I don't want to be downbeat or cast the wrong impression. Because as an owner of the K1. I have never taken an image using pixel shift technology.. But it seems to me that if there were wow factor improvements over the K1.. There would be a host of marketing video from Ricoh stating and proving such...

Or do their design improvements / afterthoughts over the last two years seem to go unnoticeable... Except for a MKII badge that is....?

Exceptional shooting well done...

You will experience a big difference.. I don't use them myself but the DE300's are decent strobes for a very reasonable price. And have the very popular Bowens mount...

Your decision...!!

In my opinion it would be a mistake to purchase any of those options....!! cheaply manufactured. long recycle times. Poor or no mounting bracket. No range of modifiers..

When you move the light closer the fall off in the light is far greater.. That's why your experiencing grey patches...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO-J42VM448&t=28s

Look at it as 2 zones of light. Zone 1 the subject and zone 2 the background. Then light them independently.

Don't look at the Neewer lamp you posted. As it doesn't have a recognised mounting bracket for studio softboxes.. You need to get one with a Bowens mount.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/DE300-Professional-Portrait-Photography-WINGONEER/dp/B0...=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1522579685&sr=1-1&keywords=de300

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h17T2bsYF4
No need for battery charging....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h17T2bsYF4

Thanks for the reply! I actually want to achieve a white background....

White is what I'm refering to also....

I cant comment on the Cactus triggers Ive never owned one.. My advice to you would be to go for a totally manual system.. A little longer to set up but far far easier to control once you get the hang of it.. And far less expensive.

Certainly wouldn't be using a shoot through umbrella in such an enclosed space.. Maybe go for a beauty dish. Or a small softbox and grid..


Strobes can be very reasonable on the second hand market. you don't need the latest and greatest... But you do get modelling bulbs to see what your doing with shaping the light when setting up.... The Chinese have cornered the new market. Look at the Godox DE300 a great strobe and very reasonably priced.. Cheaper than flash gun in a lot of cases...

For the Backdrop light move the lights as far back as you can away from the backdrop without it affecting your subject. Check out Inverse square law.. Or the use of flags...
Think I advised you some months ago not to go with the umbrella type softbox. Unless you have remote controlled flash. As they are a real pain. Either change the softbox to one with a mounting bracket and then use the Godox "S" bracket,,, Or a remote flash and controller, like the Yongnuo YN560Iv and TX560 sender.
Examples... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yongnuo-YN-560TX-Wireless-Flash-Controller-Flash-Spee...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Godox-S-type-Bracket-Bowens-S-Mount-Holder-for-T-L-Sp...

When you say the Metz flash dosnt trigger the slave flashes. Do you mean they are triggered by the first TTL flash and not recorded on the final image ?

I don't use flash in the studio too much as I have strobe units. But I have a similar battery charger to the one you list and it works perfectly with a rapid charge of the batteries. Cant comment on wind machines as I don't own one. Usually just use a large fan...

Well I'm going to throw a "NO" into the discussion.. I think the figures for this area of the market have shown that it is totally dominated by the mobile phone. And things will only get worse in the future. The modern generation are taking more pictures / video than they ever have before. But not with DSLR's. But once the mobile has generated an interest then the consumer will look for something more advanced,, Then they will look at more sophisticated models.

What Pentax really need is something compact that has wifi capability, A fun camera, to easily upload to the internet. along the Go Pro line. For blogging. But with Pentax video history maybe thats why they havnt bothered.

Using the bracketing option is useful for landscapes or seascapes with a definite horizon, And blended in Photoshop or a like program later. But I always feel like using filters and getting it right in camera makes you a more confident photographer. and far more rewarding. Though I do accept it makes the bag heavier.. Essentials for me polarizer. 0.9 three stop ND Grad. ND64 to slow water. IE waterfalls.. ND1000 to flatten water, lots of cloud movement. I do find the cheaper resin filters pretty useless creating a lot of Photoshop work in colour correcting. But if your only an occasional landscaper the good ones are expensive.. And most, the glass ones do break if you drop them..

With newer lenses like the DFA 15- 30 or the Irix lenses coming onto the market.. That need a slightly different holding bracket.. A careful decision has to be made when choosing your filter system...