Nice powerful unit, consistent, fast recycle with fresh NiCad or NiMH battery, and almost non-existent recycle with Quantum external pack.

Settings on hot shoe module make it easier to make changes.

Durable...can take some bumps along the way and come out unscathed.

Heavy (to be expected)

Proprietary (and EXPENSIVE) battery. Several batteries are needed to complete a job, unless you have a Quantum.

This is the second Metz I've owned. Unimpressed by the first, I purchased a Sunpak which served me well for many years. I opted for the Metz 70 MZ5 because it was more powerful than the Sunpak model I was using.

I have the older model which is not iTTL compatible on the newer Nikon digital cameras. Therefore, I have to use the unit in "auto" ather than iTTL dedicated. Not quite as convenient as dedicated, but the results are worth the extra effort (very little extra effort).

The secondary reflector is a MUST HAVE for using bounced light. The tilt and swivel head allow a lot of flexibility in bouncing the light, and the secondary reflector fills in those "raccoon eyes" from ceiling bounced light. Secondary reflector has different power outputs, so it can range from off, subtle, to obnoxious.

Bracket attaches with a click, with a screw wheel to tighten it down. Unit feels solid, and I don't fear for my D300's safety when it is attached.

Customer Service

Many years ago, paid a lot of money to repair a design flaw in my former Metz. Poorly designed and constructed...plastic mounts cracked with normal wear, expensive to fix.

No problems with current Metz.

Similar Products Used:

Sunpak 544 Auto Thrystor
Metz 45-CT1

High power, modeling lamp, modules for various cameras, independent af assist.

Price, propietary battery, weight

I was recently considering selling this item, primarily due to unit and battery cost. After about one year of use, my nickel-cadmium battery is down from 60 full flash bursts per charge to 40, which means that I could probably get 2 rolls of low ISO film per charge out of the flash. However, I decided to stick with it and purchased a nickel-metal hydride battery with an estimated 100 full flashes per charge. A recent shoot fully validated my decision to keep this item. For low light flash photography with cameras without a built in af assist this system is great. I tend to use my flash off camera either handheld or on a Stroboframe bracket and having the af assist constantly attached to the camera allows me to capture images easily in the dark that would otherwise be missed or out of focus. This also allows me to work rather quickly without fumbling and bumbling with focus while my subjects loose their patience. The system fully takes advantage of just about all of the Nikon F5, F100, N90s advance flash features--High Speed Synchronization HSS being the exception. In particular the 3D Matrix fill-flash is a godsend making fill-flash and regular flash photography a no-brainer especially with the Nikon's D chip lenses. This flash is one of the few on the market with a built in modeling light and it does have a slave sensor as well for off camera TTL flash, but I believe it only syncs with other Metz flashes. Modules are available for dedicated flash technology for a myriad of cameras, which increases this flashes flexibility for those who use multiple systems and/or formats. With a guide numbers of 164 -50mm, 230-105 mm (ISO 100 ft) I believe this is one of the most power flashes available (With Sunpak's Auto 622 Super being King with a guide number of 200 -50mm). As I noted in the cons, at about $650 it is definitely the BMW of flashes and like that German made machine has been built with proprietary parts. If you want to power this bad boy you can pretty much forget a trip to the local Walgreens or your drug store. You have to go back to Metz and pay their premium price. And it is a bit heavy, but not too bad.

Customer Service

Returened item for worn chord received back in short time with more robust chord.

Similar Products Used:

Vivitat 283, Nikon SB28, Nikon SB80

This is my 4-th flash and the best one, after charger waz fix, I do not have any other problem. Flash is eazy to use, very powerfool. And I am happy to have one

In my case batery charger do not work. Bracet on this flash is very delicat I am wary not to break them.

I send MZ 70-5 to Bogen Corporation to fix a charger. 14 days past by and my MZ 70-5 arive back to me. They fix problem with charger.I was able to test my 70-5, works super. I think problem with charger was the only problem and Bogen fix free og charge.

Customer Service

Customer Service at Bogen Corporation fix problem in 14 days free of charge.