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11-22-2010, 10:46 AM   #61
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I have tested the K5 with the AF540 and can confirm that one gets completely erratic behaviour!
It is not only indirect flash, but also direct.
Often one is getting massive overexposure.
Firmware 1.01.

This is worse than with the K20!


Last edited by blende8; 11-22-2010 at 01:15 PM.
11-22-2010, 10:51 AM   #62
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OK, so I purchased the K-5, and will sell my K-7 and keep my K10D as a spare. I am getting massive overexposure with hotshoe flash. But interestingly, it is overexposed when I bounce as well as when I aim the flash directly at the subject.
Did the online chat with Pentax Customer Support and got the response that they do not support Metz flashes on Pentax cameras. (I was expecting that) the best suggestion they have is to reset the camera.
Now I can waste hours of time pinpointing the exact problem again like I did with my K-7, but feel a little conflicted...I am not buying cameras to test them. So far I found that the overexposure is mostly happening with many high-reflective objects in the view.

So should I return the camera and buy it again when the flash issue is fixed? I will admit that I have also been looking at the Nikon D7000, but as it turns out, that camera is not perfect either....so then maybe the Canon 7D, which has a slightly inferior sensor but maybe superior AF? The best option for me is to hope that firmware will deal with the K-5 issue, but it is uncertain if that is actually going to happen.
11-22-2010, 12:33 PM   #63
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QuoteOriginally posted by blende8 Quote
It is not only indirect flash, but also direct.
Yep, another mys(t)ery... until today direct flash always worked fine for me. But today evening direct flash totally overexposed all of my images just how bounce flash did it.

QuoteOriginally posted by Eric Seavey Quote
So should I return the camera and buy it again when the flash issue is fixed?
Imho that wouldn't make sense, but YMMV. Personally I wait till it's fixed in a next firmware release, until then I use flash in manual or wireless mode - and also very much enjoy the camera when not using flash
11-22-2010, 03:31 PM   #64
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pentax can be happy that I will be on a four week backpacking tour in 10 days, then they have time to fix it as I won´t take my flash with me anyway

11-22-2010, 06:26 PM   #65
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I am finding the camera is having trouble metering white or almost white surfaces, and treats them as much darker, so it exposes the flash more.
11-22-2010, 07:37 PM   #66
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Shot some pics over the weekend at a rehersal dinner and wedding reception. Overexposure problem showed up quite a bit. The odd thing is that it didn't appear to be completely random, but I couldn't quite figure out the pattern.

Once the flash compensation was set properly for the scene, it would be correct time after time.

One thing I did notice is that it seemed to overexpose at shorter subject distance (under 10 feet).
11-23-2010, 04:08 PM   #67
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So are we getting anywhere near some kind of Pentax confirmation as to how they might address the flash problem with the K5?

JP

11-24-2010, 12:25 PM   #68
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QuoteOriginally posted by jpzk Quote
So are we getting anywhere near some kind of Pentax confirmation as to how they might address the flash problem with the K5?

JP
I emailed Pentax UK Monday gone. Hans Libbers emailed me back to tell me that he has forwarded my email higher up the chain. So we all wait.
Good luck to us all.
11-24-2010, 01:08 PM   #69
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QuoteOriginally posted by blockamon Quote
Shot some pics over the weekend at a rehersal dinner and wedding reception. Overexposure problem showed up quite a bit. The odd thing is that it didn't appear to be completely random, but I couldn't quite figure out the pattern.

Once the flash compensation was set properly for the scene, it would be correct time after time.

One thing I did notice is that it seemed to overexpose at shorter subject distance (under 10 feet).
Similarly, I shot my sister-in-law's wedding this past weekend with my K-5 and AF360 and got bad overexposure unless I set -1.5 on the flash itself. As long as I did that, it was fine.

I think that I had similar issues with the K-7, but I so rarely shoot with flash that I never really investigated them. I don't think I had any such issues with the K20D/K100D/etc.
11-24-2010, 03:14 PM   #70
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QuoteOriginally posted by Naim Khan Quote
I emailed Pentax UK Monday gone. Hans Libbers emailed me back to tell me that he has forwarded my email higher up the chain. So we all wait.
Good luck to us all.
Same for me, thats what I was told after my second email. I think meanwhile they realized it is a issue.
Should help to solve the issue
11-24-2010, 03:38 PM   #71
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Well Gentleman I got my K5 yesterday and played around with the 18-55mm had a ball. Today I put my full auto Ricoh flash 30 years old on the K5 and went nuts in the house with flash. I bounced it at all angles 6 times each and not one problem. I used it at 25-50-100-200-400-1000 ISO's f stop's 1.2 through 22. The flash on the camera doe's good for one 16X16 room, I put the Ricoh flash on and litt the living room, down the hallway and into the master bed room to the far wall 62ft and all was well. I could not ask for a better picture.
I hope Mr. Kahn gets his problem fixed.
11-24-2010, 07:57 PM   #72
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The flash overexposes sometimes when the camera metering is used. In other words P-TTL mode.
11-24-2010, 08:26 PM   #73
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QuoteOriginally posted by jrforman Quote
Well, I just tried it with my K-5 and Metz 58 and did not have the problem. Tried with flash head tilted with and without diffuser and flash straight on. Samples of flash with tilt/diffuser and straight on attached [I probably should have + comp for when I had diffuser on]. This is without update on flash although I am going to do that now and if anything change I will let you know. Camera in manual mode and iso at 3200 (had to go to f9 at this speed to go over ambient). Also tried at lower ISO with same results. We have something different but I can't think of what.
That first Picture looks a little underexposed to me.
11-25-2010, 01:11 AM   #74
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Playing a little more around the house tonight. I changed the custom setting to link AE to focus point in matrix metering (not sure if this really made much difference). I was able to get good exposure (withing 1/2 stop or so) in dim or bright light in every shooting mode EXCEPT TAv. In TAv mode, it was always grossly overexposed, almost as if the flash was always firing at full power.

The good news is I'm getting close with most of the modes. The bad news is that TAv is probably my favorite mode for ambient light. So, I'll have to switch when turning on the flash.

Am I missing something in the setup?
11-25-2010, 05:03 PM   #75
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Only thing I can suggest is to ensure that the EV +/- is set to zero for TAv.
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