The flash gun is well built but you can see it is a budget model as there are no fancy stuff included. Something I like to have is a flash stand so I can mount the flash gun on a tripod stand. That is not a major issue as I have a few of them knocking around. There are only 5 buttons on the back with no LCD display. Here is a summary of the flash gun:
· Max guide number = 44m
· Swivel and bounce head
· Built in white reflector
· Auto zoom head for lens from 24-105mm
· Built in diffusor for lens down to 12mm
· Uses 4 AA batteries
· Compatible with TTL flash mode
· Compatible with Olympus RC mode
· 1st or 2nd curtain flash if your camera support it
· Manual power @ 1/64, 1/8, 1/2 and 1/1
· Recharge time at full power is 3-4s
· USB socket for firmware update
Once switched on you have the option of using TTL, manual or
slave mode. For TTL all the controls are
on the camera. Features like flash
compensation, red eye reduction, 1st /2nd curtain sync
are all controlled via the flash control menu. The zoom head moves with the lens and works well. One problem is sometimes you want to zoom the
head to a position that is different to the lens setting. This is not possible with this flash gun. The “Flash” goes green once the flash gun is
ready. After firing, the “Flash” symbol
also goes green to indicate a correct TTL exposure.
Pressing the “SL” button switch the flash to slave mode, the
Olympus RC flash control. For my E-PM1,
I must mount the supplied flash on the camera and raise the flash for it to
work. Also, I had to enable RC flash
mode on the set up menu. Once enabled, I
can control the flash to TTL, Super FP RC (high speed sync) and manual flash
control. First of all, Super FP RC Mode
does not work with this flash gun.
For that you need to buy the Metz 50 AF-1 which I do not want to spend
money on. The reason is because I have
two Canon EX flash guns for my Canon DSLR and I do not remember using FP Flash
at all. I worked around it by fit ND/polarising
filter on the lens to reduce the light level so I can shoot at a lower shutter
speed.
I can report the wireless remote feature works well indoor. All the features work as far as I can
see. One thing I’ve noticed is when
switched to RC manual power control, you can control the power in very small increment,
much finer than the normal flash menu. The only negative of this flash gun is that it can only be used in Group A in RC mode. My E-PM1 can control three groups (A, B and C) independently. This mean I can not use three 44 AF-1 to create complex lighting. As a strobist I love the flexibility of using multiple flash guns and control them separately. In future I will have to think about adding other flash guns if I want to explore Olympus RC flash further.
Setting flash compensation in RC TTL mode |
Update: 23rd October 2012
I've used the flash now for about two weeks and actually used the wireless flash function for real, I've found the flash tended to under expose images. I was using RC TTL mode and had to dial in +2/3 flash compensation to correct this error. When the flash gun is mounted on the camera flash exposure works much better. I'll try to borrow a Olympus flash gun and compare results if I can find one.Update: 2rd November 2012
I've just tried to use the wireless flash outdoor and it was not very successful. Even in the shade it was difficult to trigger the flash. I had the receiver facing the camera but the success rate was very poor, maybe one in ten. I don't know if an Olympus would be better. Used indoor, it was 100% reliable. In future, I will use radio trigger in manual mode if I am shooting outdoor.Comparison with Olympus FL-50R
I have done a comparison between the Metz 44 AF-1 to the Olympus FL-50R. Click on the link to read
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I've just got a Metz 44AF-1 for my OM-D EM-5. Exploring what it can and can't do, I encountered issues with high-speed sync. However, it does appear that manual control at high speeds is possible when connected via my Canon-fit Calumet radio triggers. Have you tried that approach?
ReplyDeleteThe 44AF1 do not have high speed sync.
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