Does the Metz 48af work TTL with the G1? Does it balance OK on the small G1?
Is anyone using the Metz 48af with their Panasonic cameras? If so, how do you you like the Metz with your camera?
While I've been delighted with the performance of the dedicated Pana/Oly model Metz 48 AF-1 on the G1, I would never attempt to use it mounted to the camera hot shoe. Even though the flash is not huge, it wouldn't balance at all well on the camera. The Olympus FL-36 would balance better, although I doubt it would recycle fast enough for wedding shooting.
I always use the Metz 48 AF-1 off-camera: either with a sync cord or radio triggers (PocketWizards, in my case). I originally bought the Olympus FL-CB05 extension cable and TTL works perfectly with it and the G1. But since the cord wasn't quite as long as I'd like, I supplemented it with a cheap Nicna clone (with a longer coiled cord) from eBay. That seems to work equally well but, to be honest, I haven't tried it much with TTL since 99% of the time I use MF lenses on my G1 cameras.
If I need something portable and fluid, I hold the G1 in my right hand and the Metz 48 (fitted with a handle and a wrist strap) in my left. I zone focus and bounce the light from any available, appropriate surface. When I occasionally need to change the aperture or focus, I let the flash dangle from the strap and make the necessary adjustment. I learned about this technique from a
Reid Reviews article and, with a bit of practice, it's incredibly easy and effective. Sean Reid uses it specifically for shooting weddings.
For more elaborate lighting setups, I use the non-dedicated multi-flash approach that Godfrey described in his post. I happened to have some Nikon SB-800 flash units but the Vivitar 285HV that Godfrey mentions is much less expensive and works equally as well. This method -- three cheap manual flash units, light stands, brackets, radio triggers and light modifiers (umbrellas, snoots, gobos, etc) -- is often described as the
Strobist approach (though I'd guess that Godfrey had figured it out long before it was explained and popularized by
David Hobby).