REALLY SORRY TO ASK THIS AGAIN!

Hi, newbie here, finally taken the plunge after months of lurking!

I really am sorry to ask, I know this question has, in various ways, been asked before (many times!), and you are all probably getting fed up answering it, but . . .

I have spent the entire afternoon on the forum, and elsewhere on the net, and I REALLY cannot decide whether to buy the Metz 48 AF-1 Flashgun, or
the Pentax AF 360 FGZ, to go with my K10D.

There is little to choose between them when it comes to price; I have found the Pentax for £136.95 at www.purelygadgets.co.uk, and the Metz for £149.99 at www.morrisphoto.co.uk.

There are obviously issues with flimsy battery cover and lack of swivel on the Pentax. I like the idea of the swivelling Metz; is there any particular reason not to favour it above the Pentax?

Will be used wherever natural light is not available, just general hobby stuff, portraits (pets and friends), party pics (friend's wedding soon), etc. Very keen on exploring more Macro.

I know for a first post it's a bit naughty of me to post this in the wrong place, but I get the feeling the 'flash' forum is not so frequently visited, and I wanted to get as many views as possible, and get my order in pdq. By all means move to 'flash' if I'm breaking the rules.

Thanks for all the learning I've been surreptitiously absorbing from you all!!


Kay

Hello, and welcome to Pentax User.

Some of us here tend to stick to genuine Pentax gear (especially lenses) because of consistency, quality, and a lack of hassle (sometimes non-Pentax gear doesn't work with later models).

However, if the Metz had been available when I bought my first 360, I would have bought the Metz.

G

I don't think there is a better amateur level PTTL flash gun on the market than the Metz AF48-1. The only things it lacks are a dumb slave mode (to allow wireless operation with cameras which can't do wireless PTTL) and a classic Auto mode (to allow auto operation with pre-TTL cameras).

If neither of those bother you, buy the Metz. Even the dumb slave issue can be solved with a very inexpensive slave unit from Ebay.

There are good arguements for favouring Pentax gear, but one thing one should realise is that Metz make flashguns. It's what they do and all they do. They are very good at it. From that point of view, it could be argued that the Metz ought to be a BETTER gun than the Pentax own brand.

That was the reasoning that persuaded me to go with the Metz 58!

There have been some quality issues with Pentax flashes! I have a Metx (the 5 and am very happy with it, pound for pound they are cheeper than Pentax.

Many thanks to everyone who has taken the trouble to respond to my query.

Looks like it's a landslide victory for the Metz then!

Phew - such a relief to have finally made a decision. Can't believe how much time I've spent on this today!

Now, where did I put my credit card . . .

Kay

Thanks Mr Lazarette!