External Flash, Metz 44 Af-1 vs Metz 58 AF-1 for Nikon D5100

[dslr mode]

Hi all,

I have a Nikon D5100 with 18-55 VR. I am planning to buy a flash to use for low light situations indoors and if needed outdoors. I am newbie in photography coming from and P&S cam. I live in Finland. I have the choice of these two flashes that fits my budget - Metz 44 AF-1 and Metz 58 AF-1 ( I know 58 Af-2 is out but relatively more expensive). The Metz 58 Af-1 has been lying in the camera store for long. It is brand new though. It is from their old stock. They don't sell these anymore (only the latest 58 AF-2).

Do you think if it is wise to go with the old stock 58 AF-1 or should I buy 44 AF-1? The Nikon SB 700 is way more expensive than I can afford right now.

or

Do you suggest any other brands? If its Yongnuo, I have to get in from either Amazon.de or UK marketplace. But they ship from Hongkong, which I don't trust; no tracking number - so left in the dark. I know it is cheap but!!!!!

Note: I want to shoot indoor pics (kid photo) - not often, then outdoor pics of my family. Here in Finland the available natural light is very limited all through the year.

Kindly reply and Thanking you all in advance for your replies.

 

[BirgerH]

Hi all,

I have a Nikon D5100 with 18-55 VR. I am planning to buy a flash to use for low light situations indoors and if needed outdoors. I am newbie in photography coming from and P&S cam. I live in Finland. I have the choice of these two flashes that fits my budget - Metz 44 AF-1 and Metz 58 AF-1 ( I know 58 Af-2 is out but relatively more expensive). The Metz 58 Af-1 has been lying in the camera store for long. It is brand new though. It is from their old stock. They don't sell these anymore (only the latest 58 AF-2).

Do you think if it is wise to go with the old stock 58 AF-1 or should I buy 44 AF-1? The Nikon SB 700 is way more expensive than I can afford right now.

or

Do you suggest any other brands? If its Yongnuo, I have to get in from either Amazon.de or UK marketplace. But they ship from Hongkong, which I don't trust; no tracking number - so left in the dark. I know it is cheap but!!!!!

Note: I want to shoot indoor pics (kid photo) - not often, then outdoor pics of my family. Here in Finland the available natural light is very limited all through the year.

Kindly reply and Thanking you all in advance for your replies.

Hi.

I have bought the 52 AF-1 and is fully satisfied.

You have to look if the 44 is compatible to the Nikon CLS - I'm not quite sure, that all functions are there, among them the BL-ability. (Just looked - seems that BL is there, but that it can't be set as remote-master, only remote-slave)

The 58 will be full compatible to Nikons CLS. I'm not quite sure what is upgraded to the AF-2.

Be aware, that Metz's GN are measured at 105mm zoom, they will be somewhat shorter measured at 35mm (as Nikon does).

The GN of my 52 is just about the same, as Nikon SB-910, measured at 35mm.

You might want to have a look at Metz - http://www.metz.de

Regards

BirgerH

 

[sillyconguru]

The 58 AF-1 is great, but have you seen how large it is? The 2nd flash-tube is a fairly novel feature, but I've not used this function much. Your camera has no built-in capability to use Nikon's Advanced Wireless Lighting, so the ability to use the flashgun as a master controller to off-camera slaves is nice, but you'll need extra flashguns to take advantage of this. The 58 AF-1 does have a non-AWL slave mode so that you can fire it off-camera using your D5100's built-in flash (set to manual power output), but there will be no automation.

If you just want a flashgun that is more powerful and slightly more versatile than your D5100's built-in unit then the 44 AF-1 will do the job adequately; I think that the 58 AF-1 would be overkill.

 

[BirgerH]

The 58 AF-1 is great, but have you seen how large it is? The 2nd flash-tube is a fairly novel feature, but I've not used this function much. Your camera has no built-in capability to use Nikon's Advanced Wireless Lighting,

(which now is "Creative Lightning System")

Is this correct - does the D5100 in-built flash not have a commander-mode? Only TTL and Manuel??

so the ability to use the flashgun as a master controller to off-camera slaves is nice, but you'll need extra flashguns to take advantage of this. The 58 AF-1 does have a non-AWL slave mode so that you can fire it off-camera using your D5100's built-in flash (set to manual power output), but there will be no automation.

If you just want a flashgun that is more powerful and slightly more versatile than your D5100's built-in unit then the 44 AF-1 will do the job adequately; I think that the 58 AF-1 would be overkill.

BirgerH.

 

[dslr mode]

The 58 AF-1 is great, but have you seen how large it is? The 2nd flash-tube is a fairly novel feature, but I've not used this function much. Your camera has no built-in capability to use Nikon's Advanced Wireless Lighting, so the ability to use the flashgun as a master controller to off-camera slaves is nice, but you'll need extra flashguns to take advantage of this. The 58 AF-1 does have a non-AWL slave mode so that you can fire it off-camera using your D5100's built-in flash (set to manual power output), but there will be no automation.

If you just want a flashgun that is more powerful and slightly more versatile than your D5100's built-in unit then the 44 AF-1 will do the job adequately; I think that the 58 AF-1 would be overkill.

Thank you for your reply sillyconguru. Could you kindly give me an answer?

Before I explain, I know that prime lens and external flash complement each other and it's not a choice, you need both.

So Nikon D5100 doesn't support CLS?

As I said I am from Finland. The winter season starts from end of October and lasts till April -Almost six months. The reason I mentioned is because of available natural light. During the winter season, the sun rarely shines, the ambient atmosphere remains mostly/partly cloudy or dim and partly bright. So, during these months it will be a hassle to shoot indoors as the availability of natural light (Sun) is low and our rooms are lit with 50-60W incandescent bulbs.
If I buy flash right now, I will buy a prime lens later - soon and / or vice versa.

My question is, considering my requirements, which one should I buy first, a Flash or a Prime lens? My current budget will only let me buy one. I have 18-55 vr kit lens now. Could you kindly give me a sincere advice? If it's the prime, which prime should I buy - 35mm 1.8g or 50mm 1.8g. The other primes are way out of my budget.

The Metz 44 Af-1 costs 157 Euros here. and as the Metz 58 Af-1 is an old stock, I can expect pricing around 170 Euros - just for your information

Kindly reply and Thanking you in advance for your replies.

 

[sillyconguru]

The 58 AF-1 is great, but have you seen how large it is? The 2nd flash-tube is a fairly novel feature, but I've not used this function much. Your camera has no built-in capability to use Nikon's Advanced Wireless Lighting,

(which now is "Creative Lightning System")

AWL is part of CLS, not the whole of it.

Is this correct - does the D5100 in-built flash not have a commander-mode? Only TTL and Manuel??

It is correct, just TTL and manual.

 

[sillyconguru]

So Nikon D5100 doesn't support CLS?

It does support it, just not AWL without certain accessories (i.e SB900 or SU800)

My question is, considering my requirements, which one should I buy first, a Flash or a Prime lens?

Hmm, quite a hard decision I think.

Personally (and this is similar to what I did years ago); I'd buy the prime lens (I already owned a, circa 1986, Nikkor 50mm AF lens that I used with SLRs), but also a flashgun that supported non-TTL auto-flash (again, I already had one that I'd used with SLRs).

Old flashguns with non-TTL auto, like the Nikon SB-15, can be bought quite cheaply and are quite easy to use... Simply; you select one of the flashgun's auto modes and set the camera's ISO and aperture to correspond to whatever the flashgun states (say, 200 ISO @ f/5.6), then shoot away. Because the flashgun senses the amount of light required you might sometimes find that you have to compensate slightly (maybe changing the aperture to, say, f/6.3). There are many old third-party flashguns around that have high trigger voltages, but a Nikon unit that has some sort of dedication (i.e. it would've set the film camera's shutter speed to the flash sync speed and illuminated the viewfinder flash ready-light) will have a safe trigger voltage (i.e. approx 20v); these flashguns are easy to spot, they have more than one contact on the base of the foot (just like the contacts on the hot-shoe of your camera).

I was quite at home using non-TTL auto-flash, but then I've been using SLRs since the 1980s and 'cut my teeth' with all manual cameras & flashguns.

My current budget will only let me buy one. I have 18-55 vr kit lens now. Could you kindly give me a sincere advice? If it's the prime, which prime should I buy - 35mm 1.8g or 50mm 1.8g.

What prime you would get would mostly depend on what focal length you would find most suitable. Try using your 18-55mm, with the D5100's built-in flash to illuminate the subject, at 35mm and 55mm focal lengths to see which is most appropriate.

 

[BirgerH]

The 58 AF-1 is great, but have you seen how large it is? The 2nd flash-tube is a fairly novel feature, but I've not used this function much. Your camera has no built-in capability to use Nikon's Advanced Wireless Lighting,

(which now is "Creative Lightning System")

AWL is part of CLS, not the whole of it.

Yes, of course, sorry.

Is this correct - does the D5100 in-built flash not have a commander-mode? Only TTL and Manuel??

It is correct, just TTL and manual.

You are right, just checked it. Thought that it was only the D3x00 that didn't support Wireless triggering.

Thanks.

BirgerH.

 

[dezinerd]

With 6 months of darkness the flash is really a necessity rather than an option. I do not have the metz 58 but always wanted one. The aux flash will put some catch lights in peoples eyes when the main head is tilted for bounce. I believe the head swivels so you can bounce off walls for sidelighting or fill. the abilty of the 58 to be used as a slave will compensate for your cam not having CLS. Use your built in flash to trigger the Metz. You can chimp with a dslr, just take a shot and see how it looks on the monitor. Don't like it, make changes to correct. With film you never new what you took untill it was to late. Some people prefer using manual flash and with digital it is easy to learn as there is instant feedback. You can have a lot of fun and get some great photos of your children. The Metz is sold for Nikon and Canon so make sure the unit is compatible.

If you are taking people pix the 50 1.8 G gets great reviews and the older D models are also good. That will give a 70mm equivalent focal length which is good for portraits. The 60 Micro Nikkor G is a fantastic lens which is 90mm eq. good for head shots. Older Micro D series are also good and may be available for a good price. Bjorn Rorslett considers the 60 Micro G a Nikon classic. I love the lens for picts of my grandchildren.

The website the Strobist has lots of good info about using small flash. Hope this was helpful.