Metz 58 firmware is here!

[canonpink]

If you email Metz support, they will send you the firmware to get your Metz working off camera with PWs and all the stuff we have been waiting for. Just got my email this morning and plan to update tonight and give it a whirl.

CP

[PacAce]

Cool. Thanks for the update. :)

[canonpink]

You're welcome.

[unferth]

If possible could you forward that on to me?

rony2kmax at yahoo.com

I emailed them but I'm betting I won't hear back till tomorrow... And I can't wait another few hours :)

[unferth]

Thanks :) will be trying that shortly

[unferth]

And.... it works :)

Upgraded both of my flashes....

I haven't tried it with the pocketwizards yet (gotta get the hotshoe to mini plug things)

But, it works using a hotshoe to pc cord :) so it should be fine with the PW's

So, center pin firing works with version 2.0

The update went pretty well, the UI for the updater isn't terribly great but it gets the job done... I haven't tried any of the other updates yet (like changes to how the secondary reflector works)

[farrukh]

Great news. Hey can you send it to my email?

Edit: Thanks unferth, I downloaded and installed the new firmware and it is triggering V2 triggers flawlessly. WOW. also i noticed boot is lot faster... gonna test it more. :D

[roman_t]

yahoo!

[unferth]

I just played a little with the secondary reflector and it seems to work pretty well.. before even at 1/4 power it would seem a little too bright now it's must more of a fill :)

[farrukh]

Yup The first thing i checked after center pin was the secondary reflector. omg how smooth it has become. even at 1/1. But 1/2 seems nice to my taste.

[farrukh]

Firmware Version 2.0 release notes sent by Metz supprt:
Dear Mr. Farrukh,
attached please find a new software V2.0 for a mecablitz 58 AF-1 Canon & Nikon as well as the necessary tool as a ZIP files. These firmware encloses some improvements to unlock the centre pin of a 58 AF-1C for use with a pocket wizzard or any other servo flash releases, secondary reflector, beep shortened etc. Also, the electronic of a S5is and 1D MkIII is considered by a 58 AF-1Canon.

[canonpink]

My issue has mainly been with the Canon 5D (not sure about my 30D) with the Metz in ETTL II mode. The camera would lock up using either the TTL off camera cord, or on the hot shoe (even last night); however, I have not loaded the new firmware yet, so I am betting it will work even better and possibly better with an ST-E2 because the slave receptor is in a better spot, imo, than the Canon flashes.

Thanks for all the info on how the update went. Glad to have been able to help a couple guys because this has been a bit of a pain since this great flash hit the shelves for all of us.

Farrukh, by the way, I just sent the firmware not realizing you had all ready gotten it from unferth. Sooner the better. I am glad it worked for you and him both. Now the update will spread through the email labyrinth like wildfire.

PC

[PacAce]

Well, I just completed a series of email threads with the Metz tech support and they don't want to release the firmware update to me. The guy kept insisting I wait until next fall when they have it up on their web site. Kind of disappointing, really. :(

[unferth]

http://www.digitalconcrete.net/58AF1CanonV20GBWin.zip

[AginKajun]

http://www.digitalconcrete.net/58AF1CanonV20GBWin.zip


Thank you Unferth:D:D:D. Can't wait to try it now..:D:D At least it works with a paper clip across the center pin to side rails.

[canonpink]

Good choice unferth. I didn't think of a link. I hope all that need it get it rather quick. It is ashame the Metz being such a big business cannot get their website in gear to distribute this quicker, however, they probably knew that the forums would cover it.

[unferth]

Heh :) I'm not sure how long I should leave that there though :)

[PacAce]

I just installed the firmware and did some cursory testing and although it allows the use of the center pin for firing with the PW, I think it also broke some other stuff. :(

I just did a couple of ETTL wireless remote testing and it's not looking too well. When I first bought the Metz, I tested the wireless remote feature and that worked like a champ. With the firmware now installed, though, I'm finding that my slave is intermittently not firing. I thought it might have been the connection so I made sure that it was locked in tightly in the shoe but still got the same intermittent results. I pulled out my 580EX for comparison, to make sure it wasn't the slave that was at fault, and it worked perfectly which leads me to believe that it's the Metz that's broken. I'm going to do some more testing a little later when I have a little more time.

[unferth]

ok I'll try both of mine.. so I'll have a metz master and slave....

[unferth]

I just tried it and as long as the slave sensor (on the left shoulder of the flash) could see the master it went off...

I tried it on plain ettl, and on manual (manual in the canon wireless ettl world)....

Seems to be fine.... are your batteries charged?

[PacAce]

I just tried it and as long as the slave sensor (on the left shoulder of the flash) could see the master it went off...

I tried it on plain ettl, and on manual (manual in the canon wireless ettl world)....

Seems to be fine.... are your batteries charged?
Yes, they are. That's the first thing I checked and they all showed full charge. They were charged a couple of days ago. But I'm charging all my batteries again, just to make sure it's not the batteries. I'm also setting up for a more controlled testing down in my basement.

If you guys aren't having any issues, then that's encouraging. Maybe I just have a bad set of batteries and if so, I'll know that shortly.

[farrukh]

I just installed the firmware and did some cursory testing and although it allows the use of the center pin for firing with the PW, I think it also broke some other stuff. :(

Thats why Metz support told you to wait till next year for the firmware ;).
Ok I haven't testing ETTL wireless yet. I'll do it and let you know.

[unferth]

Does anyone have a mkIII and this flash? There was this interestingness in the email I got from them

.....
many thanks for your e-mail inquire and your interest in our products.
Attached please find a zipped software V2.0 for a mecablitz 58 AF-1 Canon as well as installation advices for XP & W2000. This firmware makes the centre pin of a 58 AF-1C unlocked for use with a pocket wizzard. Also, the electronic of a S5is and 1D MkIII will be considered by a 58 AF-1Canon.
For download V2 on your 58 AF-1C you do need only a commercial USB mini cable provided by any electronic shop.


In a month or so I'll be able to try this with my 40d :)....

[PacAce]

[b]Thats why Metz support told you to wait till next year for the firmware ;).[b]
Ok I haven't testing ETTL wireless yet. I'll do it and let you know.
LOL :lol: You would think they would be happy to have someone volunteer to rigorously test their firmware updates before they released it. ;)

[PacAce]

Does anyone have a mkIII and this flash? There was this interestingness in the email I got from them

.....
many thanks for your e-mail inquire and your interest in our products.
Attached please find a zipped software V2.0 for a mecablitz 58 AF-1 Canon as well as installation advices for XP & W2000. This firmware makes the centre pin of a 58 AF-1C unlocked for use with a pocket wizzard. Also, the electronic of a S5is and 1D MkIII will be considered by a 58 AF-1Canon.
For download V2 on your 58 AF-1C you do need only a commercial USB mini cable provided by any electronic shop.


In a month or so I'll be able to try this with my 40d :)....

This is one of the things I was going to look into to see if it's the Mark III compatibility update that might have mine messed up. I was testing with my Mark III. When I do my controlled testing, I'm also going to test with my Mark II and 30D. If the problem only occurs with the Mark III, then it may just be the Mark III portion of the update that's messed up.

[PacAce]

Here are the results I got from another round of testing.

1. With the 30D, the Metz 58AF-1 seems to be working as it always has. Ratio seems to be working fine, too, with the limited ration testing that I did.

2. With the 1D Mark III, the 58AF either works or it doesn't and this is intermittent. Haven't found any pattern yet to tell me when it works and when it doesn't. It seems to be alternating between working and not but even that's not consistent. When it's not working, the slaves don't fire at all.

I haven't bothered testing the ratios since the flash is obviously broken with the Mark III.

3. With the 1D Mark II, the 58AF-1 is even worse. It doesn't seem to be working properly at all. It either doesn't fire the slaves or they are fired at full power.

I didn't bother with testing the ratio with this camera either.

In all cases, the 58AF-1 was set as the master and the flash turned off so that only the slaves were lighting the subject. Initial testing was done with all slaves set to ETTL and 0 FEC. I only tested using Groups A and B (no Group C). Further testing on the 30D was done with A:B FECs set to
+2/3 : -2/3 and -2/3 : +2/3.

If anybody else has a Mark III or Mark II, I'm curious to see what kind of results you're getting with your 58AF-1 with the v2 firmware update. If you haven't updated yet, then it might be a good idea to hold off on the update until this issue is resolved.

[FlashZebra]

Here are the results I got from another round of testing.

1. With the 30D, the Metz 58AF-1 seems to be working as it always has. Ratio seems to be working fine, too, with the limited ration testing that I did.

2. With the 1D Mark III, the 58AF either works or it doesn't and this is intermittent. Haven't found any pattern yet to tell me when it works and when it doesn't. It seems to be alternating between working and not but even that's not consistent. When it's not working, the slaves don't fire at all.

I haven't bothered testing the ratios since the flash is obviously broken with the Mark III.

3. With the 1D Mark II, the 58AF-1 is even worse. It doesn't seem to be working properly at all. It either doesn't fire the slaves or they are fired at full power.

I didn't bother with testing the ratio with this camera either.

In all cases, the 58AF-1 was set as the master and the flash turned off so that only the slaves are lighting the subject. Initial testing was done with all slaves set to ETTL and 0 FEC. I only tested using Groups A and B (no Group C).

If anybody else has a Mark III or Mark II, I'm curious to see what kind of results you're getting with your 58AF-1 with the v2 firmware update. If you haven't updated yet, then it might be a good idea to hold off on the update until this issue is resolved.
Yes, yes, the downsides of being an "early adopter" of big revision firmware updates, I have been waiting for this sort of report after the new firmware was announced yesterday.

Hang in their PacAce.

Enjoy! Lon

[PacAce]

Yes, yes, the downsides of being an "early adopter" of big revision firmware updates, I have been waiting for this sort of report after the new firmware was announced yesterday.

Hang in their PacAce.

Enjoy! Lon

Thanks, Lon, but it's no biggie for me. I have a lot of working flash units to choose from if I need to use a flash. ;)

The sad part is that I had considered the Metz 58AF-1 as a very good flash up to par with the 580EX. But the v2 firmware update really did a number on it. What's disappointing is that one would have thought that a more thorough testing would have been done on the firmware. Unless this is just a beta version of the firmware (but the email that came with the firmware didn't seem to indicate that).

Had I gotten the firmware directly from Metz, I would be more than happy to report the problem to them and work with them, if needed, to get this resolved. But, since I didn't... <sigh>

Oh, well. :|

[jmb4370]

Does the firmware updater software save a copy of the original firmware so you can return to a version that works as you orginally bought it?

[PacAce]

Does the firmware updater software save a copy of the original firmware so you can return to a version that works as you orginally bought it?

No, it didn't seem to unless it was doing it under the covers and storing the previous version in the directory it was running out of.

[PacAce]

BTW, for anybody who is running exclusively on the Mac, the 58AF-1C update can only be installed from a Windows 2000 and a Windows XP machine.

[unferth]

I'd think that metz support should be able to send v1.2 or whatever out to people also.....

[Wilt]

.... But the v2 firmware update really did a number on it. What's disappointing is that one would have thought that a more thorough testing would have been done on the firmware. Unless this is just a beta version of the firmware (but the email that came with the firmware didn't seem to indicate that).

You may have discovered why Canon initially sent out the firmware to some individuals, and then quickly reversed their course when they discovered the flaws!

[PacAce]

You may have discovered why Canon initially sent out the firmware to some individuals, and then quickly reversed their course when they discovered the flaws!

I take it you're referring to the 1.0.9 firmware update for the Mark III? :)

[Wilt]

I take it you're referring to the 1.0.9 firmware update for the Mark III? :)
Gee, I wasn't referring to that at all, merely responding to the post about "they won't send me the same 58AF firmware they sent you"! I meant Metz, but wrote Canon. What are you referring to, about the Canon MkIII?

[PacAce]

I just discovered that the Metz 58AF-1 doesn't work too well as a slave to my 580EX on my 30D, either. Not only is the Metz over-exposing the shot (but don't think it's firing at full power, though), but the color temp is all wrong. The image is coming out too blue and actually blowing the blue channel.

This is incredible. What the heck did they do with the firmware update anyway? :confused: This reminds me of the time I was testing the Sigma EF500 DG Super. :|

OK, this was my fault so I'm going to retract that post. I had the camera in custom white balance mode. :o

It's working fine on the 30D again. Sorry. :o

[canonpink]

Regarding the Metz, my 5D has had issues on TTL with it locking up the camera and the only way to reset is removing the camera battery and reinserting it; therefore, I only use this flash on manual and it shines that way.

This flash seems a bit more powerful than the 580EXs via my testing, however, if I need TTL, or if I don't need the secondary reflector, I won't use it; but now that it is an off-camera manual flash via the center pin, I will use it on lightstands because of its power, etc....

All in all, it will make a nice primary manual flash and backup in other cases, if my two 580s fail.

CP

[Wilt]

Regarding the Metz, my 5D has had issues on TTL with it locking up the camera and the only way to reset is removing the camera battery and reinserting it; therefore, I only use this flash on manual and it shines that way.

This flash seems a bit more powerful than the 580EXs via my testing, however, if I need TTL, or if I don't need the secondary reflector, I won't use it; but now that it is an off-camera manual flash via the center pin, I will use it on lightstands because of its power, etc....

All in all, it will make a nice primary manual flash and backup in other cases, if my two 580s fail.

CP

Since I don't own an 58AF, I don't know this applies to that model or not...If you put the Metz 54MZ in 'TTL' mode, this will not work properly with the camera; the 54MZ needs to be set to 'eTTL' not 'TTL'!

[canonpink]

Sorry, TTL is my shortcut for ETTLII.

[unferth]

the 5d locks up? Do you have the latest camera firmware?

That sounds really wierd... like something you should email Canon support about :)

[unferth]

....even if there was theoretically something wrong with the flash, no matter what you put on the shoe, it shouldn't cause the camera to lock up....

...(Or, at least since software is what I deal with, that would make sense... you've got something external you have no control over, you shouldn't let that take your system down)

[PacAce]

....even if there was theoretically something wrong with the flash, no matter what you put on the shoe, it shouldn't cause the camera to lock up....

...(Or, at least since software is what I deal with, that would make sense... you've got something external you have no control over, you shouldn't let that take your system down)

I guess you don't work with PCs, huh? ;)




Just kidding, folks. It's just a joke. :lol:

[farrukh]

Metz reply regarding new firmware issues with ETTL wireless mode on 1DMK3/MK2 reported by PacAce:

Dear Mr. Farrukh,
unfortunately, we have no chance to check the wireless E-TTL remote with a 1D Mark II and the Mark III. But. we checked it with our 30D successfully. All the things were fine. Please mention all the settings you have made on your cameras and flash units to make it clearer.

best regards

Soundy funny. Adding new cameras in this firmware without testing them on those bodies :D

PacAce, mention your camera and flash settings.

[PacAce]

Metz reply regarding new firmware issues with ETTL wireless mode on 1DMK3/MK2 reported by PacAce:



Soundy funny. Adding new cameras in this firmware without testing them on those bodies :D

PacAce, mention your camera and flash settings.

farrukh, I got the same email from Lutz and I sent him all the pertinent info regarding the testing and results that I got. I'm waiting for his response as to what other specific testing he'd like me to do or info he'd like me to send him. Hopefully they'll be able to get to this resolved but it's going to be tough if they don't have a 1D series cameras to test on themselves.