They already said to do KAF3 (SDM) Lens mount instead of KAF2 (SDM+screw) from now on and with the DA 17-70 with SDM I think we will see more SDM lenses coming from now on, if the screw would disappear completely?

However I'm pretty sure we will see the screw-drive in the camera for quite some years to come (hopefully).

Robbie, if you mean with a diffuser those plastic thing then no.

Those small plastic things make light softer most of the time by throwing the light out in all direction and relying on walls and ceilings to reflect light back, in big rooms like a stage or outdoors those things are pretty useless.
You also have other device that make the light source look larger so softer but they still are pretty small so good enough for a single person poertrait but not for a portrait of 3 persons, you need to stand back so much that it slmost looks like a direct flash.

For lighting up scenes flash on a stand is the best option, there is no real way around it I believe.
I would simply position the stand just out of the frame power at 1/4 and maybe creating some contrast be setting one at 1/8 (or position it further away from the scene) and you make some test shots to get the exposure right (iso - aperture) and that's it.
All done in 1 or 2 minutes depending the amount of adjustments to the light you need to make.

Here look at this, it isn't so scientific link
More here if you like the guys link

Indeed... I believe you can colour that your self though or not?

I would really want one but my life might be at a turning point... I might go to the USA for 4 to 5 months within a few weeks so I need to be careful with my money.

Tony it comes even with a stand to display it so that you can drool all over it

It does look pretty link

Well it's another dimension in photography.
Normally you're at the mercy of the sun but now you can control the sun.

here this what I mean with the flash light link

I hope you see a difference in this:
Direct flash at his worst though, it would be a bit better on stage


With umbrella and light bounced back (reflected) from the leftside



Lighting a complete stage is more difficult though so I hope the stage is quite small or else your only option might be direct flash...

Robbie the biggest problem is like I said the harshness of the light if you use direct flash, it will kill the atmosphere in your photos so in my opnion I wouldn't use that approach.

Since you've the opportunity to place equipment I would go for the set-up I said, two flashes on a stand with a big umbrella.
Simply place them at both sides of the stage at 1/2 power or maybe even 1/4 if you can don't use 1/1 because the reload will take to long.
So 1/2 power and then use the diaphragm in combination with you ISO speed to get a correct exposure. If you and still use iso 200 than I would use 1/4 flash power and iso 400 that way you can make two to three continues shots with flash.

If you go for the Metz 48 then I would just go for P-TTL wireless mode.
But for the price of a Metz48 you come pretty far in the direction of a 2 flash strobist setup but those flashes I mention are manually flashes without P-TTL wireless support so you "need" something like a cactus to trigger them.

Yes that's true John didn't thought about that in such a way... *sighs* this is quite a mystery.

yeah just saw the date

Sorry John but I'm having problems with my flash as well the AF540FGZ, and I know some others that have sync problems with certain flashguns and don't have a problem at all with others so there is more going on.

If one flash doesn't make the 1/180 or 1/125 mark but flashes later (sorry had that one wrong with my previous comment) at 1/100 mark it will catch the trailing shutter curtain in the frame when shooting at 1/180 or 1/125.