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2. Preparations

Never fire a flash in the immediate vicinity of the eyes!
Flash fired directly in front of the eyes of a person or animal can 
damage the retina and lead to severe visual disorders - even blindness!

Exhausted batteries should be immediately removed from the flashgun!
Lye leaking out of dead batteries will damage the flash unit.

Never recharge dry-cell batteries such as alkaline manganese and 
lithium batteries!

Never short-circuit rechargeable batteries!

Do not expose batteries to excessive heat, for instance sunshine, fire
and the like!

Never throw exhausted batteries on a fire!

Do not expose the flashgun to dripping and splashing water!
Protect the flashgun against excessive heat and humidity! Do not store
the flashgun in the glove compartment of a car!

Make sure to tighten the knurled screw firmly so that the flashgun can-
not slip off!

When taking a sequence of pictures at full light output and fast recycle
times during NiCad battery operation, shooting should be interrupted for
at least 3 minutes after every 15 flashes, in order to prevent overloading.

Never place material that is impervious to light in front of, or directly on,
the reflector screen. The reflector screen must be perfectly clean when a
flash is fired. The high energy of the flash light will burn the material or
damage the reflector screen if this is not observed!

Suitable batteries

1. Safety Instructions

6

Fig. 1: Suitable AA-size batteries

The flashgun can be operated with any of the following batteries:

• 4 NiCad rechargeable batteries, type IEC KR 15/51.

They ensure fast recycling times and are very economical as they can be
recharged over and over again.

• 4 nickel metal hydride batteries. They have a much higher capacity than

NiCad batteries and have less impact on the environment because they are
free from cadmium.

• 4 alkaline-manganese batteries, type IEC LR6.

Maintenance-free power source for moderate requirements.

• 4 lithium batteries, type FR6 L91.

Can be stored for many years with virtually no loss of power, thus making
them ideal for occasional use.

• Power Pack P 40 (optional extra)

Provides microprocessor controlled battery monitoring and state-of-charge
indication (with discharge function).

• Power Grips G 15/16 (optional extra)

Convert a compact flashgun into a handle-mount unit.

NiCad or NiMH ba

tter

y

Alkaline manganese ba

tteries 

Lithium ba

tteries

Summary of Contents for Mecablitz 40 MZ-3i

Page 1: ...3 Zirndorf Telefon 0911 9706 0 Fax 0911 9706 340 Internet http www metz de E Mail Metz Werke t online de 796 47 0111 A4 ķ Note Within the framework of the CE ap proval symbol correct exposure was evaluated in the course of the electro magnetic compatibility test Do not touch the SCA contacts In exceptional cases the unit can be damaged if these contacts are touched ķ ...

Page 2: ...nclature Buttons for value adjustment Locking key Preselector for manual zoom control Multi function key Auto off Rapid pos Normal pos Main zoom reflector Battery compartment cover Rotary base Clamping plate Standard Foot 301 or SCA Adapter Switch for secondary reflector Sensor Secondary reflector AF measuring beam Wide angle diffuser Manual firing button Exposure o k and flash ready light Operati...

Page 3: ... in meters or feet Aperture Zoom reflec tor setting Film speed Battery warning indica Pre flash function for red eye reduction depends on camera type Flashes per second in stroboscopic mode f Hz Number of flashes in stroboscopic mode N Calling a user program RCL Storage of values indicated on LC display STO Acoustic exposure verification ON ...

Page 4: ...nal extras 62 18 Troubleshooting hints 64 Alphabetical index 66 2 Contents Foreword 4 1 Safety instructions 6 2 Preparations 7 Suitable batteries 7 Loading and replacing the batteries 8 Battery warning indicator 9 Mounting the mecablitz on the camera 10 Switching the mecablitz on and off 11 3 TTL flash mode 12 TTL Easy Mode 14 4 Automatic flash mode 15 5 Manual flash mode 18 6 Bounce flash 20 with...

Page 5: ...that you should want to use your flashgun straight away However it will be well worth your while to study these Operating Instructions beforehand to ensure that you can operate the flashgun effectively and without any problems Please also open the back cover page with the illustrations This flashgun can be used with All cameras with a hot shoe contact All cameras with accessory shoe without hot sh...

Page 6: ...ing Never place material that is impervious to light in front of or directly on the reflector screen The reflector screen must be perfectly clean when a flash is fired The high energy of the flash light will burn the material or damage the reflector screen if this is not observed Suitable batteries 1 Safety Instructions 6 Fig 1 Suitable AA size batteries The flashgun can be operated with any of th...

Page 7: ... batteries at the appropriate disposal points Loading the batteries 8 2 Preparations Fig 3 The battery warning indicator The battery warning indicator This facility is a testing aid for alkaline manganese batteries only It is of no significance for other battery types If the flashing battery symbol appears the remaining energy is still sufficient for a limited number of flashes Some battery models...

Page 8: ...old the cover plate only when using the SCA 3000 adapter in the centre and withdraw Mounting 10 2 Preparations Fig 5 Removing the Foot or SCA adapter Push the SCA adapter or Standard Foot 301 all the way in Reset the rotary base to its original position Synch connection between flashgun and camera is automatically established when the flashgun is inserted into the camera s accessory shoe On camera...

Page 9: ...orrections may be necessary with pronounced differences in contrast for instance dark objects in snow see ch 15 p 54 12 Ǻ 3 TTL flash mode Fig 7 Settings for TTL mode Setting procedure for TTL mode Adjust the camera according to the manufacturer s Operating Instructions Fit the flashgun with the appropriate SCA adapter and mount it on the camera 1 Switch on the flashgun with the main switch 2 Set ...

Page 10: ...SCA adapter and mount it on the camera 1 Switch on the mecablitz with the main switch 2 Adjust the operating mode selector to EM Easy Mode 4 Automatic flash mode Fig 9 Measuring scheme for auto mode In the auto flash mode the flash unit s sensor measures the light reflected from the subject The flash is cut off as soon as sufficient light has been emit ted for correct exposure This eliminates the ...

Page 11: ... an SCA 3000 adapter is used some cameras automatically transmit the f number to the flash unit also in the auto flash mode Should this be the case the auto aperture need not be set on the flashgun 4 Automatic flash mode The permissible distance range and the corresponding aperture appear on the LC display The subject should be located within the middle third of this distance range thus giving the...

Page 12: ...in very small increments in the manual flash mode Ǻ 5 Manual flash mode Fig 12 Settings for manual mode Setting procedure for manual flash mode Adjust the camera according to the manufacturer s Operating Instructions 1 Switch on the flashgun with the main switch 2 Set the operating mode selector to M Press the ISO button and set the film speed with the or button Press the Zoom button and use the o...

Page 13: ... 180 The distance values on the LC display disappear as soon as the reflector is tilted upwards or the flash head turned horizontally The distance from the flashgun to the ceiling or wall and from there to the subject is now an unknown factor Ǻ 6 Bounce flash Fig 14 Lock in positions of reflector and head When turning the reflector or flash head it is essential to ensure that it is moved by a suff...

Page 14: ...acteristics are as follows 1 light grey filter with the symbol 1 reduces the amount of light to half the original brightness 1 dark grey filter with the symbol 2 reduces the amount of light to one quarter of the original brightness with secondary reflector Ǻ 6 Bounce flash Fig 16 Switching on the secondary reflector Display Mounting the light reducing filter Tilt the main reflector 90 upwards Remo...

Page 15: ...sh then the sensor in the SCA adapter has not received any light pulse Should this be the case rotate the rotary base of the flash unit so that the sensor can receive a light pulse and repeat step 5 7 Metz cordless TTL remote operation 50 MZ 5 50 MZ 5 50 MZ 5 Slave Controller adj to TTL SCA 300 D only with SCA 312 2AF SCA 332 2AF SCA 333 2AF SCA 346 2AF SCA 356 SCA 374 2AF SCA 381 2AF SCA 300 D on...

Page 16: ...check the display to establish the address to which the slave has been adjusted Co1 and SL1 indicate that the controller and slave unit are both adjusted to address 1 Alternately Co2 and SL2 indicate address 2 rA1 and rA2 not with SCA 3080 M1 adapter in the distance range indication on the LC display can be ignored in these instances 26 7 Metz cordless TTL remote operation Indication that flash re...

Page 17: ...the 40 MZ slave units with an SCA 3080 Slave Adapter switch on with the main switch and adjust to TTL The 40 MZ slaves are now in slave mode Sepa rate the 50 MZ 5 slaves from the controller and switch on with the main switch Press the manual firing button on the controller attached to the camera and fire a test flash The slave will respond with a delayed flash thereby indicating that it is ready f...

Page 18: ... Table 5 of the Technical Data indicates which partial light output level is suited for a given frame frequency frames per second flashes per second Using the winder in the manual mode In the manual mode the exposures are made with a fixed partial light output level selected in conformity with the winder data given in Table 5 of the Technical Data Using the winder in auto and TTL modes In these mo...

Page 19: ...tput levels are adjustable within very close increments The distance value of the flashgun can therefore be easily matched to the subject distance if a specific aperture has to be retained Thus professional flash photo graphy is made possible in a very simple manner to deal with difficult situations great differences in contrast extreme level of reflection when the automatic system would not produ...

Page 20: ...20 Stroboscopic mode In this mode several flash exposures are made on the same frame This is particularly interesting for motion studies and for special effects Fig 20 In stroboscopic mode several flashes are fired at a certain flash frequency Consequently this function is only possible with a partial light output level of 1 4 max or less For a stroboscopic exposure it is possible to select a flas...

Page 21: ...Stroboscopic mode Fig 21 Settings for stroboscopic mode Setting procedure for stroboscopic mode Adjust the camera to manual mode as explained in the manufacturer s Operating Instructions and select the matching shutter speed see Technical Data Table 5 1 Switch on the flashgun with the main switch If the film speed has not yet been set on the mecablitz Adjust the operating mode selector to A Press ...

Page 22: ...atible camera To diminish the brigh tening effect compared with complete illumination adjust the partial light output levels in such a manner that the setting is advanced by 1 3 f stop with each depression of the button 11 Fill in flash in daylight Fig 22 Fill in flash in daylight The mecablitz can also be used for fill in flash in daylight to soften harsh shadows and lower the contrast thereby pr...

Page 23: ...gned in the factory as specified in Table 3 of the Technical Data The second STO and RCL functions assigned to the buttons are displayed only after the Prog button has been depressed The second functions are STO STORE the values indicated on the LC display RCL RECALL Load the stored data of a user program 11 Fill in flash in daylight Fill in flash in TTL mode Some camera models automatically contr...

Page 24: ... flashgun 12 Working with user programs Fig 24 Calling a stored user program When proceeding from program 0 as the home program with the standard operating range to transfer to another program with RCL Recall the data of the standard working range are first stored in the home program place 0 before the new data of the selected program place can be read from the memory In the event that the origina...

Page 25: ...35 mm from 28 mm focal length onwards Zoom 35 Wide angle illumination for 35 mm from 35 mm focal length onwards Zoom 50 Standard illumination for 35 mm from 50 mm focal length onwards Zoom 70 Telephoto illumination for 35 mm from 70 mm focal length onwards Zoom 85 Telephoto illumination for 35 mm from 85 mm focal length onwards Zoom 105 Telephoto illumination for 35 mm from 105 mm focal length onw...

Page 26: ...ty can also be used with TTL mode without having to produce test expo sures The flashgun is adjusted to auto mode and the correct aperture is then determined with a test flash in the previously described manner The established aperture is transferred to the camera and the flashgun is then readjusted to TTL mode This procedure is relatively accurate with lenses of medium focal length of between 28 ...

Page 27: ... with a fully charged battery This mode is not suitable with battery operation ML functions 14 Special functions Fig 27 The AF measuring beam In such an event the exposure o k display remains dark after the shutter has been released Select the next larger f stop e g f 8 instead of f 11 and repeat the exposure AF measuring beam As the release or other sensory control of the camera is operated the i...

Page 28: ...itching on the beep function The beep function can be used to indicate certain flashgun functions acoustical ly An acoustic signal beep may be selected for the following situations Flash readiness Correct exposure Incorrect operation alarm An intermittent beep signalling alarm sounds When after loading a user program the adjusted and stored operating modes do not coincide When after calling a user...

Page 29: ...witch to OFF and then to ON again m ft display 14 Special functions Fig 30 Automatic cut out The Rapid function Recycling times in the A and TTL modes depend on the amount of light required for the shot Recycling takes 11 seconds max when full power flashes are fired Should this be too long the Rapid function comes to the rescue Use of the Rapid function is especially valuable when taking shots in...

Page 30: ...to f 4 Dark background close the aperture 1 2 to 1 f stop e g from f 8 to f 11 Exposure corrections in TTL mode Many cameras have an adjusting facility for exposure correction which can also be used in TTL flash mode Note Please observe the corresponding explanations in the Operating Instructions for the camera or SCA adapter Here exposure correction by changing the aperture on the lens is not pos...

Page 31: ...4 5 16 12 12 8 10 11 12 14 15 5 16 18 16 13 9 11 12 5 14 16 18 18 5 20 20 14 10 12 5 14 15 18 20 20 5 22 25 15 11 14 15 5 17 20 22 23 25 32 16 12 5 16 17 5 19 23 25 26 28 40 17 14 18 20 21 5 25 28 29 32 50 18 15 5 20 22 24 28 31 32 5 35 64 19 18 22 5 25 27 32 35 37 40 80 20 20 25 28 30 36 39 41 45 100 21 22 28 31 34 40 44 46 50 125 22 24 5 31 35 38 45 49 51 56 160 23 28 35 5 39 43 50 5 56 58 63 20...

Page 32: ...nsure that the number of flashes is achieved with certainty 16 Technical Data 58 Table 5 Maximum partial light output levels in stroboscopic mode 2 4 1 8 1 8 1 8 1 8 1 8 1 8 5 7 1 16 1 16 1 16 1 16 1 16 1 16 8 12 1 32 1 32 1 32 1 32 1 32 1 32 13 20 1 64 1 64 1 64 1 64 1 64 1 64 1 30 flashes per second f Hz Number of flashes N Camera shutter speed in seconds Table 6 Camera shutter speeds in strobos...

Page 33: ... f 2 8 f 4 f 5 6 f 8 f 11 f 16 f 22 f 32 f 45 Flash durations approx 1 200 1 20 000 sec in A and TTL modes approx 1 200 sec in M mode at full light output Sensor measuring angle approx 25 Colour temperature approx 5600 K Film speed ISO 6 to ISO 6400 Synchronisation low voltage ignition Number of flashes p battery charge 60 at full light output Swivel tilt range and lock in positions of zoom reflec...

Page 34: ...red light beam Does not require any batteries Mecalux holder 60 26 Item No 0006026 to fix the Mecalux 11 on the Power Grips G 15 and G 16 Power Grip G 15 for the SCA 300 System Item No 0000015 Converts your compact flashgun into a handle mount flashgun Power Grip G 16 for the SCA 3000 System Item No 0000016 Converts your compact flashgun into a handle mount flashgun Synch cable SCA 3000 A Item No ...

Page 35: ...ately 1 second and then switch it off again Reload the used or new batteries Lithium batteries feature an overload protection which prevents them from becoming overheated The overload circuit responds to extreme loads numerous flashes within a short period In such an event the recycling time is considerably lengthened Switch off the flashgun and allow the batteries to cool down A flashing battery ...

Page 36: ...59 Flash programs 41 56 Indirect flash 20 Key function 51 Light reducing filter 62 Locking 51 Manual flash mode 18 66 Metz TTL remote operation 24 Modelling light 49 Motion studies 35 Opening shadows 38 Optional extras 62 Partial light output levels 32 ff Program storing 43 Rapid mode 52 Recycle times 6 7 32 49 60 Reflective surfaces 20 Remote control 24 Remote TTL operation 24 SCA adapters 10 11 ...

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