Couldn't help using the DA*50-135 on this one when I saw it coming towards the lock. Had been using the 50-135 earlier on to snap some of the Medieval festival shots.

Stefan, not sure if studio flash would give me the ability to lower the power as much as I need, never looked into that. But also I need to reposition the flashguns in very different positions and sometimes awkward locations due to tight space so it comes very handy.

Do studio flash allow me to work all those settings the same way?

I will look into that, thanks for the tip

Stefan, already hammered my head on this the whole day, just not going to work, they definitely do not have this facility on these ones at least.

So if Nikon or Canon versions have it then perhaps I should start thinking of moving to one of them , what do you think? .

Thanks for helping me out on this one Stefan, but I got so fed up with it today and didn't get anywhere so went and returned both the flashguns to SRS and got the sigmas instead. I will miss the extra power outputs as the Metz 58 could go up to 1/256th and the Sigma only up to 1/64th but I will have to work out something different now.

Had I known that the Canon and Nikon version could do the SL power settings on manual I would have just got them because for the work I need them I do not need the flashguns to be specifically for pentax. I am not going to link them directly with the camera nor even use the TTL function in them. They are purely for off board use so versions for different cameras wouldn't make a difference. The sunpak I am using is for Nikon anyway.

But on the brither side the sigmas are £46 cheaper anyway and I am very used to the menu system already

Not to worry Danny, the road to SRS is pretty straight from here .

Right, off to bug good old Chris now
on my way there, if anyone wants me to check something while I am there you have got five minutes to let me know as I will be logging off shortly and head to Watford

Let me get back to my source and I will update you on that.

Nope, Stefan

I am really frustrated. I have spent hours on this.

What happens is that I have to choose "M" from the MODE button. Then I have to proceed to the SEL button to shuffle until I reach the REMOTE and then accept that to take me to the submenu option to choose Slave.

Once I come out of that menu after pressing return button I lose the ability to select any parameters at all except EV, ZOOM and Channel. And of course it fires but I am not sure if it fires with the right setting of power as chosen originally when I was in the MODES menu option prior to going into the SEL options to select REMOTE.

And if I want to check the power obviously I have to go to MODE and the only way it will give me MODE OPTIONS is if I turn off REMOTE OFF from the SEL menu, then the dediated button will let me choose TTL, strobe, M or A etc, and when I obviously go to M mode to check its showing 1/1 again. grrrrrrr this is utter ridiculous. I can't believe this is like this. At least it shouldn't be.

What happens with the fact that I want to use REMOTE SLAVE on MANUAL and want to keep changing power output? Sigma, Sunpak and as you mention Pentax seem to be able to do that, why not Metz? I bought this one because I thought it was good and it allows me to lower the power output down to 1/256
But its frustrating me really.

Thanks for your help Stefan, I can see you have been through the manual and are coming to the same conclusion. Menu system once I get into it looks pretty straight forward, probably too straight forward even and may be that's why its creating all this problem

Stefan
I really need the Metz to work on wireless, and being able to control the power to it.
Don't ask me why because it would take a a huge comment to explain it all. I have been through the whole lot of options Stefan, yup I know what you mentioned also in the comment. Suffice to say that its imperative that I get the Metz to be put in slave mode, off camera, control the power output and then fire it when the other off board flash fires.

Anyone who has played with the menu system in the Metz probably would be able to help.

The menu system in the metz works like this: I get the root menu where I can select"TTL mode", "A Mode", "M Mode", "Strobe Flash Mode", "Spot Beam Mode". But bear in mind that all these modes are only possible if I have selected "Remote Off" from the "PARA" selector to begin with.

So what I try to do is select "M mode" from the MODE button and then go to the SELECT function button and then from among the options I choose "Remote Slave" and then when the only settings in the parameters I get to choose is EV up to +2 or -2, Channel selector and the Zoom, nothing else.

So based on this I am assuming as I have selected the for example 1/16th when it was in the "M" mode when I choose "REMOTE SLAVE" it should fire on 1/16th of power activated by my other off board flash. The fact is it does fire but I dont think the setting is correct. Why do I know this? because it just doesn't allow me to adjust anything else once its into the REMOTE SLAVE mode except those parameters I mentioned, the EV, Channel and Zoom. Also confirmation that I am assuming correctly what is happening is that when I put it to REMOTE OFF so that I can select MODES and I check again the "M mode" there it is, the power output when I go through the PARAS showing me 1/1.

Why does it do this? So strange, unless it just doesnt allow me to select power output in a SLAVE MODE. And I thought the sigma was tricky, but its not, its exactly the same as the sunpak. I just shuffle the MODE and choose "M" and then parameters will allow me to choose "SL", any power output up to 1/64 and the F one too, and there is it, ready for me to use it as off board flash and as slave.

Why can't I do this with the Metz? Doing my head now

Only the 645D is going to be in production shortly, forget FF for the moment.
Do not ask me where the info came from because if I tell you I would have to kill you . But just take it as from a very very reliable source

Hi everyone,
I am trying to fire the Metz 58 AF-1 and also the Sigma EF 530 DG SUPER as slaves off the camera and have tried several options in the menu system but can't manage to find a way to do it. I am almost sure they have an optical flash trigger because that's how they work off board and they do trigger but what I am trying to do is achieve this by setting it up manually rather than through the setup through the camera which links with it wirelessly. What I find is I can do it this way by using the onboard flash as controller but then I lose the ability to adjust the power of the Metz and Sigma and also I would be forced to fire the onboard flash.

What I want is not to fire the onboard flash and just have one flash connected through the pc cable and when that fires the other ones also fire. The settings I find on the sigma and Metz that allow me to do this by getting around it as wireless flash mode do not allow me to adjust the power. The manuals just do not explain how to use the flash wirelessly and reduce the power, unless I am missing something here.

I use an old sunpak which gives me that facility. All I do is put it to manual and select SLAVE instead of MASTER, and can easily adjust everythig, the F stop, the zoom and most importantly the power.
All I need is to fire the Metz and the sigma offboard but being able to adjust the power levels. If I can get at least one of these to fire this way then I can link the other with the pc cable and then use the sunpak and the other one offboard in this manner.

Any help will be much appreciated

Thanks

Amin

EDITED: Sorry just wanted to say I have managed with the sigma, but not with the Metz still. The Metz is the one I have been fiddling with for a couple of days and no success at all. Decided to try with the sigma and it instantly allowed me to change the power setting in M mode and put it as SL also
Now going to have a go at Metz again. Unless there is something in the air today that after days of trying it suddenly today I might have woken up with my grey matter more enhanced the Metz is making my head off

if its says version 1.3 then its updated
What were you expecting to see different may I ask?