Difference between wireless remote and slave?

Wireless does not mean radio. The wire-less communication is done with pulses of light. So that answers one question, no you can't use the Pentax AF360FGZ flash remotely without the onboard flash (or a wireless capable hot shoe flash) being used as a trigger unless you equip your camera with an inexpensive radio or IR trigger.

A slave flash is typically a normal flash which reacts to a flash of light from another flash. No communication occurs between the camera and the remote flash, unlike the wireless flash scenario where quite a lot of information is passing back and forth before the shutter is released and the flash fires.

I don't know the *istDL, but on the K10D go to page 6 (last page) of the "Custom" menu where you'll find the option "Flash In Wireless Mode".

By default this will be set to "1" (on) but you also have the option to switch it off ("2").

There are 3 basic types of wireless flash as far as the P-TTL system goes:

1. Master. Controls slaves and contributes to the picture.

2. Controller. Controls slaves but doesn't contribute to picture.

3. Slave. Takes orders from either a Master or Controller.

The built in flash for the K10D can be either 1 or 2; the AF360 can be used in all three modes.

Even when your built in flash is set to "Controller" it will still emit a pre-flash as this is its way of communicating with its slave(s) - don't let this put you off! A review of the resultant photo should show where the light source is coming from...

The flashes of light can be measured in milliseconds before the main flash goes off - you won't detect them with the human eye I'm afraid...

Slave flash means that it flash when the master or controller flashses.

There are ways to let a flashgun flash off of the camera but you need some equipment for that, but they all work by conecting something to the hotshoe.
Some options are;

- hotshoe-adapter camera > cable > hotshoe adapter for flash.
www.pentaximaging.com look at the bottem to see what I mean.

- infrared hotshoe-apapters, something like these link you need two, one for the camera and one for the flash

- radio hotshoe-adapters, link almost the same as the infrared but this one sort of works also around corners, with infrared the two adapters need to see each other.

Peter, I hope that you can understand my explanation, my English isn't so great lately



To answer your second question, if the AF360FGZ fires it works
Just set the AF360FGZ on manuall and set it to full so that it needs to charge up if it flash so that you know that it works.
To get them to work they need to be on the same channel, that was one I forgot at first.
If you set the build in flash to wireless you see a number in the top display, that's the channel you need to set the flash on since you can't change the channel of your camera
Don't know how to do that with the AF360FGZ since I've the AF540FGZ, sorry

I have to admit the manual for the AF360 is one of the worst technical manuals I've ever owned for any product (and that's quite a few!).

I've pretty much learned by trial and error (and asking on these forums) but it's worth persevering with as the system is quite capable once you get your head around it.

Just to clarify, or perhaps make things worse, ...
The 360 and 540 can be set to fire in PTTL wire-less mode (default) or as a dumb slave. The PTTL mode requires communication between flash and camera.
Dumb slave mode simply reacts to another light source. (sometimes even to fluorescent light flikering, etc...)

The later, if set, may flash off the pop-up flash but in many cases not result in affecting the captured image. i.e. the flash is syncing off the pre-flashes before the main flash is fired or desired. This mode is great if you have only one IR or radio flash unit, but want to slave several flashes of that one.

BTW, don't confuse this "slave" with the "Slave" mode mentioned in the above posts with Controller and Master modes. geeesh, photography terms are as badly overridden as computer terms. You never know what someone is talking about without a good amount of context and base knowledge.

how do you do that? I always had to have the right channel before the AF540FGZ flashes, it would be handy if i know how to turn it off.

Press and hold the light/format button until the slave mode appears. Press the S button to change it. Slave mode 1 = wireless slave mode (intelligent), slave mode 2 = dumb slave mode.

You can change the cameras communication channel to match the flash.

The camera and the flash need to communicate on the same channel. Once you have set your channel on the flash (and there's no real need to change it from the default of 1 in a simple setup) attach the flash to the camera hot shoe, then turn on the camera and the flash. The camera body will then synchronize with the flash and be set to the same communication channel.

Thanks Peter, need to reread the manual again I think

To test the whole wireless flash setup, point your camera and flash at a mirror. Look through the viewfinder when you press the shutter release, you'll see the preflash in the viewfinder (camera's mirror still down). Examine the image to ensure you can see both flashes have lit up.

If you have the onboard flash set to controller, it's flash will be less intense than if it were set to master, but it'll be there.