I doubt there is one that fits "properly". It didn't take them too long to make the AF360 when it came out... maybe the "Universal" one will fit?
I could get dimensions if you need them.
Matt

Sorry Don - forgot to reply

I only have the AF360 + AF540 (plus a Metz 50MZ5). I do have the extension cabling gear to try out the AF360 on the hotshoe with the AF540 cabled... can't remember if I tried it or not...

I rigged up a modified old Pentax grip (designed for 4P systems) and cabled the AF540 to the hotshoe of the *ist-D. It was extremely comfortable to use. In the end I mostly used the AF540 with the catch light (and pointing straight up). Even outdoors this gave enough light to give a soft diffused glow to portraits about 1.5 to 2m away, plus a really great catch light. (But outdoors the AF540 discharged almost completely.) The results were fab

I do know that wireless contrast control works well Outdoors I rigged up the AF360 with a brolly triggered off the AF540 (which was in catchlight mode). I didn't have too much time to play, but with the catchlight up the AF360 didn't always trigger (too much sun and shielded a bit by the brolly). But this is a setup I definitely will try more - but probably more complex indoors (AF540 on stand+brolly, AF360 providing snooted lighting, and pop-up flash triggering/filling).

If I could get some time... I'd do an article on it.

Hope that helps a bit.
Matt

Ok - (another) quick report!

The AF540FGZ performed absolutely flawlessly over the weekend. A real joy to work with this beauty.

The controls and functions are identical to the AF360FGZ. Pentax have improved some of the buttons and dials - for instance the selector dial is now much easier to rotate. Of course, the swivel and bounce is there too.

One excellent feature is the inclusion of a 5P connector on the side (unfortunately on the left hand side of the gun - which means the cable has to go behind or in front of the gun. Only advantage is that the coiled cable is kept out of the way.) Thankfully I didn't get rid of my 5P hot shoe adapter, cable, and flash hotshoe.

I rigged up an old Pentax grip (4pin type) which needed a little modification to enable the autofocus to work. The AF pin shorted out to the ground plane on the bracket, so I had to insulate it with a piece of negative film (analogue helps digital ). Having mounted the AF540FGZ I ditched the 4P cable and used the coiled 5P connector to link the flash to the camera hotshoe.

Now this is a really comfortable arrangement! Much much lighter than the Metz 50MZ-5, and easier to grip. I used bounce flash, direct flash (using the diffusion panel), and catch light, as well as wireless AF mode. Mostly on high speed sync. Results were superb!

The catch light worked great even outdoors in fading light. The manual's not entirely clear, but you put the flash pointing straight up (so it'll bounce on nothing outside), and pull out the two panels. Then, holding the catch light panel, you push the diffusion panel back inside. As this flash has oodles of power, you get a soft light reflected off the catchlight panel which makes very nice highlights in the eyes, and does actually illuminate the subject too.

I've got some more work for it (along with the AF360FGZ in contrast control mode) this coming weekend - I'll let you know how it goes

Matt

SRS Microsystems on ebay have had them for a little while - in stock and in the UK. ( http://stores.ebay.co.uk/SRS-Camera-and-Image-Solutions ) They don't have any listed at the moment.

I've had one for a few days - it's about to go through it's paces this weekend! Progress report to follow...

Matt

Aabhar, or is it Dhannvaad

No, it's actually Shukriya (Hindi)

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pukkah

Make that a true spot meter, Ali
Some have near-spot, but aren't. Canon has only just put spot metering in the 30D - before that it was reserved for the 1Ds and 5D.
All Pentax DSLRs have pucker spot metering
Matt

Ok, this is beginning to get out of hand...
And I'm getting bored too

Now, if anyone had bothered to do any research you'll find this (which is what I was saying all along):
Like I said, 6Mp is not really a problem. You can claim that it is, and that's your perogative. If you stop and think about for it more than a millisecond, you'll remember that professional DSLRs weren't always 8Mp+. Even 1Mp DSLRs were used for professional purposes.

Regarding the pixel count issue - it's down to physics. The sensors are ALL (with the exception, as I said, of the Foveon sensor found only in Sigma DSLRs) monochrome. If they say they have 6Mp, they capture 6 million grey values. How do they get the colour? They put a micro filter over the CCD so that each pixel records red OR green OR blue (they can't do all three at once). Consequently, whatever pixel count the sensor has, one half are dedicated to green, one quarter to blue, and one quarter to red. To get a FULL colour image you HAVE to interpolate (i.e. guess) the missing pixels, because you need equal quantities of each colour (so that each pixel has red, blue, and green).

Now, back to the original question - yes, maybe Pentax are a lagging a bit behind in the pro market. Granted. The AF is slower than other offerings. Granted.

But neither point prevents Pentax DSLRs being used for professional work.

And, like the original *ist-D, I think it's worth the wait (I very nearly switched brands, but hung in there and personally am pleased I did.)

As I've been saying all along - if you want to switch to another brand, that's fine. I've seen brilliant photos on pretty well every make of DSLR there is. I've also seen pretty terrible ones on all of them as well. It's primarily down to the photographer.

Now I don't mind what camera you use (I comment and appreciate many images on ephotozine), but this forum is here primarily to help Pentax users. So let's keep it that way, shall we?

Matt

Brian,
They don't check the EXIF, as far as I'm aware. Alamy, for instance, want high quality TIFF images. Exactly how you get them, they don't care (so if you have a high quality image from a 1Mp camera - they don't mind). Of course, they'll accept high quality scans as well (for those on film). As always, it's the image that counts, not how you got there
You can choose to rip out the EXIF data... or better still replace it with the keyword information (e.g. with Adobe Bridge or CS2).

(If you go for bureau stuff, just watch the small print of the license.)

Matt

That is silly, and you may notice that's not what I said, nor implied. I told you what I meant... so perhaps you should re-read it

Fair enough. But I thought I'd mention the feature, because I bet that Jessop's staff won't know about it.

It's not just Canon. The only odd one out is the Sigma with the Foveon sensor. Maybe you should have a read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demosaicing
All cameras indicate how many photosensor sites they have. Each site is monochome - it just measures the amount of light. The bayer matrix turns it into "colour", and the camera (or RAW software) has to de-mosaic that information to turn it into colour.
Like I said, Pentax 6Mp have 6.1 million photosites - EXACTLY the same as the Nikon D100, D70 etc. (Because it's the same Sony-made CCD sensor.) So, like all the rest, they have 1/2 green, 1/4 red, 1/4 blue.


It's all horses-for-courses. If you're happy with your current DSLR - fine. But as you see there are plenty of pros, semi-pros, and amateurs using 6.1Mp Pentax (and other makes) and getting on with it

Matt

Simon,
Just to answer a couple of your questions:
John Riley is absolutely correct - it's the filesize that matters, not the CCD size. For instance, I met a photographer who was making a nice living from selling to Alamy... with his Nikon D70. Now this has the same CCD as all the Pentax cameras He just upsized in Photoshop.

If you want to get "pro" about it - use Phase One's Capture One Pro. This will upsize to 4x. i.e. 24 mega pixels. Believe me, you have to see the results - they are astonishing. Yes, I've tried this on Pentax DSLRs and the output is breathtaking.

As another example, I recently printed an *ist-D image at 16x20" at 402dpi - that's a crazy 51 mega pixels, upsized from a 6.1Mp output from Capture One LE. Could I see the pixels - absolutely not. Was the image "fuzzy" or "smooth" - positively not. It's by far the sharpest print I have produced, and a lot sharper than other "pro" images I've seen.
I'm counting the pixels on my *ist-D and *ist-DS... 6.1 million.
Is it a problem for professional work - absolutely not!

Now to be really picky. You mentioned that upsizing requires making pixels that just weren't there. This isn't entirely a valid argument I'm afraid. Even the Canon 1Ds-MkII has to make pixels that weren't there - it has 16.7 million pixels. BUT that's only 8.35 million green pixels, and 4.2 million red pixels, and 4.2 million blue pixels. The other 8.35M green, and 12.5M red and 12.5M blue have to be "guessed" So, even the 1Ds might not be enough for you... there's always the Phase One 39Mp digital backs for medium format

That's where the quality of the RAW convertor comes in. If you want truly pro results, then there's only Capture One. (Though Photoshop CS2 comes in a close second.)

I suppose you are referring to the fact that it takes a while to actually take the image. Simple answer: all Pentax DSLRs can disengage the "autofocus-on-half-press". Then, when you push the shutter it fires immediately.
You then focus with your thumb pressing the "OK" button on the back (or the dedicated AF button on the *ist-D).
Problem pretty much solved.

Other factors:
* If you check out the small print, then you'll find that Pentax's all have spot metering (true spot metering). Canon have been a bit slow about adding this - even then 20D doesn't have true spot metering. The 1Ds/5D have it (and I believe the new 30D). This can be a big deal, especially for the professional photographer.

* Nikon's and Fuji's have a tiny viewfinder in comparison to the large bright Pentax viewfinder.

* If you want to "look" like a pro - then you have no other choice - a Canon 1Ds it has to be

* If you are new to the digital domain - don't underestimate the difference your workflow can make. Learning the tricks of the RAW workflow, plus a good working knowledge of Photoshop can make the world of difference to your profitability (and flexibility)

* Pentax lenses are astonishingly good, especially the Limited series. Some aspects are down to personal preference (for instance, I much prefer the boken on my Pentax SMC-F 50mm/f1.4 compared to equivalent Canon lenses. The Pentax seems to produce a beautiful soft bokeh and lovely highlights. But, as I say this is down to personal choice.)

I have to say that the *ist-D is extremely well made. Mine has had a hammering and still feels great. The *ist-DS also has an excellent build quality, and the image quality is identical to the *ist-D. The DL will be the same quality.

With regard to buying - there's always Europe. I found buying from Germany completely painless. And there's no duty or VAT to pay.

(And then there's this great, friendly bunch of Pentax users on this forum that are always a great help )

At the end of the day - it's your decision...

Matt