Powershot G7 & Metz 36 AF-4C Flashgun

Hmmmm, the title sounds rather like one of those dodgy industrial bands I used to listen to at college, but actually this post is about cameras.

I recently brought a Metz Mecablitz 36 AF4 flashgun for my Canon Powershot G7, I thought I’d scribble down my thoughts, for no other reason than during my research I couldn’t find any other posts from people using the same combination.

First and foremost, the flash works, talks to the camera without a problem and gets exposure close each time, I normally only need to underexpose by a third of a stop to get it right. It does introduce a slight lag, and is by no means as quick as the internal flash. That said, at Gn36 it has a plenty of pop.

As you might expect, the handling of the G7 is thrown by the attachment of a large chunk of plastic, roughly the same size as the camera itself. It takes some getting used to, although the addition of a lens adapter brings the balance back and makes it feel quite natural.

For a G7 or G9 I think the Mecablitz 36 AF4 is a good match, it’s one of the most compact flashes to offer a tilting head, although its a shame it doesn’t have a built in diffuser. The battery compartment id is very fiddly, but battery life is good, so its not a big problem. The other reservation I have is that the manual recommends a 10 minute break if you fire off 15 flashes in quick succession, especially when high powered batteries allow rapid recycling. This is to avoid thermal overload and permanent damage to the unit. The manual doesn’t specify what interval ‘quick succession’ is so it makes one rather cautious.