Which flash for my K10

Well, after many years I have finally decided to bight the bullet and buy a flash. I know it sounds a bit weird to here, from someone who's been taking photo's for years, but until i purchased my 16-50 that overshadows the built in flash, i felt i never really needed one for my style of photography. So, any suggestions out there. I nice simple auto flash that is compatible with the K10, that obviously shadows over a 16-50 lens and is not overpricey.

Pentax Af200 £79
Pentax Af360 £185
Metz 36 £69
Or Metz 48 £158
Jessops Af300 (Abut £50 if you can find it - not on sale on the Jessops website anymore)
Sigma 530 £119 (the most powerful for the money - not the 'super' version)
Sigma 530 Super -

http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/c/34/Pentax-Fit-Flashes.html


I wouldn't suggest bigger guns, these are all in a lower price range, but very good flashguns.

thanks nathan for the info very informative feedback. I will look into that. I heard that metz are good for there price

I bought two Samsung SEF-54PZF flashguns from Amazon. They're identical to the Pentax AF 540 FGZ apart from the badge, and I picked them up for about £180 each, new.

They're not always in stock - I had to wait months for the first one, weeks for the second one. But they were fantastic value, given the price of the Pentax one, and I've been really pleased with them.

Before getting my Metz, spent a lot of time studying Matt's awesome guide

Should tell you everything you need to know about the differences between the flashes.

The mecablitz 48 AF-1, very nice piece of kit, as long as you don't mind digging through a slightly arcane menu to do things. I'm very happy with it, I have to say.

Get a nice simple manual one and stay in control - Vivitar 283 or 285 ideally with the module that lets you adjust the output manually. Only used now though and about £40 for the gun and £20 for the variable power thingy.

Or I bought a sunpack flash all manual for a fiver with semi variable power from a charity shop.

Both need a wireless trigger as the voltage is probably too high for the K10D but that gets it off the camera which is never a place a flash should be anyway.

Exposure is a quick trail and error.

Mike

I had a bad Ebay experience recently, referred to in another thread, where I attempted to buy an AF-400T, Pentax's big hammerhead gun. It had stripped threads on the battery magazine, and the camera and lenses that came with it were badly dented and heavily used. The set had been described as "mint".

Just this morning I took delivery of another AF-400T. This one was mint. I got it from Carmarthen Cameras, and it must have been demo stock which had become separated from its box.

Anyway, it is genuinely unused (there are no tell-tale marks where the bracket attaches to the camera, etc.) and for one hundred smackers I am very pleased.

It just shows that you can still get bargains if you look around. And that a trawl through the websites of provincial camera shops can yield gold.



G

If you don't want P-TTL, the Pentax AF-500TFZ is superb. I have never paid more than £70.00 for one.

G
(Who owns a few flashguns)

Normal (ST) is supposed to be good, but Super does Wireless, HSS and 2nd Curtain

Due to money issues and basically because I don't require much flash photography in my work, I have been thinking of going for the Metz 36 Af4. It seems as though it is an entry level flash, but does comes slightly above the amateur with some advanced features. Do you all agree that for me this would be a good choice, or should I save up and wait to maybe go for the 48 metz?

Are you talking the Sigma or the Metz 36 AF4 please?

The Metz 48 is swivel and tilt, built in diffuser and bounce card.

I think it'll really come down to how you'll be using the flash. As much as you'll be best using the flash off camera, sometimes that isn't possible, and you'll be missing the ability to swivel for portrait as well as landscape.

My research seemed to indicate the Sigmas were less reliable in wireless mode compared to the Pentax and Metz units...

the metz

And outputs more candle power than a lighthouse!!!

Regards