Metz 45 CL-4 help please

Swissy

Swissy

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I picked up a non digital Metz 45 cl-4 hammerhead flash gun quite cheap, its in near mint condition and seems to work petfectly, I'm wanting to use it with my canon cameras but I'm unsure what would be the best way, I realize it would be manual only and just wondered if anyone on the forum has one and what settings they use.

I would mainly be using it for portraits and group shots, its more the flash settings on the flash itself I would be interested in learning.

Thanks for looking
 
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Swissy said:
I picked up a non digital Metz 45 cl-4 hammerhead flash gun quite cheap, its in near mint condition and seems to work petfectly, I'm wanting to use it with my canon cameras but I'm unsure what would be the best way, I realize it would be manual only and just wondered if anyone on the forum has one and what settings they use.

I would mainly be using it for portraits and group shots, its more the flash settings on the flash itself I would be interested in learning.

Thanks for looking
Click to expand...

Hi, I'm not familiar with "Canon Cameras" as such but I am familiar with "Metz Hammer Head" flash guns.

Before you go any further check the maximum flash triggering voltage that your camera can accept. I'm not sure but I understand that it is quite low on Canon Cameras, somewhere around 6 volts.

The Metz 45 (non digital) almost certainly has a triggering voltage quite a bit higher than that. My own Metz 45CT5 has a triggering voltage of 15.7 volts.

If this is the case with your equipment ie the the triggering voltage of the flash is higher than that of the camera then it is "Not Advisable" to use it "Connected Directly" to the camera as this could and probably would damage the electrics of the camera. It must only be used remotely.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi thanks for the info, i've actually checked it out and it works without any issues, i just get erratic results and wanted to know what other users of this flash, if there are any, used
 
Ive used one for years without issues. Ive used several of the Metz range actually.

Erratic?

Got a light meter?

They aren't that high in voltage, which was one of the features that was upgraded when Metz went from CT to CL range. However, the best way to use them is via remote radio trigger, just to be safe. Better a trigger broken than a camera.

I use them in manual mode mostly, but have also used their superb auto thyristor automatic mode where the flash controls the output itself based on you setting the right ISO on the flash. It's how we used to roll in the good old days.

They can be very easily used with a umbrella bracket if you have one with a male screw thread at the top, rather than a cold-shoe fitting. This way, leave the camera bracket on the flashgun in the storage position, and screw the umbrella bracket into the hold at the top of the end of the flashes camera bracket. This keeps it very close to the axis of the umbrella. If you want to use an umbrella with this gun, it must be reflective and use the flash head reversed so the thyrisor eye faces your subject.

Too much typing this morning.....
 
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Thanks for that info Kris.
 
G.K.Jnr. said:
Before you go any further check the maximum flash triggering voltage that your camera can accept. I'm not sure but I understand that it is quite low on Canon Cameras, somewhere around 6 volts.
Click to expand...

More likely to be 250v... same as Nikon


Steve.
 
G.K.Jnr. said:
Hi, I'm not familiar with "Canon Cameras" as such but I am familiar with "Metz Hammer Head" flash guns.

Before you go any further check the maximum flash triggering voltage that your camera can accept. I'm not sure but I understand that it is quite low on Canon Cameras, somewhere around 6 volts.

The Metz 45 (non digital) almost certainly has a triggering voltage quite a bit higher than that. My own Metz 45CT5 has a triggering voltage of 15.7 volts.

If this is the case with your equipment ie the the triggering voltage of the flash is higher than that of the camera then it is "Not Advisable" to use it "Connected Directly" to the camera as this could and probably would damage the electrics of the camera. It must only be used remotely.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

The older metz did have a high trigger voltage, my old 45 has a heck of a kick if you touch the hot shoe in the wet (while it's plugged in the pc socket) I've had many a jolt of it. But the newer ones had a much lower trigger voltage, I'm told theres a way to tell from the colour of the distance scale on the top (but not certain if it's correct) certainly my newer one works fine with digital, and better yet no shocks!.
 
Steve Smith said:
More likely to be 250v... same as Nikon


Steve.
Click to expand...

Hi, You may well be correct.

As I said I am not familiar with Canon Cameras so thought it much better to bring it to attention just in case of the possibility of damage to equipment that would be very costly to put right.
 
Kris said:
He isn't.

Canons 1 series can take higher voltage, the rest have 6v maximum including my 5ds.
Click to expand...

Hi, Thanks for that, it is what I thought was correct but wasn't sure.
 
Are you connecting via the pc socket on the Canon? If so the limit is 250v.

There's some (dated) info here from Chuck Westfall about this:

http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0703/tech-tips.html

"The trigger circuit voltage (TCV) rating for any EOS SLR is the same on the hot shoe as it is on the PC terminal (if the camera has one), but the acceptable TCV level varies according to the camera model. Incidentally, the main reason for the difference is the way the X-sync signal is generated. With the 250V cameras, the X-sync signal is generated electronically. With the 6V cameras, the X-sync signal is generated mechanically. There are no guarantees, but going forward I anticipate that most if not all future EOS SLRs will be safe for TCV up to 250 volts."

If you get a SCA3102 adaptor & SCA3000C cable you can use the 45 in ETTL mode on the Canons.

This site lists flash trigger voltages:

http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html
 
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