Good to hear Peter, sounds like the updates went smoothly. The V6II has got to be one of the most intuitive and practical Radio Transmitters / Flash Controllers available ....

Another interesting feature is the 'exposure lock', which is a way to hold and fix a flash exposure value following P-TTL metering, therefore removing any inconsistencies caused by continual re-metering for each successive shot. That should be an interesting and useful thing .... I'm just not sure how they decided to implement it exactly yet. It doesn't sound as if there are any Pentax-Specific instructions, so we may have to test this out ourselves to get a good feel for it.

The only negative development that has emerged during the work on the Pentax firmware is that they can't provide 'Cross-Brand' TTL for Pentax .... so as per my list above, we are limited to Cactus flashes and P-TTL Dedicated System flashes (not another brands TTL models, eg Nikon SB900 etc). This will prove a limitation for some people who may use multiple systems and have a range of different flash brands, but I guess the majority of Pentax shooters buying into the V6II system will mainly have Pentax and Metz etc flashes. If they don't then its hard not to recommend the RF60X as a great option if you're starting out, and are only looking for Off-Camera P-TTL.

For on-Camera work then the Pentax models remain ideal ..... add another V6II and you can also use a Pentax flash for Off-Camera Radio P-TTL as well.

Cactus Imaging have released a firmware update for their V6II Transceiver, RF60 and RF60X flashes .... This is known as 'X-TTL', and it brings P-TTL automatic flash exposure metering, P-TTL HSS, 2nd Curtain Sync and Off-Camera AF Assist to the trigger system.

To obtain 'X-TTL' functions for Pentax, you need 1. & 2. below , plus either 3. or 4. or both 3. & 4. mixed

1. A Pentax DSLR with P-TTL
2. A Cactus V6II Transceiver in Tx mode (updated to the new firmware - "PEN.A001")
3. One or more Cactus RF60 or RF60X Flashes (updated to the new firmware - "A01")
4. One or More Pentax Dedicated System Flashes (P-TTL) - (eg Pentax, Metz, Sigma, Shanny, Yongnuo) ... PLUS .... each flash in this category requires a V6II attached in Rx mode (updated to the new firmware - "PEN.A001")


With this system you will have the ability to instantly switch between P-TTL automatic flash metering and Manual Mode flash control, and you can choose either mode for any Group in your set-up. You have 4 groups with independent control from the V6II Tx on the camera.

In P-TTL mode the V6II will offer a Flash Compensation setting (eg -2.0, +1.0 stops) ..... In Manual mode the V6II control will offer Manual flash power steps (eg 1/2, 1/16th), in the same way as the present Cactus system operates.

So it may give us the best of both worlds ..... :

I have not got this up and running on my own equipment yet, so I can't give detailed pointers on the operations, but I have read the Notes for the other camera system releases so far, and it is fairly simple, with most things being automatic once set up. The main buttons for selecting things will be the 4 Group buttons and the Main Menu button on the V6II. The flashes will operate in the 'Auto-HSS' (RF60) mode, or P-TTL mode (dedicated system flashes). HSS switching should be automatic as at present, with the flashes jumping in and of HSS mode as the Time Value changes around the max sync speed.

For more info, here is a link to the X-TTL Website .... link
Here is a link to the Firmware Download (this is done through their own dedicated Firmware Software, which you should install on a computer .... the actual firmware is selected from within the Software) .... link

You may find more related talk on the PentaxForums Flash section here ..... link

The colour is definitely better, although I think the white balance was a little too warm considering the type of lights. Perhaps you could adjust the red and yellows down a bit ....

Thanks also for the exposure info, that lower ISO certainly makes a difference to the Abbey shot at ISO 4000, although it doesn't look like K10D had done any NR.

Thankyou Derek, its the lens I tend to pack when I expect to be out in the rough a bit, such as the beaches with the kids, and I'm not too worried if it gets a bump or a bit of sand on it! Perhaps I should take it more seriously

All punchy and good looking photos, with a strong focus on the subjects. The backgrounds are nicely complementary too, and there's no intrusion from the modern world. I like the red colour popping, a sort of theme throughout .... its all lips, nails, poppies and hair accessories!

A good clean and sharp low light image ! Yes, that angle is great and makes the aircraft look imposing. I'm curious about the exposure settings and ISO, to make a comparison with K10D's night Abbey photo .....

A dramatic sight, it must have raised plenty of oohs and ahhs as people first saw it. The colours are really powerful and deep in tone. I'm surprised to see a fair bit of noise on the black surrounds, I thought perhaps the K1 wouldn't produce so much at an ISO such as 4000 ..... but it is pitch black I suppose, and a fairly simple job to clean it up.

Vibrant and well exposed photos! The backdrop has worked very well.

Nice atmosphere .....there's a softness and tranquility to these that draws us in.

Thanks David. My 18-55 has been really good, so much so that I've managed to get by without buying an upgrade, such as one of the popular Sigma 17-50 options. I've considered a few times trying a Pentax 16-45 or 17-70, but kept coming back around to thinking the 18-55 was good enough.

I think now that the logical upgrade, and sort of extension, would be the 16-85 (assuming that a constant F2.8 is not needed). However I went for a new D FA 28-105 last year, always being the optimist and imagining I might "go FF" one day!