Question

Okay this is going to sound pretty stupid to most of you im guessing
Say, I buy a flashgun
Whats the thing called that allows me to hold the flashgun off-camera via a cord (to the hotshoe??)
Are they expensive?
Im very new to lighting/flash etc.
Also, im looking at buying a flashgun, which would be better
Pentax AF360FGZ or the Sigma EF 530 DG Super (considering the Sigma is £20 more)
And I dont really care about the badge.

If you are thinking of buying a wireless flash (like the two you mention), then you don't need a hot shoe adapter and cables.

Furthermore, pretty much the only flashguns that work fully with the K10D are wireless anyway.

When flashguns have numbers in their names, they usually refer to the power of the gun. The AF360 has a guide number of 36, and I would presume the Sigma would have a guide number of 50.

I tend to veer between using AF500 guns in manual mode (they have a built-in sensor to trigger them), and the AF360 guns in wireless mode. I seldom use cables now.

G

Ahhh
Cool
Heh
So, I would only have to buy one, nothing else?
What is the wireless range on these flashguns?

I use a K100D, any problems with compatability? (You mentioned they work fully with the 10D)

Thanks for the help,
Rob

Unless you particularly want the AF assist light on the flashgun with the flash off the camera. I find a silent red grid shocks people a little less at parties than the pop-up in 'manic strobe' mode.

does the k100 do wirless controller with the built in flash?
if not you'll need two flashes, or the cables (note the cables and shoe adapters are expensive enough to justify spending a little more to get the second flash...).

One other question, what the hell is P-TTL.
Seen the word everywhere, and theres a guide to it in this forum, but what is it?!?

I think you are right. With my blurry eyesight I had read K100 to be K10D. Wish people wouldn't forget the D!

One thing I didn't mention was the cost of cables and adapters. It will be in the region of £80, so if you are going to spend that, you would be better off getting a second flashgun.

G

It's where the flash emits first a small flash, during which it measures the light coming back and then sets the flash output for the main flash, which takes place a very short time later (but long enough to see two flashes if you look carefully). The 'P' is usually taken to mean "Pre", although I've never seen that written down.

It differs from TTL flash metering in that with the latter there's only one flash, and the amount of light coming back is metered during the exposure, and the flash is cut off when the camera's had enough.

There's lots about it on the web, and here.

Ah I see
I completely understand it now
Yes, I could find what TTL was.
P-TTL seems more efficient to me, personally.
But the older flashguns dont support P-TTL/TTL? Are they manually metered or what?

You're the only one then.

Thank heavens. The Pentax design team can sleep easily tonight...

Joking apart, P-TTL is thought to result in more accurate metering, but it does suffer from one huge drawback. A lot of people have reactions quick enough for them to blink when the pre-flash goes off, resulting in half-closed eyes during the actual exposure. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that for portraits (and informal party shots) this can be the biggest right royal pain in the **** imaginable, so manual mode can often be best (or A mode, which uses the sensor on the gun itself to cut off the light when it thinks it's had enough).

Interestingly, I find that if they're a bit drunk, the problem is a lot less bad, not surprisingly perhaps...

As I said, there's a lot on the web about all this stuff (hint: don't necessarily expect people to always save you the trouble of doing your own research).

However, a very good place to start for basic info about just about every bit of Pentax equipment under the sun is http://www.bdimitrov.de/kmp/.

For non-Pentax equipment, supplier web sites usually have spec sheets.

By the way, just to be clear...

It's the camera that does the metering based on the pre-flash's reflection that comes back Through The Lens.

I used the word 'it' above rather loosely, sorry.

However, the high end flash guns also have a sensor built into them, which is used in A(utomatic) mode. In that case, the flash gun's sensor cuts off the flash when it has measured enough light.

It's not quite as good as TTL metering, since the flash sensor (although not the flash head itself, if it swivels or bounces) has to be very close to the lens axis, and pointing towards the subject, otherwise what it meters will bear no relation to what goes through the lens during the exposure.

With TTL metering, it's the camera that measures the light coming back, so the flash can be anywhere you like, and point in any direction.

I see
Well, taking the hint I shall go out into the wide world of google
And wikipedia also
And that site you very generously shared

Thanks,
Rob.

No worries - and don't get me wrong, people here collectively know just about everything, and are really helpful. I've learned a lot myself from people here, for which I'm very grateful.

It's just that there have been one or two, over the last year or so, who show up only to ask any number of questions that can easily be answered with a very small amount of internet research, clearly put little thought into the answers they receive, and give nothing back in terms of providing help of their own.

I just like to think that this is a community where there's give as well as take, that's all - not at all having a go at you.

It's actually a more efficient use of your time to do a quick search of this forum, before posting a question. In all likelyhood it's already been asked and answered, and you don't have to wait for a response.