AF330 FTZ and istDL

Hello All
Will my AF330 FTZ flash work with an istDL unit, or will I need to buy a new flash gun to,

Thanks

Beagle

This is one of the greatest disadvantages from Pentax.
The new digital bodies don't symchronise with TTL Pentax Flashes, as well as the Digital lenses can't be put onto an analog Pentax.
You can find information at Pentax forum of the : http://www.dpreview.com.
Only Pentax *istD has a good cooperation with both TTL and P-TTL flashes.
I am interested in buying a Pentax *istD only for this reason.
Pentax got into the marketing games that Canon did, betraying their customers. Every new lens you buy does not operate with analog bodies or future bodies (with full frame CCD).
My advice for everyone Pentaxian "DON'T BUY PENTAX LENSES WHICH ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH ALL THE PENTAX BODIES AND DON'T BUY ANY NEW BODY WHICH IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH LENSES OR FLASHES OF THE PAST".
If you do it Pentax will change the formats and will make you change continuasly your equipment. This is very ennoying.
Finally only Nikon respects their customers.
So, if you are thinkig of changing branch, this is the opportunity to do it.

Rubbish.

Modern lenses work with modern cameras. There will never be a so-called "full-frame" Pentax DSLR, and most people will never use film again, so they will not be disadvantaged in any way by buying modern lenses.

And the technology in modern flash units is far superior to the 20 year old TTL design, so why should Pentax maintain compatibility with such old designs, especially when most Pentax users bought Sunpack or Vivitar flashes anyway.

Plus, you can still use your older flashes in manual mode, which is how most professional photograghers prefer to work anyway.

If you are so keen on Nikon, I am sure there are Nikon forums that you will enjoy. You might find something about compatibility issues with Nikon equipment that you would prefer not to mention.

G

My friend,
You know that I am not so keen on Nikon. If I was, I wouldn't participate in this forum.
I have been a Pentax fun for years, and still I am.

I am afraid that a lot of people here don't understand that Pentax cannot avoid the production of a FF Digital Body, at the same time that every other company will.
Canon was the first. Nikon is on the second place. Pentax and Olympus will be late again, but they must do it because they want to gain new customers and the customers of the future will be more technofreak than now.
It is the same game with computer technology.
I can surely tell you that no body will be flagship for more than 5 years. Pentax Z1 was the flagship of Pentax for more than 15 years!!! This is not going to happen again.
Just remember!!!

Nikon have quite clearly said they are going with the APS-C sized sensor. Only Canon and Kodak have had full frame, and that is not without its own problems.

No 'my friend', there is one person here who doesn't seem to understand that Pentax are soon to release a digital version of their 645 body which will more than satisfy the need for a larger frame size for those who want/need it.

Take your head out of the sand, Pentax will produce only APS-C and 645 format digital cameras. They have no need to produce a camera with a format between the two which is not compatible with their lens production road map.

Dear Beagle ben, u certainly seem to have stirred up a hornets nest here! Your ? was will a AF330ftz work with an 1st DL, the answer is YES IT WILL! I asked the same ? when I first got my *1st DL & the great Peter Bargh himself assured me it would ,& it does! have no fear!
Regards, Harry.

Hadn't realised this topic had been gatecrashed as well....

I honestly can't believe the nonsense being spouted or SHOUTED:

Buyers of Canon EOS 300/350/400 and 10/20D/30D who obtain the kit lenses are sometimes disappointed when their nice compact EF-S lenses don't work as well when they've updraded to the 5D or 1D....

Buy a Sigma lens for a Canon, change your camera body and find out you get an error message when you start using the lens...

Buy a Nikon digital D40 or D80, you get a digital lens, no good if you want to go out with any F-series camera... Nikon have said they won't go FF.

Olympus... OM-lenses can be used on E-series by use of an adaptor, I doubt that Zuiko Digital series lenses can be used on OM-cameras. 4/3s is a smaller standard than APS-C.

BACK to topic:

BeagleBen - I hope it works, I have a 500FTZ and a D and DL, but not tried the flash to see if it works...
Your manual should give you info on using AF series flashes on your camera...there are good people in the forum that can help you ENJOY your kit, and make best use of it.

My friends,
Do you remember what I had said?

johnriley, see http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Nikon/nikon_d3.asp
about Nikon Full Frame body.
So, did you see how clearly was Nikon statement?

All the rest see
http://masterchong.com/v2...sony-alpha-dslr-a900.html
about Sony movements.

George, do you still think that everything I had told is : "Rubbish..."?

You said that:
"Modern lenses work with modern cameras. There will never be a so-called "full-frame" Pentax DSLR, and most people will never use film again, so they will not be disadvantaged in any way by buying modern lenses. "

About film don't be so sure as there a lot of people who lost their digiatal data and are very thoughtful. Anyway, take a look at
http://blogs.photopreneur.com/photographers-who-still-use-film

Never be sure about future. Many things are going to change...!!!

Yes.

All true.

A lot? The article mentioned five photographers.

Bailey is an old dog, and can't be bothered to learn new tricks.
Jack Dykinga uses large format, and since it is impossible to produce a large format sensor economically, he has no choice.
Sacha Dean Biyan. Same as above.
Nevada Weir. Quote: "the only problem is that in many places I travel there is no electricity and that eliminates the digital camera.”
Richard Murai. Shoots film, then processes digitally. He thinks he has the best of both worlds.

Hardly a compelling set of arguments for everybody going back to film.

The point that you miss (other than giving the wrong information to the original poster regarding his camera and TTL) is that people don't use digital for reasons of ultimate quality.

If ultimate quality is your goal, and you have huge amounts of money, and unlimited time, you might just be able to make a large print which rivals or exceeds the quality that is possible from a good digital camera.

Mind you, there has never been a convincing comparison between prints from film and prints from digital, where it was possible to conclude that one medium is better than the other. What we have instead is a lot of hot air from people with an axe to grind. This is why I said you "MIGHT just be able".

People use digital because of the three Cs: cost, control, and convenience. And the greatest of these is (probably) convenience.


Stay awake. They already have. Film has gone.

I know one thing that will never change. People banging on about how horses are better than cars, woad better than lipstick, spears better than Gatling guns, etc., etc., ad nauseam.

G

Thank you for your answer. I think that you are right.

You didn't mention anything about Full Frame?
Do you believe that Pentax isn't going to produce Full Frame bodies?

Why do you think they will? There are fewer so-called full-frame bodies available now than there were five years ago.

Nikon only produced a 24x36 sensor so as to stop users defecting to Canon on the basis that they just might, one day, perhaps, if they won the lottery, want to use a 24x36 sensor.

How many people actually buy these 24x36 bodies? Very, very few. Pentax makes almost no suitable lenses for a 24x36 sensor, so in order to sell a camera that nobody would buy anyway they would have to produce a whole new range of 24x36 lenses.

It just isn't going to happen. As sensor technology improves, the possible benefits of having a 24x36 sensor recede further and further into the distance.

But we've said all this a thousand times before.

G

Rubbish. I myself mounted a DA* 50-135 on a K1000 last weekend.

It has no aperture ring, so aperture is locked at F22 and it vignettes from 50 to about 75mm.

However, it can be mounted and whats more it meters correctly (at F22, I checked this against my K10D).

On my Z50P or MZ-7 the DA* lens is fully operational at the longer focal lengths.

This is ridiculous. TWELVE replies and NOT ONE with a complete answer to the simple question the OP asked!


Dear BeagleBen

Your AF330FTZ flash will mount on an *ist DL. It will fire at the right time, with no danger to the camera's electronics. It can communicate with the camera, so you'll get motorised flash zoom as you zoom with the lens, to maintain good flash coverage. The spot-beam (AF assist light) will operate alongside autofocus in low light.

However, it will NOT meter flash output with your camera. You will only be able to use it in manual mode - that is, either at full power or at 1/16 power. These modes are known as MH and ML - manual high and manual low.

This is because the *ist DL meters and controls flash output using P-TTL (preflash through-the-lens), whereas the FTZ series of flashes uses TTL (slightly different flash metering technology). They're totally incompatible.

All Pentax DSLRs from the DL onwards use P-TTL, and the Pentax AF360FGZ, AF540FGZ flashes are P-TTL flashes. The Metz 48 AF-1 and 58 AF-1 (in Pentax flavour) are also P-TTL compatible, as are a couple of Sigma flashes.

I think all P-TTL flashes are backwards compatible with all TTL cameras.

In any case, your flash should still be useful - there's no harm getting used to using a flash in manual mode. Many professional photographers use flashes like the Vivitar 285/285HV which has only manual and very primitive auto modes.

Since the original post dates back to November 2006, and the OP has not been back since with any kind of comment, one can only assume that he has answered his own question.