Hi Dan,
It may be worth pointing out that a fast lens plus fast kids probably does equal superb shots
The wider the aperture the more precise the focussing needs to be. For example, using the 50mm at f/1.7 means that even moving the camera slightly can put the shot out of focus. In household lighting with moving kids the autofocus will likely have trouble on any camera

But you'll still like the DA35, I'm sure.

I'd suggest trying out technique with what you have already. Even one of the 28mm is a good starting point.
I tend to configure the camera so the shutter release doesn't trigger auto focus (in the custom menus) and rely on the little AF button to perform centre focus. It takes a little getting used to, but has become second nature, and I've found more predictable. You can also link ISO to one of the command dials to get faster access (I use Av mode with aperture and ISO on the dials). The K5 can handle high ISO easily which helps a lot - I regularly use up to ISO5000.

Indoor kids shots are tricky - just take lots of images and investigate the customisations available
HTH
Matt

Well, I took the flash apart (which I wouldn't recommend due to the VERY high voltages inside :shock, filed out the broken lug, and superglued+Araldite'd a metal replacement lug (that I formed from some spare steel).

I also had to glue another part of the casing anyway. My AF360 is one of the first that came out for the MZ-S. You can't tell I've fixed it from the outside

That's just a relative exposure adjustment. As I said, when using P-TTL, it's the camera that judges the exposure. The main exposure compensation is applied first, followed by the flash Ev compensation on the body that adjusts for all flashes. Finally each flash can have its own Ev compensation with the little dial

Matt

Yes, the exposure circuit is separate from the AF
The exposure electronics is, IIRC, exactly the same as the ME-Super.

Do watch out for the ISO/Ev dial - that was a common cause of exposure issue.
Internally it's a ceramic variable resistor, and any dust or dirt would make it misread - drastically underexposing.

I ended up repairing my ME-F and my wife's ME-Super. They can be a real pain to disassemble and reassemble (even with a service manual!), and replacing the ISO dial wasn't hard (or cleaning with good quality electrical cleaner worked for a while too).

Also - try a different lens. The original 28-70 (the bulky one that took AAA batteries for the focus) would communicate with the body. So, I'm not sure how the communication worked between the two, and whether there might be any incompatibility issues with other lenses. Certainly with "A" and "M" series lenses there shouldn't be a problem.

(Oops) Just seem you said it was a 50mm M series. Try cleaning the contacts too, just in case

HTH,
Matt

It's one reason I wrote my "MattMatic's Pentax dSLR Flash Guide" e-book

Matt

The tricky thing is that you can use practically any flash with Pentax

So, you can use a 20 year old fully manual flash and get great results (if you know how). I have: AF360FGZ, AF540FGZ, and Metz 50MZ5 (hulking great thing). All are great devices and have different strengths and weaknesses.

A good website for compatibility is: http://pttl.mattdm.org/

I would say that the following are a good set of requirements:
* P-TTL (if you want a fully fire-and-forget)
* Wireless P-TTL (if you want to shoot off camera without cables)
* Fully manual with adjustable power outputs.
* HSS mode for high speed daylight fill in flash at shutter speeds above 1/180s

BUT, it's worth pointing out that P-TTL is metered entirely by the camera. Depending on the body (and firmware release) your exposure accuracy in a given situation may vary wildly K5 with current firmware is pretty good.

For indoor studio stuff you SHOULD work fully manual. Takes 2 minutes to setup and then you're good for the whole shoot. If you try doing studio with P-TTL you end up 'fighting' with the exposure systems all the time and wasting brain power So, if it's studio work then any-old-flash will do (within reason).

You can also do tethered flash with cables. This can be very helpful, but can be expensive. Pentax's solution is about £100 for the cables second hand , but there are 3rd party solutions out there. You can also do non-P-TTL wireless flash using radio triggers (like the Cactus v4 set I have - they're very good!).

Metz flash guns are generally excellent. But, they've been creating lower cost devices by cutting features out recently. So, check the features carefully!


I could give a couple of hours' lecture on flash usage with Pentax... and bore everyone witless

Matt

A good question to answer is "What do you want flash for?"
Knowing the intended purpose will help guide you

You will, in general, get what you pay for - power, features, flexibility. How much that matters to you will depend on its use!

Matt

To clarify my earlier post - I meant "you have to have an aperture ring". i.e. you can't use most of the modern lenses that rely solely on camera control.

My apologies for the confusion
(It was 4:42am after all )
Matt

It's £339 new from SRS

EDIT: and SRS have some secondhand Sigma 105mm macros for £299.

Matt

This video will help

You need more than the macro lenses you mentioned. A reversed manual lens (e.g. 28mm) would be good. See video 2:20, and 2:26 = 28mm reversed with extension tubes (but is a 'focus stacked' image from 10 images!)

His camera setup shown at 0:56 onwards

Oh, and a LOT of patience and practise!!
Matt

I've had no issues with the AF540. My AF360 battery door broke - I fixed it myself with steel lugs

Any exposure issues are down to the camera and the scene. It's the camera that does all exposure calculations. Pentax tends to expose for the highlights (ensuring you don't get blown out highlights), so often a little PP is required. That said, the K5 and K7 flash exposure is enormously better than the 16-segment metering of other Pentax dSLRs.

It's also worth checking that you have the latest firmware installed on your camera(s), since Pentax seem to have tweaked flash exposure along the way

Matt