Yet another K100d/K10d flash compatibility thread!
Posted 18/06/2007 - 13:16
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Hi Michele,
Welcome to the board!
ROFLMAO!!
I've been called a few things in my time... but never that
I have both the AF360 and AF540... both very fine guns indeed.
The cheapest I've seen the AF360 is around £130. The AF540 is a monster and horrendously expensive
Sigma might be worth looking at... but personally I'd rather go with the AF360 as Sigma do tend to reverse engineer the electronic protocols rather than pay - and this can lead to compatibility problems However, I can't really give you a definitive answer on the Sigma - except I do know there were two versions and only one supports P-TTL.
You are right in saying the regular TTL has been dropped from every Pentax body (it was only on the *ist-D and *ist-DS FWIW).
Sooooo.... I'd still say go for the AF360 and push up the ISO rating on the camera
However, you mentioned that you do "events" and you mentioned the "stage" word... do be aware that any flash will positively kill the ambient lighting and can make stage shots look very flat indeed with harsh shadows. When I do stage work I tend to use either a fast lens and/or a monopod
(I have the 50mm f/1.4 and the 100mm f/2.8 macro - both of which are more than the AF360 :blush
Additionally, it might be worth brushing up on your image processing - I can shoot at ISO3200 or ISO1600 and get great images shooting RAW and using Silkypix. (Alternatively Capture One LE and NeatImage is a good combination, or just NeatImage if you shoot JPG.)
Let us know what you intend shooting and we'll help some more!
Matt
Welcome to the board!
Quote:
"MattMatic" a demigod of Pentax flash photography
"MattMatic" a demigod of Pentax flash photography
ROFLMAO!!
I've been called a few things in my time... but never that
I have both the AF360 and AF540... both very fine guns indeed.
The cheapest I've seen the AF360 is around £130. The AF540 is a monster and horrendously expensive
Sigma might be worth looking at... but personally I'd rather go with the AF360 as Sigma do tend to reverse engineer the electronic protocols rather than pay - and this can lead to compatibility problems However, I can't really give you a definitive answer on the Sigma - except I do know there were two versions and only one supports P-TTL.
You are right in saying the regular TTL has been dropped from every Pentax body (it was only on the *ist-D and *ist-DS FWIW).
Sooooo.... I'd still say go for the AF360 and push up the ISO rating on the camera
However, you mentioned that you do "events" and you mentioned the "stage" word... do be aware that any flash will positively kill the ambient lighting and can make stage shots look very flat indeed with harsh shadows. When I do stage work I tend to use either a fast lens and/or a monopod
(I have the 50mm f/1.4 and the 100mm f/2.8 macro - both of which are more than the AF360 :blush
Additionally, it might be worth brushing up on your image processing - I can shoot at ISO3200 or ISO1600 and get great images shooting RAW and using Silkypix. (Alternatively Capture One LE and NeatImage is a good combination, or just NeatImage if you shoot JPG.)
Let us know what you intend shooting and we'll help some more!
Matt
http://www.mattmatic.co.uk
(For gallery, tips and links)
(For gallery, tips and links)
Posted 18/06/2007 - 13:22
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Spinal wrote:
Finally, what are your opinons of these flashes? Which would you buy? Where would you buy it? MicroGlobe has the EF500 Super listed at £89 which I thought of as a bargain
Finally, what are your opinons of these flashes? Which would you buy? Where would you buy it? MicroGlobe has the EF500 Super listed at £89 which I thought of as a bargain
Be very careful here... if you look down the list of the Sigma flashes at MicroGlobe, you'll see the EF500 DG Super listed again further down, as
"Sigma EF-500 DG Super P-TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax with P-TTL Operation" - for £155, much more in line with other stores.
The £89 one doesn't say P-TTL; I have a memory that early versions of this flash didn't have all the capabilities, and would need rechipping before they would. I can't recall the details, but it looks a bit like they're trying to flog off old stock.
Posted 18/06/2007 - 13:35
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ChrisA wrote:
Be very careful here... if you look down the list of the Sigma flashes at MicroGlobe, you'll see the EF500 DG Super listed again further down, as
"Sigma EF-500 DG Super P-TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax with P-TTL Operation" - for £155, much more in line with other stores.
The £89 one doesn't say P-TTL; I have a memory that early versions of this flash didn't have all the capabilities, and would need rechipping before they would. I can't recall the details, but it looks a bit like they're trying to flog off old stock.
Spinal wrote:
Finally, what are your opinons of these flashes? Which would you buy? Where would you buy it? MicroGlobe has the EF500 Super listed at £89 which I thought of as a bargain
Finally, what are your opinons of these flashes? Which would you buy? Where would you buy it? MicroGlobe has the EF500 Super listed at £89 which I thought of as a bargain
Be very careful here... if you look down the list of the Sigma flashes at MicroGlobe, you'll see the EF500 DG Super listed again further down, as
"Sigma EF-500 DG Super P-TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax with P-TTL Operation" - for £155, much more in line with other stores.
The £89 one doesn't say P-TTL; I have a memory that early versions of this flash didn't have all the capabilities, and would need rechipping before they would. I can't recall the details, but it looks a bit like they're trying to flog off old stock.
Thanks! Didn't realise that as I got there through froogle! hummm... I've definetly decided - I'm not going near microglobe! Wheres my bargepole? They do seem fairly ... sly.
Under the £89 version, it lists P-TTL as one of the features... But your reasoning makes total sense! So; in addition to pretending to have stock they don't have they are also flogging old stock!
On that note, I thought Sigma was doing a free upgrade on their flashes? Or was that in the states only?
Thanks again,
Michele
Posted 18/06/2007 - 13:53
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Don't think I used the term Demigod, but he knows his stuff
Posted 18/06/2007 - 14:10
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Just checked out the original epz thread (here) and you mention that you have a Metz...
If you want to use the Metz in a known environment, then you can always use it in "M" or "A" mode (rather than TTL)...
To use the Flash "A" mode:
* Switch camera to "Av".
* Fix the camera ISO setting (not auto!)
* Set the camera to the same aperture as the flash (if it's not dedicated)
* Set the shutter speed as you want... and shoot
(You should be able to balance the flash-to-ambient ratio by lowering the shutter speed and bringing it nearer to the non-flash-metered value)
To use the Flash "M" mode:
* Switch camera to "M"
* Fix the camera ISO setting
* Start the flash at 1/4 power
* Set the shutter speed to 1/125
* Set the aperture to something like f/5.6
* Take a test shot...
- If too dark: either increase flash power or open up aperture (lower f-no)
- If too light: either decrease flash power or close aperture (higher f-no)
(NOTE: there's no adjustment in shutter speed for setting up the flash exposure )
When the test shot looks good, you can choose to lower the shutter speed to bring the ambient light back.
Sounds more complicated than it is And usually only takes three or four test shots once you understand the basic steps
HTH!
Matt
If you want to use the Metz in a known environment, then you can always use it in "M" or "A" mode (rather than TTL)...
To use the Flash "A" mode:
* Switch camera to "Av".
* Fix the camera ISO setting (not auto!)
* Set the camera to the same aperture as the flash (if it's not dedicated)
* Set the shutter speed as you want... and shoot
(You should be able to balance the flash-to-ambient ratio by lowering the shutter speed and bringing it nearer to the non-flash-metered value)
To use the Flash "M" mode:
* Switch camera to "M"
* Fix the camera ISO setting
* Start the flash at 1/4 power
* Set the shutter speed to 1/125
* Set the aperture to something like f/5.6
* Take a test shot...
- If too dark: either increase flash power or open up aperture (lower f-no)
- If too light: either decrease flash power or close aperture (higher f-no)
(NOTE: there's no adjustment in shutter speed for setting up the flash exposure )
When the test shot looks good, you can choose to lower the shutter speed to bring the ambient light back.
Sounds more complicated than it is And usually only takes three or four test shots once you understand the basic steps
HTH!
Matt
http://www.mattmatic.co.uk
(For gallery, tips and links)
(For gallery, tips and links)
Posted 18/06/2007 - 15:07
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Thank you so much!
Matt:
I don't have a metz - someone on ephotozine recomended them - but they aren't p-ttl!
Its (VERY) good to know that the flashes work in manual mode; thats one thing I didn't understand! So thats cleared up!
Sadly, there is a graduation ceremony I need to attend on Thursday and I wont have a chance to take trial shots - I guess its finding a fast delivery company for me!
I'm also not too fussed about ambient lighting - I work in a school and the parents tend to want pictures where they see their adorable little br- ... I mean children's smiling faces and don't really care about ambient. As such, I tend to do full flash pictures during the dress rehersal (where I can stand anywhere I want really) and then do a second run-through during the night at high iso to get some colour. (The things you do to help out, huh?)
I haven't tried monopods yet - I've always been suspicious of anything with less than three legs Will try that! (as well as silkypix!)
What do I intend to shoot? Well, Thursday a graduation - hopefully it will have enough light to render a flash useless. I've also been asked to help out with the yearbook pictures of random "dark and red" stage performances (I call them dark and red because they tend to overdo the red gels on the lights so all the pictures come out looking ... red... VERY red...)
Javam: I read between the lines
Last question:
EF 500 super or Pentax AF 540?
The EF is £150 (from the UK, might even get here in time for Thu), the Pentax 540 £175 (from the US, definetly wont get here by Thu...)
Another question (ok, so that one wasn't the last) - I read in another thread someone recomended wireless Tx/Rx (which I guess stands for transmitter/receiver?) for flashes... How do these work? I understand the basic theory - but do these allow you to use the P-TTL option if you have a P-TTL flash on the other end? Can you connect 2 flashes on 2 sides of a stage and hook those into one sender? I;m going off on a tangent - I'll stop!
Thanks again!
Michele
Matt:
I don't have a metz - someone on ephotozine recomended them - but they aren't p-ttl!
Its (VERY) good to know that the flashes work in manual mode; thats one thing I didn't understand! So thats cleared up!
Sadly, there is a graduation ceremony I need to attend on Thursday and I wont have a chance to take trial shots - I guess its finding a fast delivery company for me!
I'm also not too fussed about ambient lighting - I work in a school and the parents tend to want pictures where they see their adorable little br- ... I mean children's smiling faces and don't really care about ambient. As such, I tend to do full flash pictures during the dress rehersal (where I can stand anywhere I want really) and then do a second run-through during the night at high iso to get some colour. (The things you do to help out, huh?)
I haven't tried monopods yet - I've always been suspicious of anything with less than three legs Will try that! (as well as silkypix!)
What do I intend to shoot? Well, Thursday a graduation - hopefully it will have enough light to render a flash useless. I've also been asked to help out with the yearbook pictures of random "dark and red" stage performances (I call them dark and red because they tend to overdo the red gels on the lights so all the pictures come out looking ... red... VERY red...)
Javam: I read between the lines
Last question:
EF 500 super or Pentax AF 540?
The EF is £150 (from the UK, might even get here in time for Thu), the Pentax 540 £175 (from the US, definetly wont get here by Thu...)
Another question (ok, so that one wasn't the last) - I read in another thread someone recomended wireless Tx/Rx (which I guess stands for transmitter/receiver?) for flashes... How do these work? I understand the basic theory - but do these allow you to use the P-TTL option if you have a P-TTL flash on the other end? Can you connect 2 flashes on 2 sides of a stage and hook those into one sender? I;m going off on a tangent - I'll stop!
Thanks again!
Michele
Posted 18/06/2007 - 15:34
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Quote:
Another question (ok, so that one wasn't the last) - I read in another thread someone recomended wireless Tx/Rx (which I guess stands for transmitter/receiver?) for flashes... How do these work? I understand the basic theory - but do these allow you to use the P-TTL option if you have a P-TTL flash on the other end? Can you connect 2 flashes on 2 sides of a stage and hook those into one sender? I;m going off on a tangent - I'll stop!
Another question (ok, so that one wasn't the last) - I read in another thread someone recomended wireless Tx/Rx (which I guess stands for transmitter/receiver?) for flashes... How do these work? I understand the basic theory - but do these allow you to use the P-TTL option if you have a P-TTL flash on the other end? Can you connect 2 flashes on 2 sides of a stage and hook those into one sender? I;m going off on a tangent - I'll stop!
The wireless triggers were for studio flash
However, that said, you can use two (or more!) AF360/AF540 flashguns with one mounted on the camera - your K100D will trigger the others and operate them in full P-TTL (that's really cool )
If you're needing one urgently - it's always worth giving Chris at SRS Microsystems a call - his prices tend to be pretty excellent and the service is second to none
Just be sure to mention Pentax User (link: Flashguns for Pentax) - that's assuming you're in the UK!
Matt
http://www.mattmatic.co.uk
(For gallery, tips and links)
(For gallery, tips and links)
Posted 18/06/2007 - 15:53
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I'm waiting to see how the new Metz P-TTL flashes perform before deciding on anything. Generally I hate flash photography because in the past it has always blow out detail. My K10D seems to handle flash rather well though so we'll wait and see.
Like the Sigmas for the price, the Pentax ones for compatibility but I've got an old Metz hanging about which is quite impressive (even if it is 20yrs old).
Like the Sigmas for the price, the Pentax ones for compatibility but I've got an old Metz hanging about which is quite impressive (even if it is 20yrs old).
Posted 18/06/2007 - 16:05
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Quote:
I'm waiting to see how the new Metz P-TTL flashes perform before deciding on anything.
I'm waiting to see how the new Metz P-TTL flashes perform before deciding on anything.
Just dug this up:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=22988924
Looks like you'll need both a new SCA3702 and a newer Metz flash unit
Anyone want a Metz 50MZ5 with two NiMH batteries, charger, Lumiquest bounce, and SCA3702???? (PM me if you do. It's a monster of a flashgun!)
Matt
http://www.mattmatic.co.uk
(For gallery, tips and links)
(For gallery, tips and links)
Posted 18/06/2007 - 16:26
Link
MattMatic wrote:
Just dug this up:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=22988924
Looks like you'll need both a new SCA3702 and a newer Metz flash unit
Anyone want a Metz 50MZ5 with two NiMH batteries, charger, Lumiquest bounce, and SCA3702???? (PM me if you do. It's a monster of a flashgun!)
Matt
Quote:
I'm waiting to see how the new Metz P-TTL flashes perform before deciding on anything.
I'm waiting to see how the new Metz P-TTL flashes perform before deciding on anything.
Just dug this up:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1036&message=22988924
Looks like you'll need both a new SCA3702 and a newer Metz flash unit
Anyone want a Metz 50MZ5 with two NiMH batteries, charger, Lumiquest bounce, and SCA3702???? (PM me if you do. It's a monster of a flashgun!)
Matt
I'm waiting for the native P-TTL version to get a whole new flash.
Posted 18/06/2007 - 18:22
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Matt; thanks for that link!
SRS Microsystems is about 20/30 minutes from my house, I'll probably give them a call tomorrow and see if I can collect from their premises!
That said; my budget (well, "she who has the power" dictates that there is no way I'm going to get the 540... so, which would you get? The EF 500 or the AF 360? Keeping in mind that I'll probably resell it in 3/4 months with the intention of buying the 540...
Michele
SRS Microsystems is about 20/30 minutes from my house, I'll probably give them a call tomorrow and see if I can collect from their premises!
That said; my budget (well, "she who has the power" dictates that there is no way I'm going to get the 540... so, which would you get? The EF 500 or the AF 360? Keeping in mind that I'll probably resell it in 3/4 months with the intention of buying the 540...
Michele
Posted 19/06/2007 - 17:48
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So, today I poped by SRS microsystems in Rayners Lane - they made my life a little easier! The only flash they had was the EF-500 DG ST for £99; so I got that!
Just to confirm, the ST does NOT have an LCD on the back. It does NOT have wireless built in either.
I have yet to try it on the camera but it looks quite good! Serial is 807xxxx; which I believe is one of the newer ones too!
Thanks for all the advice, I think I'm gonna hang around a bit!
Michele
Just to confirm, the ST does NOT have an LCD on the back. It does NOT have wireless built in either.
I have yet to try it on the camera but it looks quite good! Serial is 807xxxx; which I believe is one of the newer ones too!
Thanks for all the advice, I think I'm gonna hang around a bit!
Michele
Posted 19/06/2007 - 17:52
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Spinal wrote:
So, today I poped by SRS microsystems in Rayners Lane - they made my life a little easier! The only flash they had was the EF-500 DG ST for £99; so I got that!
So, today I poped by SRS microsystems in Rayners Lane - they made my life a little easier! The only flash they had was the EF-500 DG ST for £99; so I got that!
I'll be very interested to hear your impressions of the build quality.
I'll be after the Super, probably, since I want wireless, and I can't justify stretching to the Pentax AF540.
Posted 19/06/2007 - 19:43
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Got time both for a quick nap and some quick shots. I put the two in the weirest environments I could think of... picture of the corner in the stairs, through a window, reflected through a mirror, of a glossy surface (car bodywork) and a reflective surface (cd).
Other than the throught-the-mirror; which came a little underexposed, I was very impressed. The flash is (very) powerful! My old Canon feels like a toy!
Build quality... an LCD would make it feel nicer. My main gripe about the flash is the built-in diffuser. When "activated" (i.e. pulled out the the casing and swivelled down) it turns off the auto-zoom feature of the flash and sets it too 17/18mm mode. While a nice feature, the little diffuser feels plasticky and prone to break under non-careful use.
That said, as I plan to use the flash connected to a 70-300 lense, I plan to keep it well stored in the housing The flash also came with a little "foot" (kinda made me wonder considering the flash doesn't have wireless...) and a bag. While a nice addition, I prefer my lowerpro bag to the bag they gave - if only I could find one that fitted it!
I think I'll keep this setup for a while (I'll post a pic or two Thursday night to show you how it performed with pictures taken from quite a few meters away in the semi-dark with dodgy stage-lighting). Maybe in future I might consider adding a wireless Tx/Rx or switching to the super version if the range of this isn't enough - but frankly - I'm very pleased with the flash so far!
Michele
p.s. no more pics of the car's bodywork... its suddenly raining cats and dogs here now!
Other than the throught-the-mirror; which came a little underexposed, I was very impressed. The flash is (very) powerful! My old Canon feels like a toy!
Build quality... an LCD would make it feel nicer. My main gripe about the flash is the built-in diffuser. When "activated" (i.e. pulled out the the casing and swivelled down) it turns off the auto-zoom feature of the flash and sets it too 17/18mm mode. While a nice feature, the little diffuser feels plasticky and prone to break under non-careful use.
That said, as I plan to use the flash connected to a 70-300 lense, I plan to keep it well stored in the housing The flash also came with a little "foot" (kinda made me wonder considering the flash doesn't have wireless...) and a bag. While a nice addition, I prefer my lowerpro bag to the bag they gave - if only I could find one that fitted it!
I think I'll keep this setup for a while (I'll post a pic or two Thursday night to show you how it performed with pictures taken from quite a few meters away in the semi-dark with dodgy stage-lighting). Maybe in future I might consider adding a wireless Tx/Rx or switching to the super version if the range of this isn't enough - but frankly - I'm very pleased with the flash so far!
Michele
p.s. no more pics of the car's bodywork... its suddenly raining cats and dogs here now!
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8 posts
16 years
I've been directed here from ephotozine, where I was told that my quest was to seek out "MattMatic" a demigod of Pentax flash photography... that said, after a browse on my searches for K100d in this section, there seem to be lots of VERY knowledgable people!
I'm trying to sort out the mess I've made with my pentax K100ds.. Simply put, I need a new flash, and as I'm just a lowly amateur, I want to spend as little as possible!
Am I right in believing that the K100d has dropped support for plain-old TTL? Hence, this restricts my flash choices to:
Pentax 540
Sigma EF 500 ST/Super
Right?
Next, assuming I'm a power junkie, and want the extra power - this limits me to the AF540 or the EF500. What are the differences between the EF500 ST and Super? What extra "features" (if any) would I get if I went with Pentax over Sigma? Or would I get more with the Sigma?
Finally, what are your opinons of these flashes? Which would you buy? Where would you buy it? MicroGlobe has the EF500 Super listed at £89 which I thought of as a bargain - but when you try buying it they tell you they want you to buy the AF360 for twice the price instead... grrr...
Oh, and in case you were wondering - I need the power because I tend to take alot of pictures at events where the stage tends to be illuminated in the weirdest ways and I tend to be fairly far... and without a tripod most of the time!
Thanks in advance,
Michele