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

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

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

Geee, I am right spot on in the middle group, this is really what it means not belonging to a group. The older ones call us inexperienced and still young, and the younger ones take the mickey out of us calling us the oldies.

Grrr you can never win, but hey, age is not everything is it?

I will be 45 in a few months time by the way

The lens I have has a manual aperture setting also. And I can make use of it..

I would love also to try my 50mm f1/4 lens with the reversing ring but I seem to have difficulty using the manual focus. I do use the manual aperture from the ring and turn the Focus to Manual in the camera. The setting in the C menu also to allow the shutter release when using setting other than "A" in the aperture also is set properly.

The only way I am able to focus is just by moving the camera forward and backwards, and when I turn the focus ring in the lens itself nothing seems to happen.

Am I missing something here?

Thank you very much

Amin

Hefty, you mean like this?

Thanks everyone for all your help. I definitely am getting the feel for it and hope to improve as time goes by and with your great input and help.

Another attempt with macro, this time got rid of the flash. But I still struggle with the balance of aperture and getting overall sharpness. When I open up the aperture parts of the flower become blur, so when I attempt to get an overall sharpness by lowering the stop the background sharpens a little as well.

Comments suggestions and advice are greatly welcome. Kept in mind what you all suggested yesterday while taking the shots this time .




Thanks

Amin

Richard,

2hrs and 45 mins drive mostly on A40 on a nice spring day sounds just what the doctor prescribed to me . I do enjoy long drives if its not under pressure or stress for meetings or trying to reach on a specific time. I could easily program my TomTom traffic to warn me ahead of hotspots and avoid them and its a peaceful drive for a nice day walk along those woods and watch and photograph some of those wildlife you write about, and meeting you of course. Hope by that time I have improved a little my techniques and ability to not embarrass myself.

Would be great meeting you and talk about the 60s in Africa, because that's the part I missed as I was born in the middle of that decade .

So did your interest in photography start from your time in Africa inspired by raw beauty of the sorroundings or you took it up later in life?

Amin

That sounds very useful, I actually like the DVD pack version you mentioned earlier today.

Remotes, mind oscillates between getting a full RF one and the seculine one. The advantage about getting the seculine one is I can personally go to SRS and have a feel about it before buying. Old me always prefer to see and feel the goods, where and when possible and then buy it, even if I have to fork out a little bit extra. Besides, dropping by SRS is always a treat, good bunch of people and helpful and a candy store for the eye .

So Richard, Mombassa veteran huh? You have seen your share of good old Africa then. Have you ever returned over there or any african soil after leaving the Air Force? Do you miss the sorrounding?

Amin