| Author: | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2011 Location: Chester Posts: 719 | | Review Date: May 25, 2012 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Power, good display, useful control wheel, easy to turn on and off. | | Cons: | YN560 is better built!, smaller zoom range, old, head not tight enough | |
Considering the ridiculous price (I can't remember exactly, but it was expensive) it gets a 6. It's fantastic flash though, don't get me wrong. I just don't use the p-TTL function as much as I thought I would, and considering a YN560II is like, £50, this seems like a lot of money for very few extras.
The key thing I prefer about the YN560 is the easier control of manual settings. That said, the 540FGZs scroll wheel is actually very useful, I just wish you didn't have to press the button every time you wanted to change the power.
The display has VERY poor viewing angles which is a little irritating.
That said, it's powerful and consistent, and it looks very nice too. The times I've needed the p-TTL it's been very handy, and it makes a great team with the YN560 which, by the way, broke recently and inconsistently fires. No such problems with the Pentax. Fingers crossed for a replacement soon.
| | | | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2011 Posts: 8 | | Review Date: May 1, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $550.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Power, wireless, compatability with body | | Cons: | Price, build quality, foot | |
A good powerfull flash, which matches the Pentax bodies brilliantly. For easy photography it works very good: TTL techniques makes sure you get a well-lit image. Tilt and swivel head makes it possible to to use the reflective walls/ceiling and more depth in the image. That was the reason to buy a 540 (and not 360 instead, although I did not need the enourmous power of the 540).
Apart from the simple settings, I like more and more using the 540 for advanced picures in the wireless mode. This really makes some special images. The set-up is easy (manual settings are intuitive). I will need to buy a radio trigger or so, since now it is triggered by the pop-up flash of my camera, which means it has to stand in the line-of-sight from the camera. That is fine if it is out of the frame of the image, but I simply do not like the flash itself in the picture.
My first 540 I bought about 3 years ago, and it broke (a broken electrical capacity) for which Pentax made an offer for 250 euro. I reclined, and instead bought a second one (400 euro =~ 550 dollar). And now I bought a third second hand (175 dollar), not because the second is broken, but to add for more creative light. I constructed a diffusor myself later.
When placed on the foot, the unit will fall over, and there is no easy tripod mount. This is rediculous. If anyone has a solution (Pentax should have tested this - are the Pentax engineers much more clever than I am?), please send me a pm.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2010 Location: South Florida Posts: 312 | | Review Date: April 7, 2011 | Not Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Bright, Even lighting, very fully featured, build quality acceptable except for battery door, amazing battery life | | Cons: | Flimsy Battery Door, plastic foot tough to slide in, recycling issues | |
I don't have a lot of experience with modern flashes, mainly I remember playing with my dad's flash as a kid, and remembering that it would get maybe 20 pops before it went dead.
Technology has come a long way since then, and the 540 flash really impressed me with its battery life. It was also capable of producing some amazing shots and very even lighting. The AF light was quite useful in the environment I was shooting in. The situation was that my cousin and I were asked to shoot a friend's wedding for free, but they offered to rent us equipment. So we rented these two flashes and some lenses.
I can't speak to the TTL performance, because the person that trained me to use the flash emphasized manual control. It actually worked out great, bouncing on manual. This shot was typical of the results I was getting. Just what I wanted:
However, it wasn't all rainbows and puppies. There were a few complaints I mainly had about the flash unit when I had it:
- I couldn't get optical slave to work reliably. I really wanted to try some off-camera stuff but didn't have time or budget to get a radio slave. The wireless option was iffy at best. When it worked, it produced great results, but I couldn't trust it enough to even try it during the wedding.
- It loses settings when you turn it off. The LCD readout is nice and all, but when you turn the unit off, it reverts back to auto, and if, like me, you were shooting not only on manual, but stopping down the light quite a bit, it was many button presses between turning the flash on and being able to shoot.
- The foot is plastic - and this wasn't a comment on its sturdiness, because it felt VERY sturdy and durable, but the plastic was "sticky" in my K-X's shoe. It was difficult to manhandle it in there, and didn't feel like it was all the way in. I didn't quite feel like I was going to break it, but maybe that I was putting it in wrong.
- The battery door felt as though I would break it every time I opened it. Fortunately, through over 1000 exposures with about an 80% flash rate, I only had to change batteries once.
- Finally, and this is the most important one, the recycle is very quick on the flash. This in itself is not the bad thing. However, it will fire even though it's not fully recycled. I shot mainly on 1/16th and 1/8th, bounced off the cieling with a slight forward tilt. On many posed shots, I would take two or three shots to be sure. Invariably, when I got to post, the second and third shots had lighting issues. They were noticably darker, and the white balance was way off. Now maybe I was doing something wrong, but when I was in the field, it seemed to be coming out fine. It's a slight difference but one you should be aware of. This happened no matter whether there were half-dead alkalines (what came with it) or the fresh Lithiums I put in. (Maybe Lithiums aren't the right battery?)
Once I gave the flash back, I started investigating how much scratch I would have to come up with to get myself a nice bounce, swivel manual flash to own. I discovered Metz, the Vivitar 285 and Sunpak 383, and even Yongnuo's line.
From the strobist reviews of Yongnuo's high end offerings, which mention burst-speed recycling on most of their units, features missing from the Pentax like the under-flash to reduce the harshness of bounced light on faces, I wish I hadn't spent the $25+ shipping to rent the 540, but had spent ~$100 on any of these other options, because I'm about to spend that money anyway.
| | | | | New Member Registered: January, 2010 Location: BC Posts: 7 | | Review Date: February 6, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $399.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | powerful, reliable, pentax | | Cons: | build quality, rather expensive | |
This has been a great flash for me. I have used it off camera, on a K7, a MZ5-n and even a 645. P-TTL works great...an hey, it's really your only option for a Pentax with full tilt and swivel.
The only cons - the foot is very flimsy. You have to be careful you don't put it down with the flash mounted (good practice anyways). I have lost one with a very small bump. Cost of about $130 at the shop. Also the infrared cover has inexplicably fallen off. I have since glued it back on but looks a little cheesy.
The thing is also bloody expensive in Canada - $649 regular price. I got a deal on mine but at that price an SB900 looks like a bargain!
| | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2008 Location: Adelaide, Australia Posts: 108
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 18, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $700.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | When it works, it works well! | | Cons: | Noisy Zoom, Flimsy battery door, sticks to hot shoe | |
I bought mine here in Adelaide in 2007 with the K10. Paid a premium price for a less than premium product. Operation is/has been inconsistent.
Apart from the noisy zoom and the flimsy battery door, both of which I can tolerate, the issue is performance or rather non-performance. Sometimes fires, sometimes (more often) doesn't.
I have made sure batteries are brand new, the camera battery is fully charged, camera firmware is up to date (1.30), the contacts are cleaned, the flash is positively mounted, restarted the camera, restarted the flash. No joy.
The flash was sent back to the agents for inspection and they pronounced it "healthy"- sadly, nothing has changed.
Rather dissapointing given it's a genuine Pentax unit considering all the other Pentax gear I have is great. When money permits, I will purchase something better.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: November, 2007 Location: Tennessee, USA Posts: 110 | | Review Date: August 27, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | versatility, performance, features | | Cons: | less than sturdy foot | |
I own two of these:
- First was purchased brand-new in 2007. ($399.99 + tax)
- Second purchased used (floor demonstrator) in 2009. (It was a steal at $300 plus shipping.)
I initially used the first unit with a 3rd party flash for line-of-sight off-camera work. Since I wanted to use the full capabilities of the AF540-FGZ for wedding receptions and indoor events, hence the purchase of the second unit. I realize that I could have purchased a less expensive AF360, however, I require tilt and swivel.
The one negative for me is that the foot was always rather less sturdy on my original than other Pentax and 3rd-party units I've used. Five months after receiving it, user laziness and a pot hole caused the small protrusions on the edge of the foot to crack. The flash abruptly left the top of my K10D when I picked up camera. It would work if I held it or taped it. I ordered the replacement feet from Pentax USA for ~$87 USD (including tax & shipping). It was easy to replace it. I'm hoping that I never need to use the spare.
The 2nd unit didn't have a weak foot. Neither flash has presented problems with their locking pins nor the pull-out bounce cards or diffusers.
ETA: pricing for 2nd unit
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2009 Posts: 1,689 | | Review Date: August 24, 2010 | Not Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 4 |
| Pros: | HSS, Wireless off camera, powerful, easy to use interface | | Cons: | Lousy build quality, flimsy battery door, noisy, expensive, no WR, doesnt save settings when powered down, unreliable | |
I purchased my 540 about a year ago online and I do regret purchasing this flash and not spending the money on a Metz.
My main gripe is simply build quality, it's just terrible for the money!
Yes it is a genuine Pentax flash but for the money it does not deserve to sit on top of a solid body like the K-7, it feels like a tacked on add-on rather than a serious accessory.
Comparing it to a Canon 580EX Mkii which is similarly priced here in Australia the AF540 feels cheap and tacky by comparison, it feels like it could potentially fall apart at any minute.
The battery door is a joke and is very flimsy.
The zoom head motor is noisy and sounds like it's about to jam at any moment.
The the tilt and swivel head feels rather loose and went using flash heads like a Fong lightsphere it doesn't stay locked into place.
In terms of reliability I never had issues with wireless triggering and metering in that sense it's a great flash, but it sadly just doesn't last. Mine packed up at only 9months old where it has now decided to only trigger at full power regardless of the settings, it will need to go back to have it's mainboard replaced.
Worse in Australia this place is over $600AUD which is ludicrous, considering the quality of the equivalent priced Canon 580exII.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: October, 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Posts: 9,830
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: July 14, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Nice power, wireless features, good manual modes | | Cons: | Does not have the professional build of older flashes | |
This is my workhorse flash for DSLR use. I've become addicted to the wireless mode. Put this on a shelf somewhere, aimed at the ceiling, and use the camera's built-in flash for control and fill, and you get professional-looking results anywhere. I've used this setup for everything from children at play to indoor architectural shots.
It rarely sees the top of my camera, but it does an adequate job there as well. Bounced from the camera, it fills a nice-sized room. I'm more likely to hand hold it (again using wireless, or using a cable) or use a bracket. Again, with a bracket and the camera flash, you get the diffusion of bounce with fill that keeps the eye sockets open.
My only nit with this flash is that it is plastic and does not have the tank-like build of my older Pentax pro flash. Also, powering it from outside requires a faux battery rig, rather than a neat plug. To my knowledge, there is not an HV option from Pentax to use AC power.
My other nit now with this flash is that the swivel does not lock. A diffuser of any weight will have the head swaying about with your movements. The finish also lacks much grip, which makes accessories harder to attach. I have numerous other flashes, and this is still the easiest to use with a Pentax camera, but it really needs an upgrade to the physical package.
| | | | | Inactive Account Registered: September, 2009 Location: SoCal Posts: 1,292 | | Review Date: April 10, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $300.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Works well, lots of light. | | Cons: | The battery cover door appears weak | |
I agree with the above review. I have seen two used and advertised with broken slide-in diffusers. I purchased mine used, mint complete with case, box and papers for $300. Amazon is currently showing them retailing over $400. I do not use it a lot with my K20D, but it has been very satisfactory so far.
| | | | | Loyal Site Supporter Registered: March, 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Posts: 23,920
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 26, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $320.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Powerful, accurate exposures in P-TTL, versatile, smooth bounce/swivel action | | Cons: | Flimsy hotshoe apparatus, flimsy battery door, flimsy diffuser hinge | |
This is a fine flash.
Absolutely a dream to operate in all modes.
Does P-TTL well on the K20D - a few inconsistencies on the K10D, though.
Excellent, reliable wireless operation - Pentax (short of having radio triggering) have done very well in this regard.
What brings my assessment of this brilliant piece of equipment down is mainly to do with its build quality. Whilst not weak in any sense (mine has survived a few decent falls to the ground without breaking), it suffers in the simplest things:
1. The locking pin is highly susceptible to sticking and thus rendering the flash completely stuck to the camera's hotshoe, requiring some major surgery to get it off, then rectify the problem (removing the blasted pin).
2. The battery door does feel quite weak and at any moment may decide not to close adequately anymore, although this is yet to happen with my 3 year old unit.
3. Many users have noted that their diffuser flip-out apparatus dislodges completely from its hinges within the flash unit. Again, I am yet to realise this with my own copy, but it is for this reason I gingerly operate this function to avoid it falling out on me.
Otherwise, I have used this unit to create work that turned out better than I thought they would. So I highly recommend the unit.
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