[Aknot]

Im making a list of things I want for my little camera bag. One of those is an external/seperate flash unit.

I browsed Mattdm's site (nice btw) and have a few questions about "flashes" in general.

What is this "module" item that sems to be required on some flashes that need to be purchased seperatly? Or am I reading it incorrectly as in it needs to be purchased if you want a further function on the flash?

Ive noticed some of the more higher end flashes have an external power supply. Is there a seperate power pack device that you use for this or can it be plugged into the wall so to speak?

Im looking for (currently may upgrade in the future) a flash to take over the chores of the in camera flash as it tends to eat batteries. It appears a dedicated flash does not...or not as fast.

I was looking at the Promaster 5750DX Digital Electronic Flash yet as I mentioned above the write up on Mattdm's state "Even when you add in the cost of the required 5050DXR/PX module," which puts it out of my comfort range for a flash price wise.

Thanks in advance for any comments or corrections.

[atupdate]

The dedicated modules are the bottom half of the flash and they house the electrical connection (hot shoe) to your camera. The reason they are dedicated is that every camera manufacturer has a different connection configuration and you will need a Pentax module to allow the flash to talk/function with your camera.

Tim

[BigDave]

Hi Aknot:

The power supplies they mention are usually AC power adapters that plug into the flash and take the place of the batteries. They usually do not CHARGE the batteries. The external power supplies are nice if you are doing work where you do not have to be mobile, but aren't great for on-camera flashes (on the hot shoe) as you have a wire that needs to be fought with when you are shooting.

Some flashes also allow for a high voltage or auxiliary battery pack. This keeps you more mobile while still giving you more power to work with. These are better for the side mounted flashes than the hot shoe flashes though as you have a cable to the flash all the time, which you can get tangled in.

Personally, I have been using the NMhi or LiIon rechargeable batteries. They are easy to come by, are not that expensive and I can have a couple of sets to swap out as required. I even have a nice little charger that allows the wall outlet prongs to fold down for easy storage. This goes into my little bad with the flash.

Oh, and your in-camera flash eats the battery life because it is drawing the power for the flash from the main battery of the camera. A separate flash will have its own battery/power supply.

[Aknot]

Thanks for the replies.

After bouncing all around I think im going with the:
Vivitar DF 283 Series 1 Digital TTL Shoe Mount Autofocus Flash for Pentax TTL $90.

I was thinking of the:
Bower SFD850 Twin Digital Slave Flash because of the price point ($60) however it has no TTL and that seems like a desired function and less work for casual people like me...(?).

Any more advice on this decision will be appreciated.

After this decision is made I then have to decide on a TC so I will be off to the lens section..

[chalion]

Both the Vivitar and ProMaster are much cheaper than the name brand Pentax flash. I own both the 540 and 360.