Batch correcting this in post is a better option than not bouncing.

But be careful bouncing off the ceiling or you might get shadows under the eyes and nose. That's a lot more work to correct!

Set the Metz to P-TTL-HSS. This allows use of any shutter speed you want; the limit of 1/180 disappears. It also reduces the output by about one stop, which is advantageous in this situation. Set the camera to Av mode and freely set your aperture.

You can then change the shutter speed from the camera's default choice using EV compensation. To adjust the amount of the fill flash, use the flash exposure compensation. To save flash juice (if this is the issue) go for slightly higher ISO.

Always bouncing from a wall (preferably slightly behind you) if you can, as this diffuses the light.

I have the exact same gear as yourself and just shot a wedding reception successfully in this manner.

P.S. Cropping does not change perspective.

If you apply all your techniques all the time wherever you are (I doubt it but I will take you at face value) then for you there is no such thing as an application scope for a lens. However most of the rest of us find it useful to think in terms of travel, macro, portraiture etc. as a way of applying constraints to our lens choices. As has every lens manufacturer from Leica on down.

Likewise, choosing a fish-eye as the number one lens choice is quirky and unlikely to map well onto the needs of other shooters. Nothing wrong with being quirky and following your own muse! But this by definition disqualifies you from advising others in a general sense.

(Similarly I must apply numerous provisos before recommending music, since my quirky choices are unlikely to be useful in the general sense to the typical recipient.)

Nice. It's a great lens.

Prices for this lens on eBay now vary from 200 to 400 pounds sterling. The deals are drying up, but if you can do eBay you can find one.

Get the DA14 if you need the extra stop. But for Alhambra and most other typical applications this gives a DOF that is too small.

Get the DA14 if you need the close focus ability. This ties in with the point above when making arty shots of "something big in the foreground while other things are OOF in the background." Again, not a travel application.

Get the DA15 Limited for ultimate portability.

Get the DA12-24 for ultimate flexibility and an extra 2mm in the wide end which will be useful in Granada. And any other European location.

Get the Sigma 10-20 for 2mm more again but slightly less than ultimate IQ and more distortion. Many people are happy with this trade-off. I wouldn't be. In fact, wide angle image quality is never enough for me. (Please contribute to my 645D fund...)

My choice is the DA12-24 since I find 24mm to be the perfect walk-around focal length. I would miss it with the Sigma. 12mm is wide enough and sometimes too wide, depending on geometric distortion. f/4 is fast enough since I can hand-hold down to 1/20s. Besides, usually f/8 is preferable to get everything sharp.

I took the following shortly before being laid up with food poisoning for three days. Thus I had to default on my Alhambra tickets. Granada is a beautiful place. Great food and bars! Be prepared to walk up and down hills.


Alhambra seen from Albaicin

[IMG]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/4377219075_637abe336a_o.jpg[/IMG]

Pentax Forums has more info on things Pentax than you would ever need, though searching through it all can be a bit of a chore. Instead, I simply Google for what I am looking for.

P.S. Read the manual. Twice.

ISO 1600 looks perfectly fine and would clean up with some judicious NR. It looks sharp enough as well except for a bit of motion blur. The vehicle wasn't perhaps moving was it?

Ecstatic is good! Many years of fun lie before you...