New Member Registered: December, 2023 Posts: 13 | | Review Date: April 10, 2024 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Consistent light, fast recycle, durable | | Cons: | Top heavy | |
Glorious overkill. I've had my 544 since 1988. Granted, it's not been in continuous use. But I did use it through about 1995 or 6.
As mentioned, you can turn the head and get a bounced softer light almost anywhere in a decent sized room. It is very picky about slave units as I recall, so anxious to try it with a radio slave, when I get a set.
Before this, I used a Vivtar 283, and a much older Sunpak 611.
I no longer seem to have the diffuser kit for the 544. But found my battery block and cord for my old Quantum battery pack. Which I ought to still have.
I've not shot much with it since finding it...
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Pentaxian Registered: September, 2017 Location: South Wales Posts: 2,961 | | Review Date: June 21, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $20.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Powerful, well made, 1/3 stop aperture increments | | Cons: | No TTL or dedication, fitting batteries fiddly, accessories hard to find, max ASA 800 is low for DSLRs | |
This is a large and powerful hammerhead from the film era but usable with DSLRs. It has a Guide Number of 42 metres and it goes well with larger cameras like the K-1 or medium formats. It has handsome classic styling, unlike some hammerheads which look like (or really are) adaptations from hotshoe units. It looks similar to several other Sunpak hammerheads, particularly the Auto 555 (or G4500GX) which has a slightly higher guide number of 45 and is also reviewed in this section.
It is generally well made, except that the battery holder uses leaf spring contacts rather than superior coil springs, and it is a bit difficult to get the batteries in and out. The battery holder is removable so I shall be inclined to remove it and recharge the six AA NiCad batteries in it as a permanent cluster rather than removing the batteries individually every time. Sunpak offered a block-like NiCad battery cluster and charger as an extra, but you probably won't find one now. Also I find the tilt and swivel movements rather stiff; this could be an issue as the manual warns you not to force them. I might disassemble and put some silicone grease on the mechanism.
Surprisingly the batteries are housed in the head rather than the handle, which makes it a bit top-heavy (not so noticable on a heavy camera). With the handle/head part detached, you feel you could bang in nails with it! The battery door is adequately strong, a weakness on many other units.
There is a socket for a high voltage input from a belt-carried battery pack or a mains adaptor. Other available extras included telephoto and wide angle adaptors, and a alternative bracket for TLRs, but any of these accessories would be hard to find today.
The Auto and Manual controls are by separate and comprehensive dials on opposite ends of the head. The back has the on/off and Auto/Manual switches, and the various indicating lights. The controls may be a bit too comprehensive for someone who prefers simplicity, but they are still simpler than the digital display menus on some modern top-end units.
Unlike the unconnected calculator dials or slide rules found on many other units, these dials really do control the unit's flash energy level. The Auto dial has an ASA range from 25 to 800, and for any setting it offers a range of four aperture stops (eg at ASA 100 : from f2.8 to f8) in 1/3 stop increments. For comparison, the similar model 555 offers a range of seven stops, no less, and the Pentax AF400T offers a four stop range but only at three apertures (eg at ASA 100 : f4, f8 and f11). Because you can change ASA at any time with digital cameras, the available range of apertures is greatly extended anyway with any of these units; for example with the 4205 on a Pentax K-1, setting the ISO to 100 (the K-1's minimum) you could choose f2.8, or setting it to 800 (the unit's maximum) you could choose f22 - a seven stop range.
The Manual dial on the other side of the unit has a knob on the inner dial that allows a choice of energy levels over a seven-stop range - from full power to 1/64 power, which corresponds to a GN of about 6. The outer part of the dial is the normal slide rule that evaluates the aperture setting versus distance.
There are no TTL modes or camera dedication. The connection to the camera is a simple coiled lead to the camera's PC sync X socket. I measured the trigger voltage as 6.9V, correct polarity, so it is OK for modern cameras (for comparison the Pentax AF280T was 7.8V).
I find the Auto control accurate. I tested it over a range of energy levels and apertures and the exposure was consistent. It is so powerful that in a normal room you can just aim it in the general direction of the ceiling and there is soft lighting everywhere.
I bought mine used but mint from Ebay for the very low price of £13.50, but £40-50 would be more typical.The prices are much lower than the equivalent Pentax AF400T. The latter does have film-era TTL and dedication, but not P-TTL so those features are of less use for a DSLR.
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