General flash...580EX II vs. Metz 58 AF1?

For those of you with the experience with both...if you were ordering now, which would you get?

This is for general use - not specializing for portrait or wedding or anything else.

There was a review in the Shutterbug Feb issue. As with mag's they dont relly kill one or the other but I went with the 580ex II myself.

Oh and the new shoe lock down is really nice! I also like the catchlight card it works nice for family snaps and the like.

Thanks for the reply!

I've not seen any of the photography mags recently - I guess I need to go over to the PX and see what they have. I've been reading up in the forum and other places, and it seems to be pretty much neck-and-neck as for preference from what I've seen.

mnealtx wrote in post #4928829
For those of you with the experience with both...if you were ordering now, which would you get?

This is for general use - not specializing for portrait or wedding or anything else.

I have both but the Metz 58 AF-1 mostly sits in my bag looking nice and pretty while the 580EX II gets a lot of use.

PacAce wrote in post #4929267
I have both but the Metz 58 AF-1 mostly sits in my bag looking nice and pretty while the 580EX II gets a lot of use.

It was your review that got me looking at the Metz in the first place!!!

What made you decide to drop the Metz and go with the Canon?

mnealtx wrote in post #4929313
It was your review that got me looking at the Metz in the first place!!!

What made you decide to drop the Metz and go with the Canon?

That review compared the Metz 58 AF-1 against the 580EX. However, the 580EX II added new features which puts it at a more even footing with the Metz 58 AF-1. Compared to the 58 AF-1, the 580EX II is still lacking in the external auto mode department in that the 580EX II seems to underexpose the images in auto mode more than I would like. But that's easily corrected by add +FEC. With the 58 AF-1, the exposure is a little too hot for my taste so I need to add -FEC.

On the other hand, the ergonomics of the 58 AF-1 is not up to par with the 580EX II, especially when navigating through menu items and options.

In ETTL wireless remote mode, the 58 AF-1 is not compatible with the Canon flashes when used with the 1D series camera although it seems to work fine with the 30D camera. I mentioned this to Metz tech support but they still haven't come up with a fix.

At full power, the flash duration of the 58 AF-1 is 1/125 , making the usable max sync 1/125 or slower.

On the plus side, the 58 AF-1 does have a mini-usb port for downloading firmware updates. And it's a good thing, too. When I first bought the 58 AF-1, I couldn't use it off camera and that really bummed me out. Fortunately, Metz was able to come up with firmware v2 which fixed that so I can now use the 58 AF-1 off camera.

When the 58 AF-1 first came, it was a very good alternative to the then more expensive Canon 580EX and later, to the 580 EX II. However, with the instant rebate Canon is offering right now for the 580EX II, the price of the 58 AF-1 and the 580EX II are about the same. And that, to me, makes the 580EX II a better choice.

PacAce wrote in post #4930027
At full power, the flash duration of the 58 AF-1 is 1/125 , making the usable max sync 1/125 or slower.

That was a deciding factor when I bought the 580EX II. When you're outdoors competing with the sun, this effectively reduces your range by about 30%.

That rebate expires tomorrow 2/17/08.

Better hurry!

Yeah I got my third 580EX II before the rebates ended. And with this code PS11072DHTY the 580EX II is $339.95 at B&H

Franko515 wrote in post #4930191
Yeah I got my third 580EX II before the rebates ended. And with this code PS11072DHTY the 580EX II is $339.95 at B&H

Pitty I didn't see that cupon code to save an extra $10.00.. I just bought my first 580EX II. I use my 430EX as slave... what a beauty are those two together!

The Metz has a wonderful feature: the adjustable catchlight thrown on the front of the subject. I have a 550EX and I know use the Metz as my primary on camera flash. Once you get used to the menu system it is very easy to control (a bit strange at the beginning). I have not used the 580EX II. The Metz does fire the 550EX as a slave...and that's what I now use my 550 for. I really like the small size and upgradabilty of the Metz. PS. I had to send the 1st one back due to sticky buttons, but the 2nd one works fine.

Leo made some very good points. I also purchased another 580EXII since the rebate actually made it cheaper than the Metz 58 AF. Also, I find it more comforting to have all the same gear when on location shoots. Working w/ different brands means: different cords, accessories, etc. I guess you can say it's "Peace of Mind".

I think the Metz was intended as a cheaper replacement for the 580EX, which it still is in Europe (350 Euros vs. 450 Euros). It's got more cumbersome controls, slower recharge time, ... it's simply geared towards the amateur while providing most of the functionality, and as a pure amateur I'm quite happy with it.

Unfortunately for Metz the pricing got screwed up due to the extremely low value of the US$, which ate away most of the price difference. In Europe the Metz is still a lot cheaper than the Canon, so it's worth considering there.

Sounds like I'll do better with the 580EX II, then.... I'll have to test it out with some of the sport stuff that I shoot when I'm on vacation (skydivers landing) and see if the high speed sync will be able to keep up...some low-speed action like in this post and some higher speed stuff as swoopers come in (30+ mph)