Off camera flash adaptors

I want to connect a flash using the X-sync socket on the camera and cable, but am confused about what adaptor to fit on the other end of the cable. There are three listed on the Pentax website but all say they are designed for attaching to the hot shoe - I.e. If the camera doesn't have the socket, not for the other end with the flashgun. Any ideas? Also, can I still use the camera in manual mode?

If it's a basic PC sync socket then plug the PC sync cable in and maybe something like this on the other end:

http://www.harrisoncameras.co.uk/pd/Hama-Hot-Shoe-Adapter_006951.htm?gclid=CjwKE...

Or you can plug the lead directly into the studio flash / flash.

Just be careful with the flash trigger voltage, I'm sure I read if you use a PC sync lead you're safe but I can't 100% remember.

Why not use wireless triggers?

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Gareth
Welsh Photographer

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Thanks Gareth, I thought a cable setup would take less space in the bag for using flash in the field; I.e. with the camera on a tripod I could hand hold the flash for fill-in or close-ups.

Hi Rob,
I have a third party, Nikon fit, manual only flash unit that I used with a bridge camera in the past. When I invested in my Pentax DSLR, my local camera shop sold me a gadget which is effectively a hot shoe with a short cable that fits into the external flash socket on the camera. This "hot shoe" sits on a plastic foot that fits into the camera's hot shoe, so no electrical contact there, so that the flash can be used on camera if so desired. The shop also dug out of their second hand box a 2 metre synch cable with a male connector on one end and a female one on the other. Putting this between the camera and the flash unit plus external hot shoe allows me to do just what you say you want to do . It all works a treat.
Regards,
Mike

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Regards,
Mike

Every day's a holiday!

If you're concerned about the trigger voltage of a non-Pentax flash, this gizmo will solve the problem: link. I use one regularly with my venerable Vivitar 283, which has a trigger voltage that would fry these newfangled electronic cameras. It also solved a problem I had with an old Achiever flash, where the polarity of the synch connection was opposite to modern standards. This wasn't an issue with the mechanical trigger switch on old SLRs but could pose problems with the newer electronic systems. It also has a a synch-cable socket, if that's the route you choose. Here is a handy guide to the trigger voltages of many older flashguns: link. It's widely reported that all Pentax-branded flashes, from whatever era, all safe with DSLRs.

Good luck.

Al