Mecablitz 50 AF-1 digital

I have had the Mecablitz 50 AF-1 digital for a few months now so have worked out how to use its features in relation to my needs. However, I recently wanted to shoot above the 1/180 flash sync speed so thought i would try the P TTL HSS function on the Metz flash. I just wanted to share my findings which so far have been very good.

I have taken shots all the way up to 1/8000 with no problem with the following settings:
50mm
f/4

I did loose light at 1/8000 but have been amazed at the results. I just wondered if anyone else out their has experimented with HSS mode and the Mecablitz 50 AF-1 digital?

If you thought 1/180 was your limit, I think you will be very pleased with the results if you need faster shutter speeds and flash and own a Mecablitz 50 AF-1 digital.

Hi,

I use the Metz 50 AF-1 in HSS mode quite a lot, I can also recommend spending £30.00 and getting a Rogue Flashbender as it softens the light greatly.

Summer portraits turn out lovely and I use the 50mm 1.4 FA to get a really shallow DoF - at f1.8 the lens and HSS combination are hard to beat.

Check one of my images on Flick:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidbladon/5836492801/in/photostream

look at the EXIF data f1.8 @ 1/800 and flash fired.

I only fairly recently swapped my AF360 for a Metz 58 AF-1 so haven't tried Metz HSS yet, but I will now after seeing Claude's photo! Also must try this 1/8000 sync, that sounds useful.

I was pleased with Metz too, a week or so after making the swap I was doing some multiple flash photography and realised that the Metz didn't have an optical slave mode (something I used all the time on the AF360)! I was disappointed, until I started Googling and discovered that Metz had just released a firmware update to add that feature. 5 minutes later and hey presto I had optical slave mode on my Metz. Happy camper

If you want to take burst shots w. flash then I can understand the need for faster shutter speeds and the HSS, however since, even at 1/180, the flash burst only last for 1/1,000 to 1/10,000 of a sec. so it's not like a faster shutter speed has any effect on single shots, or ....... ? What am I missing here ?

huh... one more time Frogfish

Maybe this might help answer your question.

Because the flash only last 1/1,000 to 1/10,000 your sensor is almost instantly lighted so it would be a problem if one of the shutter curtains is moving over the sensor that's why we have a flash sync time.
At that time (1/180 for Pentax) the first shutter has moved completely over the sensor and the second shutter will just begin to move so there is no shutter over the sensor at that time to obstruct the flash light.

HSS works by calculating on how wide the "window" is between the first and second shutter. While the shutter moves the flash will go off when the shutter have move the width of the "window", so you get a laminating effect.
Don't mind the numbers but if the sensor is 10mm high and the window is 1mm, the flash will go off and waits till the shutters have move 1mm and go off again and then wait till it travels 1mm and go off again, ect, ect. so the flash will go off 10 times to fill the whole sensor with flash light.

I didn't understand what Stefan wrote but 1/8000 is useful in bright sunlight to not overexpose the background when using fill flash and a fast lens wide open.

Excellent - thank you for that explanation Stefan. As you can see I have the Metz 50 but only use it for indoor events, usually for a little fill light outdoors the pop-up flash is surprisingly enough even at 10m or so, and I don't have to carry a bulky strobe around.

Cheers Tim - that explains why I have never had that scenario in Shanghai - I've never seen that much light here !

Frogfish

For me personally if I use a sync chord such as my Nissin, I can take the flash off the camera position it where and how I like, and still have P TTL and be able to use HSS mode, for fast moving images such as BMX, Mountain Biking, the faster the shutter I can use the better, being able to throw some light on the subject at the same time as using a fast shutter can make all the difference image wise, which is why I was so impressed with the Metz HSS mode.

claudefrog, Good image, very creative use of the Metz and Flashbender

That's an interesting way to speed up the shutter speed (I'm usually an 'Ambient Light' man) ! Don't have those type of sports round here but I do use the Metz off-camera with a Yongnuo radio set-up. Works well for macro !