Sigma EF-530 DG Super Electronic Flash for Pentax

Just ordered this flash gun for my K20D has anybody got one and how do they like it?

Works as good as the Pentax unit. And it won't stay stuck on the hot shoe.

Thanks can't wait to get it
Jack

Yes I have this animal and have to agree with pentaxian450 fantastic piece of kit I realy like using it, regards Ron

Got my flash today and I have run off about 100 pics,a few were under exposure but once I got the settings right everything was OK, I have to say I am well pleased.

When you bounce the flash, try to extend the wide panel. I think the exposures are more consistent when the panel is extended.

I am trying to fire my sigma 530 ST DG Super in wireless mode, settings in the flash are not user friendly at all, well, could be just my lack of inexperience in the field also making it worse. I have managed to find the slave settings and the flash does fire ok in wireless mode, but my problem now is the setting in the K20D. I have activated the Wireless mode from the fn menu, and also on the "C" menu on th (29) put it to "2"=OFF "Discharges the built-in flash as a test flash.

Whenever I fire the flash I see both flashes firing. I think I got the understanding right, from what the manual of K20D says I have to set up the external flash as CONTROL. And this is where I get things jumbled up, I might not know how to set the external one to work as MASTER.

Can someone please help me out on this one?

Thanks

Amin
EDITED: sorry I think I got my wires crossed here.
What I thought its possible might not even be possible so please help me clarify this.
When in the K20 Manual says: CHANGE THE BUILT IN FLASH DISCHARGE METHOD, doesn't it mean that if I choose 2 (OFF)=Discharges the buil-in flash as a test flash. Means that when the shutter is released the built-in flash WILL NOT discharge and only the wirelessly connected SIGMA flash is discharged?
Because if this is correct then I keep on getting both my flashes to discharge, the built-in as well when I release the shutter.

thanks

The external flash must ALWAYS be set as slave. The camera's flash always discharge (for unknown reason, that sounds horny:blush, since the slave uses that flash to fire. It just makes a flash that is too brief to be part of the exposure. You can use the on board flash to be part of the exposure to soften the shadows, too. I think the results look better with the camera's flash as part of the exposure.

Thanks so much for your help on this. I had indeed thought that it would be the case that the onboard flash fires so that the slave (Sigma) would fire, but wasn't sure if this was exactly the case. Now you explain me it makes sense.

So in other words when the onboard flash fires as CONTROL the intensity of the flash is not the normal one that would otherwise be in effect, such as if I was using the onboard flash on its own or if I had set it up as "1" on the "C" menu.

And yes, discharge is the pentax term used , I am reading right now as I type from the manual hehehe

thanks very much for your help

Amin

Sorry one more question please. I notice the SR off when I use the wireless function for the flash on the K20. Is that usual?

Thanks

Amin

Short answer: yes.

Thanks Pentaxian

This way I know at least that I haven't messed anything with the settings and its all how it should be.

just wondering why the SR goes off, I know there must be a reason but with my limited experience in the field I fail to discover why.

thanks for your help

Amin

Because when you take a flash photo the shutter speed is fixed at 1/180 seconds (physically) but is - to all intents and purposes - the duration of the flash burst, that's around 1/30,000(?) seconds. At that sort of speed the shake reduction is completely redundant.

Im also having a problem with the flash under exposing Im following the instruction manual on page 20 slave flash to the letter but still not getting the results.
Ian

There seems to be some misinformation in the posts above.

In wireless mode, the internal flash can be set to Control or Master

In Control the internal flash does not contribute to the illumination. The flash you see is a digitally coded signal to the external flash, and appears prior to the actual exposure.

In Master the internal flash sends the same info to the external flash. In addition it fires during exposure to add to the illumination.

This is well explained in the flash manual.

I would also recommend MattMatic's Pentax dSLR Flash Guide. A very good investment.