K-7 Pre Flash

Hi Guys,
Since upgrading the firmware on my K-7, when using the onboard flash it now fires a pre flash before taking the shot. That's OK except when trying to use it with remote slave flashes as these fire with the pre flash so when I take the shot I have no slave flashes anymore. Does anyone know how to turn this feature off, I've had a look in the menus and can't find anything.
I'd appreciate a little help and advice from the experts.

Surely the K-7 always would have fired a preflash, that's what the P in P-TTL means. Somewhere in your manual is a list of lenses compatible with P-TTL.

With some lenses fitted, the older K & M series I think, the pre-flash might not fire.

You can't turn it off. K and M lenses might or might not turn it off. Some slave flashes are designed to ignore the pre flash. You might want to look into that.

My K-7 only fires a preflash in red eye reduction modes. (version 1.10)

That is highly unlikely unless there is a problem with it.

The onboard flash works in P-TTL mode with most, if not all, modern lenses. To check it, turn off the red-eye reduction option, pop-up the flash, take a photo paying particular attention to what you can see in the viewfinder before the mirror is raised prior to the exposure. The best way to do this is to look at a wall mirror through the viewfinder.

When you press the shutter you should see the pre-flash in the viewfinder before the camera's mirror is raised to make the exposure. You won't see the flash that is used for the exposure because the camera's mirror is up by then.

I don't have a K-7 but it's also possible that some exposure modes might remove the pre-flash so use Av mode for your test. Some older lenses of the original K and later M series might also cause the pre-flash to be turned off.

It's not possible to turn off this pre-flash on my K20D's, but it might be possible on a K-7. If it is, I'm not aware of it.

Pages 173 and 292 of the K-7 .PDF manual shows that P-TTL flash is only available with A series or newer lenses.

Most people use either a small very low powered flash on the hotshoe, ifrared or wireless (radio) triggers to trigger remote flashes.

Ah, I see- not the same as the red eye reduction preflash.

No Gary, the red-eye reduction flash is quite separate from, and in addition to, the P-TTL pre-flash.

Oh bu66er ... red eye was on I never use red eye (don't do people pics) BTW if I turn it off, even with the DA*16-50 attached it doesn't pre flash

DOH! Now I'm going to go crawl under a rock or maybe I should sell up and join the canonians or start ballet classes (isn't that the same thing?), either way I am not worthy of being among the esteemed company of you proper Pentaxians.

It does pre flash. The pre flash is so close to the flash that takes the picture that you don't see it. If you take a picture with flash at a mirror, you'll see the pre flash in the viewfinder just before the mirror trips up. You can't see the flash that takes the picture trough the viewfinder because the mirror is up while that flash happens.

Yes it does. See Yves post above and my earlier post above that. Trust us, it does do a pre-flash.

Look directly at a mirror through the viewfinder with the flash popped up so that you can see your camera and flash. Take a picture. Do you see the flash in the viewfinder? Yes? That's the pre-flash.

See? Told you so.

OK I believe you

Persuasive, aren't we.