Battery Adapter for Metz 45 CT 1, CT 3, CT 4, CL 4

• Metz 45 CT-1
• Metz 45 CT-3
• Metz 45 CT-4
• Metz 45 CT-5
• Metz 45 CL-1
• Metz 45 CL-3
• Metz 45 CL-4
• Metz 45 CL-4 Digital
• Metz 45 CL-5

• Battery adapter 1: for Ni-Mh / Ni-Cd (7.2 V): 1x battery basket
• Battery adapter 2: for alkaline / lithium (9 V): 1x battery basket
• Complete NiMH kit: 2x adapters + rechargeables + charger: 2x battery basket, 12x AA rechargeable battery, 3x battery storage box, 1x universal charger

• Material: engineering plastic
• Colour: black
• Capacity: 6x AA cells
• Versions: Ni-Mh (7.2 V) or alkaline (9 V)
• Closure: screw-off bottom cap
• Recycle time at full power: 12–15 s with high-resistance, high-capacity cells (our own measurement); usually shorter with low-resistance cells such as Eneloop Pro or Varta 2600, depending on how much the flash capacitor has deteriorated over time
• SKU: 9930

The original battery basket in the Metz 45 CT-1 and the other models in the Metz 45 series is made of plastic that turns brittle after decades and eventually breaks. Metz no longer supplies a replacement. This basket solves the problem: designed as a 1:1 replacement for the Metz 45-39, it keeps your handle-mount flash alive.

Internally, the Metz 45 series uses two separate input circuits: one for lower voltages (rechargeables) and one for higher voltages (alkaline). That’s why the basket comes in two versions: the Ni-Mh version (7.2 V) is designed for 1.2 V rechargeables such as Eneloop and uses the circuit with the lower cut-off voltage. The alkaline version (9 V) runs on 1.5 V disposable batteries or 1.5 V Li-ion rechargeables via the 9 V circuit.

1. Insert six AA cells into the battery holders to match your version: 1.2 V rechargeables in the Ni-Mh version, 1.5 V batteries or 1.5 V Li-ion rechargeables in the alkaline version.
2. Press the inner section with the battery holders firmly into the battery compartment so it’s clamped in place.
3. Screw the bottom cap on hand-tight. To change the cells, just unscrew it again.

How quickly the flash is ready again depends on the cells’ internal resistance, not their capacity. While recharging, the 45 draws a few amps, and under that load the voltage of a high-resistance cell sags. We measured Eneloop Pro 2500 and AmazonBasics High Capacity 2400 ourselves: 18 and 23 mΩ. For the Varta Recharge Accu Power 2600, the manufacturer specifies 35 mΩ at 1 kHz. Budget high-capacity cells are well above that: we measured Camelion 2700 at 84 mΩ.

This feeds straight through to the recycle time. With six high-resistance budget cells, we measured 12 to 15 seconds at full power on the 45 and around 3 seconds at half power; Metz quotes about 8 seconds for the original NiCd pack. Cells with low internal resistance such as Eneloop Pro or Varta 2600 come much closer to that original pack. For the alkaline version, Metz specifies 0.3 to 15 seconds with disposable batteries. The upper figure applies at full power and gets longer the more the batteries are drained.

“The flash isn’t responding. What’s wrong?”

• No contact: clean the contacts with a metal object, such as a flat-head screwdriver or a key.
• Cell too thick or spring too weak: push the cells into position by hand until they make contact at both ends.
• Faulty flash: use a multimeter to measure the voltage at the battery basket’s contacts. If it reads roughly the rated voltage, the problem is probably in the flash. If there’s no voltage or noticeably less, check the cells, polarity and contacts in the basket.

“Why does the flash only work with certain rechargeables or batteries?”

Cells differ in voltage, capacity and internal resistance. For the Ni-Mh version in older units, use high-quality NiMH rechargeables with low internal resistance, such as Varta Recharge Accu Power AA 2600 mAh; otherwise malfunctions can occur.

How do you use an old handle-mount flash on a film camera?
In his English-language guide Flash Photography with Film Cameras, Bene of Face of Light Photography explains how flash works with film cameras: working out guide numbers, the auto aperture settings on a thyristor flash, using a cold shoe with a sync cord, and the trigger voltage of older units. He runs his own Metz 45 CT-1 on the Alkaline version of this battery holder, which he bought himself and has used on several shoots.

Watch the video guide on YouTube