I have hacked a Pentax 4P grip and use the 5P connector on the hotshoe of the camera and link straight to the AF540FGZ (it has a 5P connector on one side).
Really comfortable - and the Pentax grip has a neat push button release so you can quickly remove the flash (to hold it higher for example).

But, yes, it worked out expensive! About £50 for the cord second hand, and £15 for the grip... plus a little drilling
Matt

Here:
https://www.pentaxuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=526&highlight=flash+300v
Still, you need to watch your fingers!

(And I think Canon handles 5V )

Matt

That's for Canon users

Pentax have good protection in their DSLRs
Matt

Like the general idea... but the newest version seems to crawl along (And I have a quad-core Xeon CPU :shock But, yes, it does RAW files...
The Linux version was probably a lot faster (but may not support newer RAW formats)
Matt

My personal set would be:
* Silkypix (there's a free version too!)
* Capture One LE v4 (as mentioned, buy a Sandisk Extreme III card which gets you a v3 license and a FREE upgrade to v4). Currently v4 beta is available to download and try.

(As I often mention, this is down to image quality - which is my main concern. User interface comes 2nd for me )
Hope that helps!
Matt

There's my version:
http://www.photon.me.uk/matt/cameras/pentax/Pentax-Z1.pdf

And, yes, I think Kim has a version too
Matt

There will be some cases of rounding errors when converting. You can, as John rightly says, cut down the number of conversions to a minimum - then these errors will only be slight and generally not noticed. (If you want to test this, create a script that will convert back and forward between two colour modes, and run the script 100 times - you should start to see any errors by then!)

At least one retouch expert suggest copying the image to a new image, do the conversion, then paste the results as a new layer in the original image (this keeps the original untouched - which is important for retouch work).

Matt

Ken,
Yup. The *ist-D and *ist-Ds work a treat with the hunking great Metz 50MZ5 that I still have (anyone want to buy it? Send me a PM)
After the DS Pentax ditched TTL. Don't even think the DS2 has TTL
Matt

Gareth,
It depends on the flashgun

But with a PC cord setup you should run everything in MANUAL. (Only the *ist-D and *ist-Ds had TTL support anyway). And that's the easiest setup for studio type shots anyway.

You can always use an old white sheet just to try things out (or anything translucent). Get a cuddly toy as a model and experiment
Large sheets of polystyrene are good for a reflector (try at an electrical outlet - somewhere like Comet - they may have loads to throw away )
Once you've worked out what you want, then you can go and buy any extra bits you need, but it doesn't have to be expensive to be effective

Matt

Personally, I would invest in a cheap PC cord system so you can mount the Vivitar on a tripod away from the camera.
You'll need a hotshoe-to-PC adapter, a long PC cable, and some way of connecting the PC cord to the Vivitar (some flashes have a PC lead, otherwise you'll need a hotshoe-to-PC adapter again). "Real" camera shops often have these kind of things in their bargain buckets
(7dayshop also do such things, IIRC).

Once you've done that, it's a good idea to get a diffuser for the flash. I have a £30 shoot-through brolley that's made by Hama and works a treat. (Think I bought it online from Castle Cameras... not sure)

And, as has been stated, a reflector and some means of holding it (arm + stand) is also very useful.

This is the kind of result you get with a single brolley, a simple cloth backdrop, and a reflector (to soften the shadows on the RHS):
http://www.ephotozine.com/u16488/gallery/613649


However, there's a lot to be said for natural lighting... and a reflector and simple cloth backdrop can be ideal (I even saw one excellent portrait that was lit by window light and reflectors made from kitchen foil and polystyrene sheets!)

Matt