Two years ago I purchased a Used Metz 50 MZ5, because I wanted something a little more reliable than my finicky speedlights. I already owned a couple of 45 CT-4 that I used for years and was accustomed to the higher quality of light these units had to offer. In any case, I also decided to purchase a P50 power pack for my 50 MZ5 for long assignments.
This year I decided to upgrade to the Metz Digital 76 MZ5, because I wanted to use ETTL with my digital cameras. The 50 MZ5 only allowed me to shoot in manual or automatic mode with digtial cameras(TTL with film cameras). I contacted Metz and asked them if I could use the P50 power pack with the Metz 76 and 58-AF-1 which I also own. The answer was a resounding "YES" ! All I had to do was get the proper cables. This worked fine for me for a while. The P50 provided faster recycle time and provided more flashes per charge than the cluster battery the unit came with.
So if the P50 worked fine with the Metz 50 MZ5, Metz 76 MZ5 and Metz 58AF-1 why waste money and get the P76 power pack ? Well, although the P50 and P76 are the same size and perform about the same, the P76 is actually about a stop more powerful, recycles faster and it also provides about 20% more flashes per charge according to the specs, plus it works with all three units, and of course it's brand new. With 2 batteries I can set-up a two light system which can get pretty close to studio lighting, something the speedlights have trouble achieving.
Like I said, the P76 performs pretty much the same as the P50 in that both batteries do not hold the charge very long. After about 2 weeks a full battery is almost drained, however the P76 does show superior holding power over the P50. It does recharge pretty fast in about 90 minutes without memory problems and you can leave it in "Trickle Mode"(constantly charging) indefinately, in case you need the flash in a hurry.
I was a little sceptical that Amazon was selling this unit at almost $100 less than other retailers but I took the chance. So far so good !
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