Pentaxian Registered: September, 2017 Location: South Wales Posts: 2,961 | | Review Date: March 4, 2022 | Recommended | Price: $1.00
| Rating: 7 |
| Pros: | Tilt Swivel & zoom head, well made, dedication modules, low trigger voltage | | Cons: | ISO 1000 maximum on scale, distance scale is feet not metres and not always easy to read, modern P-TTL not supported, no provision for external battery | |
This is another of the Sunpak DX series (Auto 36DX, 30DX, 24DX, DX8R etc) of the late film era. They use a module which attaches to the unit's underside to provide the foot. It has a low trigger voltage (at least with the Pentax modules) so is suitable for modern cameras.
The Guide Number (GN) of 26 metres is expressed the traditional way - with zoom set for a standard full frame 50mm lens and a sensitivity of ISO 100. This cannot be directly compared with modern units, the marketing of which quotes Guide Numbers at maximum zoom to sound more favourable. Although the unit's name seems to refer to its Guide Number in meters, the distance scale shows only feet.
Another anomaly is that some of the markings on the back say the GN with a 50mm lens at ISO 100 is 100 ft, which is 30.5 meters. However the F-number versus distance scale implies a GN of about 85 ft, equal to 26 meters, which corresponds to the unit's name. In fact, using lithium (1.5v) batteries, I measured the GN of mine to be 24 metres, and the re-cycle time from full power was 8 seconds, which is not bad for a unit which must be over 20 years old.
It feels solid, and the indexed swivel/tilt/zoom movements work nicely. The zoom head can be set between 35, 50 and 135mm. It is a pity it cannot go down to 28mm, as I might use for indoor group shots. There is a slot that allows rectagular gels or other modifiers to be inserted behind the lens.
The controls are on the back. There is the ON/OFF switch, and because it is meant to turn itself off after a minute of disuse (although mine does not) there is a push button to turn it on again. A slider sets film (or sensor) sensitivity between ISO 25 and 1000, which suits film but is low for a digital camera. However you could extrapolate because it is only a slide rule to recommend camera aperture and has no connection to the internals. There are three markers against which to set the sensitivity depending on which focal length the zoom head is set to; cleverly, the appropriate one is indicated by a tiny LED, contolled presumably by a position switch in the head.
Another switch selects between three Auto modes (red yellow and green), Manual, and TTL modes (film era TTL, not P-TTL) . A further slider sets the manual energy level with five values from full down to 1/16 in one stop intervals. There is a test button and indicator light to check adequate illumination in the Auto modes. The designers seem to have had some fun with tiny LEDs because they also use some to show the distance ranges (in tiny figures) over which the Auto control is effective. In my example these are erratic in operation
The battery compartment is similar to that of the Pentax AF280T but the door catch is much stronger. This can be a weakness in many units, including those of Pentax.
With regard to the foot module, there is a range of them to provide dedication to the major camera brands of the time. They were evidently designed for fit-and-forget, not for frequent changing, because they use a simple circuit card edge connection; I think that is reasonable. Many Ebay sellers of Sunpak DX units even seem unaware that the module is detachable - it was probably fitted for them by the dealer when new. The module for Pentax dedication is the PT-1D or PT-2D, and I review one here : https://www.pentaxforums.com/accessoryreviews/sunpak-interface-module-pt-2d-...rd-ext-11.html
I am not a fan of heavy flash units on camera hot shoes in case they break either their own foot or the camera mounting. This Sunpak is about as heavy as I would tolerate and otherwise I prefer a hammerhead unit on a bracket.
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