames shoose. Of course, there's a possibility that the unit you have is broken but it's highly unlikely.
Good luck,

MrApollinax · 03-15-2010, 08:22 AM

I had a 360 for about a year before mine broke. The hot shoe mount broke off when I dropped my camera... don't ask. Before that I had never had a whiteout problem unless I was shooting full manual and I had my settings wrong. So while the 360 doesn't have all the neat widgets that other flashes have I didn't see any problems with whiteout frames that were not my own fault.

panoguy · 03-15-2010, 08:36 AM

I owned and used both the 360 and the Metz 48 (which I'm thinking the OP refers to) together for about 2 years. The build quality, swivel, power, and recycle times are what led me to keep the Metz and sell the Pentax (oh, and I wasn't doing as much off-camera flash as I'd thought).

However, both flashes consistently produced great results with my K20D, and the only difference I recall was that the Metz had a "cooler" light for flash WB. The only issues with "wrong exposures" in P-TTL came up with spot metering through a KatzEye screen - and that was the same for both flashes, go figure!

braver · 03-15-2010, 01:11 PM

Well, the Metz in question was the 58, and the logic was, the exposure on it is better if you fire it in a rapid succession, so it recuperates fraster than the 360. Still I'm curious how the washout would compare at a rather close range, where the Metz's superior power is not needed.

BTW, did they come up with the new firmware to fix the Metz's HSS slave issue yet?

I am still able to return the 360 and get the Metz, but wonder if I keep the 360 and add the Metz later, would it make a nice combo to light subjects from several directions? What do you guys think of such a combo?

StarDust · 03-16-2010, 01:34 AM

I just ordered a Metz-48 from Amazon.co.uk a couple of days ago. I already have the 360 and I've used it to pretty much every lighting setup you can think of with that flash. I want a true two flash setup (I have an old 160 that I can use but it only has one power setting) and I want the swivel option when I have the flash on camera.
I think that this combo is a great one. If my Cactus triggers stop working, I can also go optical slave with both of them and use the on board flash.
I would say, go for it!
About the HSS, I don't know.

wlachan · 03-16-2010, 12:46 PM

I have owned neither flashes in question, but I have 4 Metz 40MZ-2/3/3i flashes. Against 540FGZ or 580EX II, the Metz are slightly warmer and less harsh. Then again, at close range, any direct flash sucks. I am not sure what you meant by "white". If you mean overexposed, then maybe you can try A flash instead of P-TTL. You maybe surprised. And if you want off camera flash, radio slave is many times better than anything else.

03-14-2010, 11:24 PM	#1
braver Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hanover, NH Posts: 157	AF360 vs Metz w.r.t. Washout I got the AF360 and my pics are all quite white. Read at DPReview some guy trashing the AF360 for wrong exposures and praising the Metz with which he replaced it. True?

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03-15-2010, 08:02 AM	#2
sinus007 Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Cleveland, OH, USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 292	Hi Braver, I had 360 and then I've got Metz 48. Both are very good flashes. The difference is Metz has more power, it swivels and it costs more. You can reffer to the sticky for details. If you're getting all your pictures overexposed, most probably you're doing something wrong. Read the manual, try different modes in a control environment. In general, there's a saying: bad dancer always blames shoose. Of course, there's a possibility that the unit you have is broken but it's highly unlikely. Good luck,

03-15-2010, 08:22 AM	#3
MrApollinax Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Minnesota Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,529	I had a 360 for about a year before mine broke. The hot shoe mount broke off when I dropped my camera... don't ask. Before that I had never had a whiteout problem unless I was shooting full manual and I had my settings wrong. So while the 360 doesn't have all the neat widgets that other flashes have I didn't see any problems with whiteout frames that were not my own fault.

03-15-2010, 08:36 AM	#4
panoguy Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Washington, D.C. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,327	I owned and used both the 360 and the Metz 48 (which I'm thinking the OP refers to) together for about 2 years. The build quality, swivel, power, and recycle times are what led me to keep the Metz and sell the Pentax (oh, and I wasn't doing as much off-camera flash as I'd thought). However, both flashes consistently produced great results with my K20D, and the only difference I recall was that the Metz had a "cooler" light for flash WB. The only issues with "wrong exposures" in P-TTL came up with spot metering through a KatzEye screen - and that was the same for both flashes, go figure!

03-15-2010, 01:11 PM	#5
braver Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Hanover, NH Posts: 157 Original Poster	Well, the Metz in question was the 58, and the logic was, the exposure on it is better if you fire it in a rapid succession, so it recuperates fraster than the 360. Still I'm curious how the washout would compare at a rather close range, where the Metz's superior power is not needed. BTW, did they come up with the new firmware to fix the Metz's HSS slave issue yet? I am still able to return the 360 and get the Metz, but wonder if I keep the 360 and add the Metz later, would it make a nice combo to light subjects from several directions? What do you guys think of such a combo?

03-16-2010, 01:34 AM	#6
StarDust Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Uppsala, Sweden Posts: 400	I just ordered a Metz-48 from Amazon.co.uk a couple of days ago. I already have the 360 and I've used it to pretty much every lighting setup you can think of with that flash. I want a true two flash setup (I have an old 160 that I can use but it only has one power setting) and I want the swivel option when I have the flash on camera. I think that this combo is a great one. If my Cactus triggers stop working, I can also go optical slave with both of them and use the on board flash. I would say, go for it! About the HSS, I don't know.

03-16-2010, 12:46 PM	#7
wlachan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada Photos: Albums Posts: 2,625	I have owned neither flashes in question, but I have 4 Metz 40MZ-2/3/3i flashes. Against 540FGZ or 580EX II, the Metz are slightly warmer and less harsh. Then again, at close range, any direct flash sucks. I am not sure what you meant by "white". If you mean overexposed, then maybe you can try A flash instead of P-TTL. You maybe surprised. And if you want off camera flash, radio slave is many times better than anything else.