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Bell & Howell (TUMAX) Z680AF-P | | | | Reviews | Views | Date of last review | | 4 | 15,940 | Mon January 9, 2012 | |  | | Recommended By | Average Price | Average User Rating | | 100% of reviewers | $95.00 | 8.50 | | | | 
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| Author: | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: Virginia Posts: 2,846 | | Review Date: January 9, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | p-TTL, flash chart for manual use, powerful enough | | Cons: | slower to recharge than YN560, only goes down to 1/16 power | |
I got the Bell & Howell Z680AF-P because it was the cheapest p-TTL flash available. While I have since begun to learn manual flash, p-TTL is still nice to have when things are moving fast and you need to react quickly.
I've had the flash for six months now and it has not failed me yet. I don't use it constantly, but when I do, it works very well. It has enough power for all but the most extreme situations, and it has nice features that some more expensive p-TTL flashes don't have - like swivel/tilt/etc.
On the downside, it only goes down to 1/16th power in manual mode and it is a bit slower to recharge than my YN560. But for the price, I have been quite pleased with the purchase.
If you are on a budget and really need a p-TTL flash, consider the Z680AF-P.
| | | | | | | Junior Member Registered: October, 2011 Location: Belton, SC Posts: 33 | | Review Date: October 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $99.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Better build quality than expected, great features for the price, easy to use (because who reads the manual?) | | Cons: | None that I can see yet | |
Since I just got it in the mail yesterday I can't say too much for the long-term, but as for now this thing is amazing! The bounce and swivel action are going to be regularly used with me and even using TTL the exposure when bouncing is great. Optical slave mode is also a huge plus for me too. The LCD readout is easy to see (even in the dark via the 'Light' button) and shows you everything you need to know really. So far, this flash is great (and powerful) and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who needs a good P-TTL flash.
Follow up:
I got to go shooting with this flash tonight for the first time and I wasn't disappointed at all. Results are still amazing. It got banged around a little too, but the build quality is good enough that it came out unscathed. It has the power I needed outdoors tonight, and the zoom function worked flawlessly for some really amazing long-distance shots. If you get this, you won't be disappointed. | | | | | Senior Member Registered: March, 2010 Location: Maryland Posts: 119 | | Review Date: August 30, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $92.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | True TTL performance under $100 | | Cons: | None Yet | |
Just got this yesterday and seems to work fine. I am somewhat concerned that the description above does not exactly match my unit with the same model number. Mine zooms to 85 mm and has a guide nunber of 45m at 85mm. Otherwise they seem to be the same. I am not sure about the wireless TTL. I think mine is manual in slave mode.  I will update this as I find out more.
Some more experimenting has revealed that slave mode is manual and has issues. My K-x does fire the B&h flash off camera, but the timing is off. I suspect the preflash is setting the B&H unit off too soon. I don't think I can turn this off on the K-x. Maybe the newer models have this option. If I use another non P-TTL flash on the K-x, the slave mode on the B&H unit fires properly. I am revising the rating to 8.
I have been testing this flash on my new K-3. It will fire in full power manual mode only. Although the aperature and ISO are communicated from the camera, the flash does not process the information. It is full manual only with no remote function. If you have a K-3, you should not pruchase this flash. With a K-3 the rating is 2. | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Somewhere in the Southern US Posts: 12,285
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: June 21, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $99.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Inexpensive, works in all modes, built in diffuser and white card | | Cons: | None so far | |
Mine is the Bell & Howell re-bagged Tumax unit and sells as the Z580AF-P.
This is my first off-camera flash in the dSLR age. In reading reviews I saw that this model works P-TTL and had a good power rating. So far, it interacts with my K-x in all modes. I've used it as an off camera slave to the built-in flash and it works perfectly. Its illuminator is nice and works as advertised helping the K-x to focus in low light situations. Color of photos seems right with no odd color shift. Head swivels and turns in order to bounce. Recharge rate is as fast or faster than the in-camera flash unit. It does not appear to be a P-TTL but just a TTL flash though. Its guide number is 45 and the AF540FGZ's is 54, but the Pentax unit costs 4x as much. I understand that the Pentax units have a red flashing light from red front panel that indicates wireless ready - this unit does not have any ready light on the front, only one on the back indicating ready to fire. This appears to be a modified version of Tumax's DPT383AFZ / DPT386AFZ / DPT388AFZ model.
I'm satisfied with the unit and feel its a bargain at $99. Will update as it gets more use.
4/20/13: Finally upgraded to a used AF540 and am very happy with it. The Tumax has worked well for me, but it will not work with the K-01 at all. I bought triggers to use it as a second flash but the P-TTL and other features of the Pentax 540 working with my K-01 and K-5 is a real plus.
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