Older Metz Flash on D30

[mikekiwi]

Hi,

I recently bought a used EOS D30 and am looking for a cheap external flash for it. As I think I'm not going to use it a lot, I was looking for an el cheapo solution (< 100 euro). As I know I'm not going to get an E-TTL compatible flash for that money, I thought it's wise to go for an older Metz-model as I'm told they have a pretty good AUTO-mode.

Two questions:

- is this a wise decision? If so, what type will suit my D30? I've seen a 40AF4-C for a nice price; will this one do?

- will the D30 take advantage of the AF assist light of every external flash I mount on it?

Thanks,

Michael

[Andy_T]

Hi,

do check out the Metz web site for the trigger voltage of older flashes ... you might do damage to your camera otherwise!

Regards,
Andy

[mikekiwi]

Thanks for the reply, Andy. I'm aware of the problems concerning the trigger voltage and the models I'm looking for at the moment are all o.k. .

It are more or less recent models (all AF, all EOS-compatible, only the E-TTL function is lacking) I'm looking for, only about 2/3 years old...

Anyone else has an idea?

Thanks,
Michael

[Andy_T]

Mikekiwi:

I use an old (10yrs) Metz MZ40 II that I bought for my Nikon 601 with an SCA 3402 adapter on my G2. Works fine (illuminates the picture), only doesn't have options like E-TTL flash metering. So some of the photos come out blown and I have to correct.

Transmits aperture, ISO and zooms to the selected zoom level in the correct program, though. Allows for 2nd curtain sync and has a tilt head for indirect flash.

However, i can only use it in manual mode (e.g. camera set to 1/100, f5.6) as the camera doesn't change the aperture/time to correspond with the flash and selects f/2 or too long shutter speeds in the automatic (P/T/A) modes . No big problem for me, as I don't mind using manual mode. However, this could be annoying.

Advantage for me was that I already had the flash and only needed an extra 50$ for a new adapter. I think there's also a newer adapter now (SCA 3403?) available that might give more options.

Regards,
Andy