About a year ago I have done to me this flash together with the corresponding Metz diffuser - and in itself was also taken with the device. It works just fine with my Canon EOS 550D. During operation, therefore I must complain about only three things:
- The relatively weak and cooperating only with the central AF sensor AF-assist illuminator and
- That somehow not 100% matching TTL exposure control - my flash I have to turn down the camera always in 1/3 stop.
- The only four power levels in manual mode are sometimes a little bit.
Overall, this is but whining at a high level, you can live with these little quirks well - especially for the really good price. An amateur photographer the opportunity as I'll never get this flash of its load limits, I thought ...
Months ago, and after a three - wenns comes up - three-digit number of trips then started the engine push every now and then to spin on when I plugged the diffuser; the diffuser was simply not recognized correctly. The now and then went so far that the diffuser has been recognized after plugging, the zoom pulled away, then failed detection, the Zoom drove back again, the recognition was working again, the zoom pulled up again, and so on ...
So I had - with increasing frequency - an incorrectly adjusted flash or flash units-Beat Machine. I found interesting but wanted nevertheless rather simple flash only reliable. So the unit went to Metz-factory service.
As it was two weeks - and then I got a replacement unit. In the detection of the diffuser worked ever again, but the engine ran Zoom somehow scratchy. Anyway, I was excited about the flash.
Not even two weeks, a handful of photos later this joy, however, was already over - the power zoom was over and was always hanging between positions 35 and 55mm.
At the moment the flash is so for the second time at the customer service.
Addendum: The customer service has hastened and this time delivered good work. The flash works as it should. Hence
- A star deduction for the abovementioned weaknesses in the function
- A star deduction for the fact that I had to send in him several times.