joekurtz Posted February 18, 2009 Share #1 Posted February 18, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on how this will perform on the M8. It seems everyone is talking about it being a rebadged metz flash. Will it do anything better/worse than the older metz it is compared to? How do you think it will compare to the performance of say...a 580ex on a 5D? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 18, 2009 Posted February 18, 2009 Hi joekurtz, Take a look here SF 58 Flash. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted February 18, 2009 Share #2 Posted February 18, 2009 I have a feeling the only real advantage will be that the secondary reflector will be functional with bounce and M-TTL as opposed to the Metz/SCA combo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted February 18, 2009 Share #3 Posted February 18, 2009 I will let you know. Hopefully I am No.1 in the UK queue. I phoned my local dealer at 9.00 AM this morning and asked him to get onto Milton Keynes right away and order one. However if the M8 is anything to go by, the UK comes a fair way down the pecking order of supply. I was still two months away from getting my M8, having ordered it in November 2006, when I was able to buy one off the shelf in Spain at the beginning of January 2007. Fingers crossed I will get it in mid-March. I will also get a Sto-Fen Omni Bounce soft box, which as there is one for the Nikon fit Metz 58MZ- AFN, I assume will fit. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joekurtz Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted February 18, 2009 Looking forward to the results. a decent dedicated flash w/ swivel for bounce and power that measures up to my 580 for those pesky formals and a few reception shots at weddings was all i needed to rid myself of my canon gear and shoot exclusively with the M. If it truly is nearly identical to the metz, i guess i should be looking at that as well. But I can't help but to think the dedicated ttl is going to help to give me the results I am used to with my 580/5d. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlancasterd Posted February 18, 2009 Share #5 Posted February 18, 2009 I will let you know. Hopefully I am No.1 in the UK queue. I phoned my local dealer at 9.00 AM this morning and asked him to get onto Milton Keynes right away and order one. However if the M8 is anything to go by, the UK comes a fair way down the pecking order of supply. I was still two months away from getting my M8, having ordered it in November 2006, when I was able to buy one off the shelf in Spain at the beginning of January 2007. Fingers crossed I will get it in mid-March. I will also get a Sto-Fen Omni Bounce soft box, which as there is one for the Nikon fit Metz 58MZ- AFN, I assume will fit. Wilson What price were you quoted? I see that Red Dot Cameras (Red Dot Cameras - Leica Cameras, Leica Binoculars, Metz Flashguns, Manfrotto Tripods, Leitz) is taking orders at £520 each... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eoin Posted February 18, 2009 Share #6 Posted February 18, 2009 What price were you quoted? I see that Red Dot Cameras is taking orders at £520 each... :eek:£520:eek: I had to do a double take. Wow! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlatkob Posted February 18, 2009 Share #7 Posted February 18, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) One of the features is that the flash head can zoom from 24 to 105mm. Does anyone know whether the flash head will automatically zoom to match the lens being used (assuming a coded lens on an M8), or will it need to be zoomed manually? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 18, 2009 Share #8 Posted February 18, 2009 Should do so. Even the ancient Metz MZ series has this feature. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joekurtz Posted February 18, 2009 Author Share #9 Posted February 18, 2009 :eek:£520:eek: I had to do a double take. Wow! That seems like almost a "pre-release price" and the only place i have found that is even posting a price. I am crossing my fingers it will be a little less when it starts to arrive at the stores and more merchants begin putting up there prices for it. Is that a completely hopeless wish? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted February 18, 2009 Share #10 Posted February 18, 2009 What price were you quoted? I see that Red Dot Cameras (Red Dot Cameras - Leica Cameras, Leica Binoculars, Metz Flashguns, Manfrotto Tripods, Leitz) is taking orders at £520 each... Sounds expensive but you would get 12 for the price of a Noctilux ;-}} That red dot on the front sure does cost. The Nikon version is available for £244 - ouch! I get a discount at our local dealer as I have been buying from them for many years. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cme4brain Posted February 18, 2009 Share #11 Posted February 18, 2009 Just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on how this will perform on the M8. It seems everyone is talking about it being a rebadged metz flash. Will it do anything better/worse than the older metz it is compared to? How do you think it will compare to the performance of say...a 580ex on a 5D? See my other thread. I own the Metz 58AF flash for my Nikon, but also use it quite well on my M8 in AUTO mode where it syncs at every whole f/stop. The TTL flash is so crude on the M8 that you will probably NEVER tell the difference between TTL and AUTO mode with any flash. It is basically an updated Metz 54MZ with multiple power levels (selectable via rear LCD panel) on the secondary flash, with its retained tilt and swivel head, GN 190 feet at ISO100. I bought mine (albeit for nikon) for $369 USD. I would suggest that if you can tolerate setting your own ISO and lens length, buying a non-Leica version would serve you just as well- we set our own f/stops and ISO now! Auto zoom heads are more for zoom lenses anyway, which is not an option too much on the M8. If you use this flash in bounce mode, it automatically zooms the primary flash head to 70mm, negating the "auto zoom" feature. I would think most of us would use this as I do- angled at 45 degrees with a StoFen diffuser on it or bouncing off the ceiling. This is a large flash compared to my SF24D, so I am still keeping the 24D when I don't need all this power. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted February 18, 2009 Share #12 Posted February 18, 2009 One of the features is that the flash head can zoom from 24 to 105mm. Does anyone know whether the flash head will automatically zoom to match the lens being used (assuming a coded lens on an M8), or will it need to be zoomed manually? The Leica press release (Leica announces SF 58 flash unit: Digital Photography Review) says Depending on the focal length of the lens in use and the sensor format, the flash reflector setting is automatically controlled yet also features a manual adjustment option. "Depending on the focal length of the lens in use and the sensor format ..." So does that mean that it recognizes the M8's crop factor? Anyway, it offers manual adjustment if needed. (The SF24D recognizes the actual focal length of the lens mounted but not the crop factor; it warns when it thinks that the lens is too wide for the flash coverage, but can easily be overridden.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nryn Posted February 18, 2009 Share #13 Posted February 18, 2009 Does anyone know how big this flash is in relation to the 54-MZx? I'd like something between my 54-MZ3 and the SF-24D. Somehow I think this is more towards the 54 in size. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
malcolm Posted February 18, 2009 Share #14 Posted February 18, 2009 Does anyone know how big this flash is in relation to the 54-MZx? I'd like something between my 54-MZ3 and the SF-24D. Somehow I think this is more towards the 54 in size. The published specs are as follows: SF 58: 2.8"w x 5.8"h x 3.9"d; 12.5oz. 54MZ...: 3"w x 5.9"h x 4.25"d; 16.9 oz. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cme4brain Posted February 19, 2009 Share #15 Posted February 19, 2009 Does anyone know how big this flash is in relation to the 54-MZx? I'd like something between my 54-MZ3 and the SF-24D. Somehow I think this is more towards the 54 in size. I believe it is smaller and lighter than your 54MZ, larger than my SF24D. Probably the smallest it could be and offer this kind of power. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlesphoto99 Posted February 19, 2009 Share #16 Posted February 19, 2009 Beyond the extra power and swivel head, what I'm wondering is if the TTL system will actually work any better than the SF24 (ie no preflash and lag) or the Metz 58 with Leica shoe? If not, then it's really just a very overpriced Metz auto flash. Will be looking forward to reports of its performance. Personally I always loved the SF20 with my M7 but it's not so good with M8 (and couldn't be bothered to buy a SF24). Love the size for traveling esp. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted February 19, 2009 Share #17 Posted February 19, 2009 Beyond the extra power and swivel head, what I'm wondering is if the TTL system will actually work any better than the SF24 (ie no preflash and lag) or the Metz 58 with Leica shoe? I can't see how it could. The M8 has no electronic way of confirming flash distance (or even what aperture is being used) and it doesn't seem possible to directly read the amount of light hitting the sensor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted February 19, 2009 Share #18 Posted February 19, 2009 Beyond the extra power and swivel head, what I'm wondering is if the TTL system will actually work any better than the SF24 (ie no preflash and lag) or the Metz 58 with Leica shoe? If not, then it's really just a very overpriced Metz auto flash. Will be looking forward to reports of its performance. Personally I always loved the SF20 with my M7 but it's not so good with M8 (and couldn't be bothered to buy a SF24). Love the size for traveling esp. Charles, Apart from the lack of bounce and low power, the SF24 actually works reasonably well on the M8, especially if you use a Leicagoodies SFiLL soft box. However, there is one thing that I really hope they have improved on the 58 and that is the interval between pre-flash and main flash. Currently it is just about the same as the average person's blink reflex and if you are not using a softbox, you get quite a lot of photos of people with their eyes shut. Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
guywalder Posted February 19, 2009 Share #19 Posted February 19, 2009 However, there is one thing that I really hope they have improved on the 58 and that is the interval between pre-flash and main flash.Wilson nothing in the press release to suggest an improvement. Does the SF24 have the same slow reaction on an R8/9? My guess is that reading the exposure off the shutter curtain is the problem. Why on earth have they quoted the GN at a 105mm focal length Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbretteville Posted February 19, 2009 Share #20 Posted February 19, 2009 However, there is one thing that I really hope they have improved on the 58 and that is the interval between pre-flash and main flash. That seems to be camera controlled, a while back in one of the M8 firmware updates the interval was shortened. - Carl Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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