Metz mecablitz 52 AF-1 Digital

£180, $320

Features an intuitive and very handy touchscreen

This Metz flashgun looks pretty basic from the rear, but don’t let that fool you. Instead of featuring lots of buttons that could be hard to use or even to see in the dark, the Metz has a touchscreen. You can therefore simply poke your way around the flashgun’s extensive menu, making it quick and easy to access the settings you want to alter.

Upmarket attractions include the usual bounce and swivel head with a 24mm to 105mm motorised zoom, a built-in wide-angle diffuser and a reflector card. As this is a reasonably low-budget option, it lacks the Gloxy’s programmable stroboscopic mode, but it does feature full wireless master and slave functions, which are compatible with Nikon’s Creative Lighting System.

Performance

As with the Gloxy, the maximum power output of the mecablitz 52 fell some way short of its quoted Guide number of 52, and this time TTL metering was a bit on the bright side. We also found recycling speeds were a little pedestrian. Even so, it’s good value, and the touchscreen is perfect for quickly accessing advanced settings.