New Member Registered: May, 2011 Location: Kent Posts: 4 | | Review Date: July 27, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $50.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Power vs Cost, simplicity. | | Cons: | No swivel, very basic manual control. | |
Bought this used from a photography store that doesn't stock Pentax and hence tends to sell used Pentax gear cheap (used 50mm f1.7 SMC-A £20 with 6 month warranty!)
Paid £39 for this flash in perfect condition with same warranty. I don't tend to do much strobe work and prefer natural light so this is a 'just in case' purchase. Settings are P-TTL or manual High/Low and that is the extent of the control available. Auto zooms between 28-80. As I will probably only ever use it in P-TTL I'm not to concerned about lack of manual options and if it ever becomes an issue will but something more sophisticated and use this as slave.
Good basic flash with some power.
*As an update to above I have found that the TTL setting on the flash only seems to fire at full power so possibly isn't P-TTL compatible. Exposures can still be balanced using aperture but not ideal for everyone. Rating revised from 8 to 5 due to this.*
*Last update, I have now found out that many Pentax and non-Pentax flashes can over expose with P-TTL and this is more a camera than flash problem. Score readjusted to 7.*
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Veteran Member Registered: December, 2010 Location: Manila Posts: 2,185 | | Review Date: July 11, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $69.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | cheap, TTL, AF beam | | Cons: | no swivel, almost no manual control, no master mode, | |
I'm a beginner with flashes and I think this is also a beginner's flash. For a really old flash, it's a good thing it's still compatible with DSLRs.
The best thing about it is that it's TTL. Good for getting "well-to-do" shots. As long as I don't shoot in portrait orientation, I get lots of OK indoor exposures with it. It can fire relatively fast provided you're using Sanyo Eneloop batteries (not that I'm endorsing the batt brand, but they really show difference, well, vs. alkalines).
Bad things about it - well, it doesn't let you shoot with a lot of options. Taking photos vertically can lead to harsh shadows of the subject. No swivel or bounce card, can't be a master flash when using slaves, and I'm not sure if it runs on wireless mode either (will try and update this review when I get the chance to try).
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