If the internet does not lie to me, the only difference is the manual (Samsung is a couple of pages shorter, but you can download Pentax versions off the net), afaik.
I'm convinced these are the exact same thing, though I guess one of the two companies could have different QC and/or warranty policies.

I have a Samsung version of the DA 50-200mm - same thing here. Slightly different grip and branding, but same (excellent for the price) optics and build. The Pensung bodies (k20d vs GX20 for example) have cosmetic differences in the body (slightly different style of buttons and the like), and slight firmware differences, if I'm not mistaken.

The pricing is not surprising - in Europe the Samsung equivalents of Pentax products have always been slightly cheaper, and this just happens to be a one-time clearance deal.

Eric, I would probably get this if I were you. This flash has all the functions of the AF540, except the power and swivel (the former you probably won't need unless you are shooting for weddings/events, the latter is a pain, but you can use the flash off camera if you need to bounce in portrait mode).

If you decide you don't like it, you can probably sell it on at a profit, and if you do get into "strobist" photography it will make a brilliant secondary flash for when you buy a bigger one (or five). Only you can tell whether you will get any use out of the flash - look up some off-camera flash guides and galleries and check if you like what you see.

The build is disappointing, but you don't hear reports of these actually breaking in use much (except the hotshoe locking pin and zoom motor apparently), so it might just be an impression. You can probably get 4 quality rechargeables+charger for under £10 (hotukdeals.com is your friend, "eneloop" or "hybrio" are both top notch batteries).

I've just been playing around with getting the flashes to talk to each other in wireless mode, and it seems pretty smooth. Need to find some good subjects for some multiple-flash shoots.

Sorry to bring up this old thread, but I just got mine (along with a free bonus Sony SH0007 lens hood, God knows why).
I have to say, this thing feels significantly cheaper made than my SEF54 - the buttons and dials are stiff and hard to use, the quality of the plastic is different and I can actually see the indicator lights shine through where parts of the casing do not quite match up. Battery door is one of the worst I've seen and the head tilt locking mechanism is really oddly designed.

This is a really functional, well-priced flash, and will do great as a secondary off-camera strobe (which is what I want it for), but it's surprising that while the control layout is exactly the same (well, except the wireless mode switch), the lower model feels even cheaper than the price difference would imply.
If you ever want to manufacture a flashgun, have it made in China (AF540, SEF54) rather than the Philippines (Where the SEF36/AF360 are made)

Yes, price rises have been happening all around, but seriously this is just stupid:

FA 50 1.4 from £175 to £440
DA* 16-50 from £475 to £835
DA* 50-135 from £515 to £919

Can you name another brand that has doubled lens prices? Of course I'm going to be negative when a brand whose major draw is being good value for money suddenly switches to "boutique" pricing.
And yes, this is partly due to exchange rates and the broken economy, but still, someone at Hoya was hoping to pull a fast one with their profit margins, and it's just not going to work.

Oh, don't even get me started on the number they pulled with pricing these days. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if they kill the brand.

I'm sorry, what?


I, too, have gotten stung by customs charges before. It's no fun. Especially annoying is how Royal Mail just staple on an arbitrary, unavoidable charge on top of the actual tax and hold your parcel hostage until you pay it - I still believe this should be illegal.

Not to derail the thread any more - any predictions on K7 price drops?

Yes, that would be an issue, luckily rather than sending the parcel to the UK, I'm having it shipped to an US address and a friend is bringing it back for me. They'll just carry it as their own camera. I got my angles covered, you see. (I know I made it sound like I was importing directly in my last post , but I did say that it would be brought by a friend just a bit further up the page)

Pentax also seem to be alright with international warranty - it is only one year, but I'll gladly take that hit for £350.

I'm not saying it's a good idea to get stuff imported directly, as I'm aware of all the issues the above posters are warning about. It's just that I'm one punter who would be switching to Nikon in an instant given Pentax UK pricing, if not for of help from stateside friends. The K7 might be very nice indeed, but for £1200 I'd rather have a D90 kit + a Sigma 10-20 and still ~£100 left over to go towards a Tamron 17-50 or Sigma 70-200.

EDIT: Bodyheat, that's more the kind of trouble I'm dreading

Well, my soon-to-be-imported K7 has apparently just been packed over stateside. Cost just about an even £800 (factoring in a little bit of MS Bing cashback). I would really like to buy from a local dealer, but seeing the recently announced UK prices I didn't really see the K7 dropping to within £100-150 of that price anytime soon. Downside is having to wait for a month before I can get my hands on it.

Hmm, I have an opportunity for someone to bring me a K7 from the states. I'm expecting it would set me back £850 what with crappy exchange rates on using debit cards abroad (I would order it on my card for them to bring back). The Pentax international warranty is 1 year, buying from the UK would make it 2 years.

Do you guys think it's worth doing this, or better to wait for the UK price to drop to below £900-ish? I'm having a hard time judging how much/quickly the price will drop, especially given the idiotic lens pricing these days.

Pentaxophile, afaik it does work. As far as the flashgun itself, it is exactly the same as a Pentax AF360 (besides the branding), so if the camera supports one of those, it will work with the Samsung.

My k100d does not work in proper wireless mode - the popup flash cannot function as a p-TTL controller. I believe this functionality has been added to the k200d (the *ist, k10d and k20d all have it, I'm not familiar with the other models). Since this will be my second flashgun, I will now be able to use one flash on the hotshoe as a wireless master/controller and the other off camera.