Metz 70 mz-5

Can anyone tell me if this is compatible with a canon 500d? Can't seem to find any info or a compatibility list!!??

My battered copy of the "Metz Program 2004" (ie. catalogue) shows the 70 MZ-5 as using the SCA 3xxx system. This means that the SCA-3102 adapter (Canon-specific) is the applicable one, the M5 variant is the latest in the line and should give you full control. I use these adapters on my two Metz 54 MZ-4 units (same era) with complete success. You WILL need the SCA-3102 M5 adapter, anything else will definitely give you less than full control. I have an M3 variant and it only does bits 'n bobs, by no means the full set of twiddles (it's intentionally kept that way).

Depending on where you are (cos you don't specify in your profile), it's possible to get older SCA-3102 adapters updated. I've heard that Bogen in the USA do this for free (no personal experience, so treat with care). In the UK, Intro2020 will handle it for £14.70 + Carriage + VAT (as at 14 Dec 2011); that was for an upgrade from M straight through to M5 specs.

Intro2020 being a company? I'm in Ireland, so it turns out it is the m3 so I just pay this company 14.70 plus p&p and they will upgrade it to an m5?

Yep, that's what they did for me just before Xmas last year. Only difference was that the one they did for me was a straight 'M', right before M1, M2, yours, M4, latest M5.

Service Dept.
Intro2020
Priors Way
MAIDENHEAD
Berkshire SL6 2HP
Big Island off the east coast of Ireland (just past Ireland's Eye & Lambey Island)

Service Direct Number (for you): 0044 1628 799902

Whortleberry wrote in post #14935017
My battered copy of the "Metz Program 2004" (ie. catalogue) shows the 70 MZ-5 as using the SCA 3xxx system. This means that the SCA-3102 adapter (Canon-specific) is the applicable one, the M5 variant is the latest in the line and should give you full control. I use these adapters on my two Metz 54 MZ-4 units (same era) with complete success. You WILL need the SCA-3102 M5 adapter, anything else will definitely give you less than full control. I have an M3 variant and it only does bits 'n bobs, by no means the full set of twiddles (it's intentionally kept that way).

Have you any idea what feature(s) are not supported by what camera bodies, when not having the later firmware updates? I bought an M3 version 3102 for my 20D, never upgraded it after buying my 40D, and wonder what doesn't work correctly on what bodies, if one used only the M3 with some of the newer bodies.

Wilt: Not off-hand. However, I still have an M3 adapter (intentionally) so when I get a moment either this evening or tomorrow morning I'll sit down and do a side-by-side comparison with my (converted) M5 and my straight-out-of-the-box M5. Watch this space (as they say )

Lovely stuff whortleberry, that's dedication for helping others out, well done

Sorry for the delay in promised checks. I haven't forgotten - just had all sorts of (non-photographic) problems to deal with. I'm still on the case!

Mmmm, yes, well, you see - slightly egg-on-face time. When I sat down and went through the functions of the M3 and M5 variants of the SCA-3102 adapter I discovered that there wasn't actually much difference on the 40D and 7D I had available for testing. The error came about because when I fit either flash/SCA adapter to my Pixel Kings, I get the full menu and it's all selectable. Apparently this selection applies to the Tx unit but isn't passed on to /back from the flashgun. I use these in manual mode all the time and hadn't thoroughly tested. Sorry if I misled anyone.

The most noticeable difference is that on my M3 version, selecting E-TTL is a little bit delicate. It seems to like to get back to the default TTL unless I am very careful with the "Mode" selector button. This is rather awkward as this button also is used to select HSS on my two units.

Other than that, in the 192 combinations I've tried (detailed in the .pdf attached) there don't appear to be any differences for these two cameras. These aren't definitive tests as I only had 2 models of flash unit and 3 SCA modules to play with. They're as reliable as I can get them.

I did also try with both my Metz 45 CL-4 units (not CL-4 Digital) but didn't expect anything useable. And that's what I got - nothing worth noting.

Thanks for the followup work, Whortleberry. So, at least up until the 7D we know there is virtually no difference in functionality due to M3 microcode rather than M5 microcode in the Metz 3102 adapter. My bet is that there is something about newer bodies which made the microcode update to be a needed one; it might be something so innocuous as changing a latent time duration of some status signal in the newer bodies, but not new functionality at all.

I know that Metz service cleverly avoided the question about why I might need a microcode update, but simply replied that they do still do that service. I asked if there would be some benefit of microcode update to M4 or M5 for my 40D, and they did not answer that question. They merely wrote, in response to my question about microcode update service being offered, and at what cost?:
"Firmware updates allow the flash unit to communicate with the newer cameras; mostly you would need a firmware update if you are using the flash with a newer camera...the updates are free, you would just need to send them in to us along with a short note on which firmware you would want."


BTW, I do not find my M3 version adapter to be 'touchy' in selection of eTTL vs. TTL...it merely needs the camera to be 'awake' and sending some status signal to the flash and it switches.

Yes, Metz are somewhat reticent about a number of things like 'Why ....". Unusual for a German company, in the past I've found them quite forthcoming if asked but not on this subject. But they aren't the only ones who are getting a little secretive now, I tried to get L41 transmission curves from Hoya and the process simply stalled dead. Silence was the stern reply

I wonder if it's something to do with licensing issues as these units (at least) seem to studiously avoid any feedback from the in-camera menu - hence the large number of Xs in my findings. Obviously there's no problem with the basics because that is transmission of data to the camera - all of which works, even down to showing manual adjustments to the flash within the menu. Anything going from camera to flash other than the pretty basic (by today's standards) just doesn't seem to happen. Maybe it's just not economic to support old stuff like this.

However, this avoidance does sort of explain the fairly cryptic note on my invoice "SCA Unit - OK - No Fault Found. Upgraded to M5 at customer's request." Yep - invoice - Metz.de apparently charge the UK importers for the upgrade software and then they charge us. Perhaps the US distributors have slightly more clout on account of market size and hence you get the upgrades for free.