Flash Recommendations for Bronica S2

I know Joe dislikes the hammerheads..

That's not quite true Ben.

Osram's Studio 440 is a nice and comparatively lightweight hammerhead design, and some of Sunpak's hammerheads have their uses. But the old Metz 45 series are really overrated these days. Their prehistoric inverter circuits are inefficient, the remaining battery packs that haven't died are underpowered, they're actually, it pains me to say it, over-engineered and un-ergonomic in design.

Yes, they're built to last, but unfortunately, they're still going to be a PITA to use in 100 years time! Needing the battery pack changed and recharged after just a few minutes use, and keeping you waiting at least 8 seconds between shots. Not to mention weighing 2 or 3 times more than they need to.

That's why I'm not keen on them.

Oh, yes and their original synch cables are mostly corroded away these days. Impossible to repair because of the proprietary plug, and expensive to replace.

BTW Ben. I totally agree about Metz's later hotshoe designs. The squat shape makes them ideal for use in a brolly or other modifier and they offer the best power-to-size ratio of any speedlight I've yet used.

I can't remember its model number offhand, but something like MZ 43 40 MZ 3i - I looked it up. Anyway, that thing really packs a punch for its size. It's one of the few speedlights that delivers anywhere close to its claimed Guide Number.

Hi Joe,

I know you've spoken out about the 45 series, but what do you think about the 60CT series? Like I said, I have the 60CT4 with the over-the-shoulder SLA pack. It lasts for a full day of my admittedly light use, although it is bulky. Also, I LOVE the Metz 76, which works great on an in-handle NiMH pack and is for all intents and purposes a "modern" flash. I have a Nikon adapter for mine, which clamps into the hotshoe, and also basically has feature parity as far as flash modes with the SB-800(coupled non-TTL auto with the "eye" in the hotshoe, film TTL, iTTL) and is about a stop brighter than an SB-800.

The 36CT3 I have is a thing of beauty. On paper, it has about the same GN as a Vivitar 283(both are ISO 100/36 meters, which 120ft). Neither really gets that and of course as has been beaten to death on the internet, all manufacturers lie about their guide numbers. Still, using my Minolta IIIf, I seem to get 80-90ft out of a 283 while the 36CT3 is more in the 100-110 range.