Review: The Metz 50 AF-1 flash for Nikon cameras. In short, it's a brilliant, full featured flash that will meet the requirements of those who primarily work with portable flashes. Although missing some features found in older and current generation Nikon Speedlights (i.e. the SB-700, SB-800, etc.), those who shoot with Nikon cameras should look to this flash as a viable tool in their toolbox. For those who don't normally shoot with portable flashes, there are alternatives which are smaller, cheaper, and more adept to occasional flash use.
Disclaimer: If any information seen in the following reviews may be wrong (especially those marked with (?)), please feel free to contact and correct me. I am not affiliated with or endorsed by any camera/accessory manufacturer and this review is purely my opinion and is not intended to harm or offend anyone. Photos in this review are from third-party sites and copyrighted to their respective copyright holders.
Full review after the jump...
Preface
I originally bought the Metz 50 AF-1 Pentax version for 199 EUR (approx. 260 USD at the time of writing). I had the option to purchase the 48 AF-1P for 189 EUR (247 USD), but the metal hot shoe mount of the 50 and the additional power makes it worth the 10 EUR more. After making the switch to the Nikon brand, I traded in the 50 AF-1P for the 50 AF-1N (the dedicated Nikon version).
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Unboxing
The Metz 50 AF-1N comes in a nice box with thick foam insert to keep it protected and comes with a manual in 6 languages. The manual has some translation errors but has a handy reference card at the back with all the menu functions listed and their respective button presses. A flash stand, case, or any other accessory is not included which is quite disappointing considering these are usually cheap additons which should be included in most, if not all, external flashes.
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Build Quality
The flash itself is hefty, especially with the batteries. The build quality is excellent with the matte plastic being of very high quality. The flash head is a little squeaky, indicating a slight lack of reinforcement, but has been mitigated with the use of a Honl Speedstrap. The battery compartment door is nicely made and can be opened and closed quickly, allowing for quick battery changes. In all, it is a very solid flash and the metal shoe mount is a step up from the plastic one of the 48 AF-1N and other models.
The locking nut may be less convenient than the locking levers found on some flashes such as the SB-700. Lastly, a USB port is available for firmware updates (no need to send back to factory for updates) which was useful as I had to update the firmware to 1.2 (current at the time of writing) as it improves upon the CLS slave mode (more on that later).
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Flash Head Tilt/Swivel
The head tilts from -7 to +90 degrees and swivels left 180 degrees and 120 degrees right. This may prove to be a disappointment for some as this limits the flash bouncing options (albeit a very small limitation) compared to the +/- 180 degree swivel of Nikon's higher end Speedlights. The flash head locks in its normal position (i.e 0 degrees tilt/swivel) but when the flash is either tilted or swiveled, the locking mechanism is bypassed so you are free to tilt/swivel the flash without pressing the unlock button. This may prove to be useful when you need to move the flash head quickly, but some users may find it hard to mount heavy modifiers to the head as the weight may cause unwanted tilt/swivel.
Update: I have just been informed by a reader that this photo is of the Metz 58 AF-2. However, the 50 AF-1 and 58 AF-2 have similar build quality and the photo still illustrates some of the features of the 50 AF-1.
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Features
The flash is especially feature rich, with i -TTL, manual mode (in 8 steps from 1/1 to 1/128 power), flash bracketing, an AF-assist beam, contrast control, 1st curtain and 2nd curtain sync, auto zoom, and more!
i-TTL does its job well. Most, if not all, shots came out correctly exposed, even when bouncing. The Nikon i-TTL system is well known to be an accurate flash system and the Metz 50 AF-1N, even though it is a third party flash, seamlessly integrates with the Nikon system.
Manual mode lacks 1/3 (or even 1/2) stop increments such as those seen in the Nikon flashes which may not be flexible enough for some applications. One key thing is that there is a Manual HSS (high speed sync) mode when the flash is attached on camera or via a TTL cord. The power is limited from 1/1 to 1/32 but it allows the photographer to use shutter speeds above 1/200 or 1/250 sec. (the flash sync speeds of Nikon cameras).
Personally I dont use flash bracketing and cannot comment on its usefulness or performance on the 50 AF-1.
In wireless slave mode, the flash also seamlessly integrates with the Nikon CLS (Creative Lighting System). The flash can be set to Channels 1-4 and Groups A, B, or C. The CLS system works by sending information via pulses of light through a flash, either through the built in flash (except entry-level cameras such as the D3100 and D5100), through another dedicated Nikon flash, or through the SU-800 commander unit. The Metz 50 AF-1N works perfectly with CLS, being able to fire in i-TTL or manual mode and being completely controlled from the camera (with the exception of the flash head zoom). However, the flash lacks a wireless master mode (this is only available on the Metz 58 AF-1 and AF-2 or Nikon Speedlights such as the SB-700) and is limited to wireless slave mode.
Additionally, the Metz 50 AF-1 has an optical dumb slave mode with pre-flash suppresion. This means you can use a manual optical dumb slave with your i-TTL pop up flash. The flash power is set manually and will be triggered by the normal on-camera flash. The feature also works with non-Nikon cameras with a pre-flash metering. And of course, there is the use of wireless flash triggers such as the inexpensive Cactus V4s and V5s or Pocketwizards, etc. These are all used in manual mode, however, as no information is being sent between flash and camera (besides the trigger command).
One thing that is missing is an audible beep to indicate when the flash is ready to fire. This option would have been very useful for off camera flash applications where you may not have a visual of the readiness indicator light on the back and front.
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Flash Performance
The flash head has a built in 12 mm (35 mm format) diffuser and a bounce card (which is a little small, but comparable to other flashes). The flash itself is GN 50 metric (at ISO 100, 105 mm (35 mm equiv.) zoom). It is quite powerful, up to par with some of the mid to high range flashes from competing manufacturers (which is stellar considering the price point). Recycle time from full flash discharge is dependent on the batteries used. Using regular Energizer AA alkalines (1.5 V), the recycle time is approximately 6-7 seconds, definitely longer than the advertised 3.5 seconds. However, further tests with Duracell and Panasonic NiMh rechargeables show a recycling time of approximately 3-4 seconds, just as advertised. So if you'll be doing a lot of full power or continuous burst shooting with flash, I suggest using rechargeable NiMh batteries (plus, they're good for the environment!). Unfortunately there is no option to mount/connect an external battery pack so heavy flash usage will mean lots of battery changes!
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AF-Assist Light
The flash has an AF assist light which projects a striped pattern in red to aid in autofocusing. However, the (round-ish) spot only covers the center autofocus point well and the 4 points surrounding it (i.e the 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock positions) just a little less. Thus, it makes it hard for the camera to focus with the other focus points, especially the very left and right ones and the corners of the inside 9 AF points (of the Nikon 11 point AF system). The light is useful in close or really dark situations, however, as the distance increases, the effectiveness of the AF assist dramatically falls. One drawback is that the beam is calibrated for a medium distance, so it projects the beam quite high when close up, although this distance is when it is most effective.
Additionally, the AF assist is a single beam system (one light) compared to the dual beam system of the Nikon Speedlights. The dual beam system is more adept to the Nikon 51 point AF systems found in the higher end cameras.
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LCD/Menu/Button Layout
The LCD at the back is back-lit and quite easy to read for some options but other lettering is a little small. The LCD has the option to show the approximate flash distance in either feet or meters and likewise allows the zoom indicator to be in DX (1.5x crop) or FX (35 mm) format. This is useful as there is no need to make conversions between the two formats.
Underneath the LCD is the four buttons to access the menus/test function and an on-off switch which has a positive click to either on or off. The test button glows green when the flash is ready to fire and the button adjacent to it (the + button) glows red when the exposure is correct or blinks red when the exposure is wrong.
The menu system is the biggest let down of the flash. Firstly, the backlight is activated with the press of any button. However, this means that the modes and EV or manual power settings (which should be normally be changed with one button press) require two button presses (i.e. one to activate the backlight and then to change the setting). However, other options such as wireless slave or zoom require the two middle buttons (+/-) to be pressed simultaneously to enter and switch through options in the menu. This is a little cumbersome to work, especially one handed, but is alright once you get used to it and leaves a clean/uncluttered button layout.
Something interesting to note is that when the battery is low and as the flash is recycling, the backlight of the screen will dim or even turn off completely (to provide more power to the flash recycling), making it hard to read and decreases the usefulness of the backlight. It is only when the flash has fully completed recycling that the backlight will return to full brightness. However, this has the effect of being a battery performance indicator, telling you when the batteries need to be changed.
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Conclusion
The flash integrates perfectly with Nikon's i-TTL and performs great in mixed lighting conditions in i-TTL. The manual mode with 8 step increments is flexible enough for most strobist applications, however 1/3 or 1/2 stop increments as seen in Nikon flashes may be much more flexible. Other features such as HSS and wireless slave can also be useful in some situations. Overall the Metz 50 AF-1N is a great flash for the price and if you can live with the menu system and its lack of wireless master capability, you have yourself a great flash unit useful for many different situations.
If you're into more manual strobist applications, I would suggest looking at some cheaper alternatives such as older/used flashes (just make sure the trigger voltage is safe for your camera) or off-brand manual only flashes as these are cheaper and have the necessary features for manual strobist work. Personally, I went a step higher to get i-TTL for times I need auto to do the work, more features, and for better build quality.
Lastly, if you are just looking for a flash for occasional use or need just an more powerful source of illumination than your pop-up flash, the Metz 50 AF-1 may not be right for you. There are smaller and cheaper options such as the Nikon SB-400, Metz 36 AF-5, or the Metz 24 AF-1. These lack crucial features for the more advanced photographers, but if you just want more light, these may be perfect for you.
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Added Findings
#1
I had reported in my previous review of the Pentax version of this flash that the locking pin mechanism had broken. There is a small lever that raises and lowers the pin and that lever is pushed up by a ramp on the locking nut. On my copy of the Pentax version of the flash, this lever had broken and the locking pin had to be raised by inserting a small object (like a jeweler's screwdriver) to raise the pin.
From some forum threads, I had learned that this problem plagued early models of the flash and Metz was replacing the mechanism with a newer version. I am happy to report that on the current (Nikon) copy of the 50 AF-1 that I have, the small lever has been redesigned to be much thicker than before and thus it is more robust and should hold up to everyday use.
It is a little hard to see, but on the newer models, the lever is about 3mm thick while on the older copies, it is about 1 mm thick.
#2
When controlling the flash directly (i.e., physically changing settings on the flash), manual mode only goes from 1/1 to 1/128 in full stops (1/1, 1/2, 1/4, ..., 1/64, 1/128). However, when using the Nikon CLS system (wireless) the camera can tell the flash to fire in manual mode in 1/3 stop steps (i.e., 1/1, 1/1.3, 1/1.7, 1/2, etc.). So if you require 1/3 stop tweaking of the flash power when doing manual work, its possible to do so when using Nikon's CLS Advanced Wireless Lighting.
#3
My Metz 50 fell off a lightstand and the front fresnel lens for the main reflector shattered into 5 large pieces. Thankfully, and due in part to the tough construction of the Metz 50, the flash still works fine. I contacted Metz Germany via email to obtain a replacement fresnel lens and they replied within one day saying I should contact the Netherlands distributor. Great service by Metz Germany...
Metz Netherlands, on the other hand, still hasn't replied to me. As of writing this, its been 3 weeks. As a quick solution, I superglued the fresnel lens together and put it back on the flash. Its a dirty solution, but it worked. Still waiting for a response, or someone to donate a dead Metz 50...
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Links
Metz 50 AF-1 Product Website
Review: Metz 50 AF-1 (for Pentax)
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