I've just retried the shot with the A 400mm f5.6, at f11 on a tripod. Not so easy to focus on the tripod either (must stand it on paving slabs next time, rather than on a lawn). Having said that, definitely a bit better.




Andrew

It was hand held. I'll try again on a tripod. Yes, it is 100%. The bus stop is about 150m distance.

Andrew

This is the Pentax A 400mm f5.6, at f/7.1 1/1250 at ISO 500 - but hand held. It looks a touch better than the 55-300mm on the previous page. It would probably be better still at f/11.




A bit of CA on the post but easily removed.

Andrew

If you look at the 100% crop of the coke can, the letters in the central area look to have a white halo around them. If you get yourself a loupe and have a close look at the coke can, it also has that halo. In the area of critical focus, the crop is simple displaying what is there.

I have read comments by some folks that the lens is soft wide open. I am yet to be convinced of that!!

Andrew

My search for a decent (cheap) long prime continues ......... I have just happened across a Pentax-A SMC 400mm f5.6. It arrived this morning and I took a few snaps. I haven't managed to shoot any bus stops yet - but it's cold, wet and very windy outside, so maybe I will some time, but not now.

This one is wide open (f5.6) - with the coke can maybe 4m away from the lens. It looks very respectable.



and this is a 100% crop from that image. It is a bit soft - definitely sharper at f11 and f16 but still pretty respectable.



So, when we next have a dry day, I will shoot a bus stop or two so that I can tell whether I can get sharper images from this lens - or from a resized shot from my DA 55-300mm PLM. I am very hopeful that I will.

Andrew

I did mean P-TTL (default for the pop-up). I guess it would be the pre-flash that triggered the 360. After I changed the slave mode on the 360 to 2, I checked each time - definitely on SL2.

To be honest, I was in a rush & didn't bother to frame a shot on the K70 or set power level on the 360. All I was interested in at the time was getting the 360 to trigger at all from the K70.

I have had a few more Yongnuo bits and pieces delivered today, another 560 iii and a box full of of 603 ii triggers. I am sure that I will not have any problem getting the Yongnuo stuff to work together and with the K70. Next step after that will be to try triggering the 360 from a 603 ii trigger (or rather a pair of them).

After that, I'll have another quick look at optically triggering the 360 from the K70 - but by then, it will be rather academic as I may never use it like that.

I have wondered about buying a Yongnuo 585EX which is P-TTL but does not do HSS - so probably will not as I'd probably only use it on camera for fill-in & the 360 which does HSS makes more sense to me for that.

Andrew

I've had another play with the K70 and AF360FGZ. It will flash, triggered by the K70 pop-up, in manual, slave, slave mode 2 - but only if the K70 is set to normal flash - not manual. Weird ........


Cheers
Andrew

The AF360FGZ was definitely in slave mode 2. Also, I made absolutely sure that there was line of sight between the pop up and the Pentax 360.

I haven't yet tried to see if the Yongnuo on camera will optically trigger the Pentax flash - but it is worth a try.

I do wonder whether anyone has actually managed to get a K70 to optically trigger a 360 or 540 Pentax flash in slave mode 2 - or whether folks are just repeating stuff that they have read elsewhere.

To be honest, getting it to work in that way doesn't really matter. I intend using a Yongnuo 603 ii trigger on the K70 along with a couple of Yongnuo 560 iii (which have built in wireless receivers) and hopefully another 603 ii trigger to fire the AF360FGZ in manual.

I think the AF360FGZ should work ok like that, but if I cannot get it to work that way either, then I will pension it off and buy another couple of Yongnuo flashes with the proceeds.

We had a very interesting table top photography workshop at the camera club a few days back. George Franks who ran it used Yongnuo flashes. - so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

Cheers
Andrew

Hi folks,

Partly for my own amusement, I have been trying to get my K70 (in manual flash and manual exposure mode) to optically trigger a remote AF360FGZ (in dumb slave mode - SL2) - but am having no success at all.

The AF360FGZ works fine in every mode when mounted on the camera's hot shoe. The flash will trigger fine when using a K30's pop up flash on P-TTL (but obviously not a K70, as it does not support a master/slave P-TTL mode), As far as I can tell, I have set everything as I should - but the remote flash just will not fire using a K70.

I have also tried this with a Yongnuo 560 iii (manual flash), with the K70 set on manual exposure and manual flash and the Yongnuo set on slave 1 (fire on first optical flash received) - and it works first time, every time.

I have read in a number of places that a K70 on manual flash should optically trigger a Pentax flash that is in slave mode 2. Has anyone else tried this and actually got it to work? If you did, can you explain how - in words on one syllable? I have already tried the RTFM bit - and it didn't work.

Help!!
Andrew

Dunno about that - but I have tested the original Pentax 55-300mm zoom against a number of old primes and it blows them all away. The primes included Tair 3A 300mm f4.5, XR Rikenon 300mm f4.5 and Vivitar 200mm f3.5. It is also a LOT better than the "classic" Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm f3.5 (Version 2) zoom.

Andrew