Metz 76 and 45CL4 assessment?

I have been using Metz 60 and 45 model flashes with my film bodies. I now want

to purchase a Metz 75 and 45CL4 for use with Nikon D2Xs bodies.

 

I am seeking opinions gained from experience on how reliable and robust these

models are. Reliability and robustness are critical as I will be using them in

wildlife photography and they will be need to perform in harsh conditions in

remote locations.

 

Thanks

I also have Metz 60 and 45 models. I don't have the digital versions, but I have other Metz flashes for digital. If you are talking about the physical reliability and robustness, I see no reason to expect that they would be any different from the models you have now--namely, very reliable and robust. If you are talking about the flash metering, the auto thyristor function remains accurate and reliable, the TTL function depends on the brand's metering, although Metz does use an emulation. I have found that Metz's emulation of ETTL (Canon) is pretty good, but ETTL never had a great reputation (by itself) for metering reliability and consistency.

Thanks Nadine. I have been using Metz gear for over twenty years, so I know that it is generally the best you can buy. However, I read a couple of reviews on the B&H site that gave me cause to be a bit cautious about the new digital Metz guns and I'm trying to get some feedback from owners/users.

I have heard about robustness re the new Metz 58AF-1, however, since the 45 digital and 76 digital appear to be very similar to the regular models (unchanged, even), I would guess they would be the same.

The problem with the new 58 is there is no place to add a pocket wizard. They have a built in sync for other flashes. The 58 has a pretty powerful output for the size.

 

Of course there is a way around everything and in this case plug the PW into the camera PC's socket.

 

I sold the 60 series I had. They were work horses for sure, but the 60 CT4 did brake once. The CT1 never had a problem.

it's late - BREAK once!

My Metz 45 CL-4 is built like a tank.

Ford, I'm using a Metz 70MZ-5 with my Hasselblad H3D's to shoot a lot of hectic wedding

work. Frequent assembly, tear-down, in-and-out of the rolling bag (which produces a lot

of vibration on long hauls over concrete), airline travel, etc.

 

So far no issues what-so-ever ... and that includes getting caught in a monsoon downpour

this year (was more worried about the Bride & Groom as well as the H3D camera than the

flash : -( Dried it off and finished the remaining 4 hours of the wedding.

Thanks for your kind responses Bob, Marc & Robert.

 

Excuse my ignorance Bob from LA, but I live in the bush and don't try to keep up with the latest (that's why I am only recently gone digital). Additionally, I have have to pay more than twice the price than you do in the US for anything photographic here in Australia, consequently, when I get a system that takes a beating and does the job, I stick with it for aeons. (Imagine my current horror at spilling out the equivalent of $US 18,000 on a couple of D2xs bodies and a couple of Nikkor lenses only to find that Nikon is bringing out the full frame D3! All I can say is, *@!% &%#@)

 

So in regards to the Metz 58, I have some follow up questions:

 

1. What is a "pocket wizard"? Why is it a problem that you can't plug it into the 58?

 

2. The built in sync for other flashes - is this wireless or hardwire? Does it adjust/balance output or is it merely a trigger?

 

3. "plug the PW into the camera PC's socket" - could you explain what the significance of this is please?

 

Thanks for allowing me to squeeze your brain.