Size and Weight

Size and Shape

Although all flash makers list the height, width, and thickness of their flash units in the manuals, the fact that flashes are not actually cubical makes these numbers not particularly useful on their own. All of the flashes bulge in different directions, and there's different degrees of narrowing near the base. The Metz 48 AF-1 is nominally smaller than the Sigma EF530-DG, but it's fatter, so it doesn't necessarily take up less space in practice. Plus, some companies seem to give the dimensions in the tilted-forward configuration, and others with the flash straight up.

The important thing is: only the very basic Pentax AF200FG, Metz 24 AF-1, and Tumax DSL28 series are really small. The Pentax AF360FGZ and Metz AF 36 AF-5 might qualify as compact, but the others range from large (Metz 44 AF-1) to quite large (Pentax AF540FGZ, Metz 58 AF-2, Sigma EF610 DG).

Weight

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This list shows weight with four NiMH rechargeable batteries (about 110g). The manuals list the weight without, but since they all use the same batteries and since a flash without power isn't much good, this is more useful for comparison. The values also include any required modules.

  • Tumax DSL28AF: 180g
  • Metz 24 AF-1: 180¹
  • Pentax AF200FG: 300g
  • Metz 36 AF-4/AF-5: 315g
  • Promaster 5250DX: 330g
  • Promaster 5550DX: 360g
  • Promaster 5750DX: 360g
  • Tumax DPT5AFZ: 360g²
  • Promaster 7200EDF: 365g
  • Pentax AF360FGZ: 380g
  • Tumax DPT3AFZ: 380g
  • Promaster 7400EDF: 395g
  • Sigma EF-530 DG ST: 415g
  • Metz 44 AF-1: 415¹
  • Sigma EF-610 DG ST: 430g
  • Sigma EF-610 DG Super: 440g
  • Sigma EF-530 DG Super: 445g
  • Metz 48 AF-1: 450g¹
  • Metz 50 AF-1: 450g¹
  • Metz 52 AF-1: 455g¹
  • Metz 58 AF-1/AF-2: 465g
  • Promaster 7500EDF: 490g
  • Pentax AF540FGZ: 490g
  • Metz 54 MZ-4i: 550g³

1 The weight in the manual is with batteries (some Metz manuals say erroneously that it is not); this is calculated from the base weight plus 27.5g per battery.
2 Yes, the DPT3 series flashes weigh about 20g more than the more-advanced DPT5 series.
3 This is with the Pentax-specific SCA 3702 module. With the generic SCA 301 module, total weight is about 20g less.

These flashes can be broken into several groups in terms of flash power for the weight:

The smaller flashes like the Pentax AF200FG generally produce less light for their weight than the higher-end models, with a slight edge to the 2-battery units like the Metz 24 AF-1 and Tumax DSL28AF. The absolute size is lower, but you pay for it in power (and likely in recycle times as well.)

The Pentax AF360 and all six Promaster models all rate about the same, as is the Metz 36 AF-4/AF-5 and Metz 44 AF-1. The discontinued Metz 48 AF-1 and 50 AF-1 produce slightl more puch for the weight, and Metz 52 AF-1 a bit more yet.

The older Sigma models and the higher-end Metz 58 AF-1/AF-2 and Pentax AF540FGZ weigh more, but you do get more than linearly-corresponding power and versatility in exchange. The new Sigma EF-610 flashes and Tumax DPT5 series are at the top end, providing the most bang for the weight.

All that said, as the chart shows, though, especially when batteries are considered, there's not really a huge range in the entire lineup. The 2-battery flashes are outliers on the low end, and the big module-based Metz is on the heavy side, but in the middle everything is pretty much the same.

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