[callmeraymon]

Just got this in my email today:
"Hi Ray Vera,
We are pleased to inform you that our AK-TTL Radio Wireless TTL flash trigger is available now. Shipping to worldwide.
Aokatec - Products
Best regards,
Kevin
Aokatec Team"

It's on their website as available as well. Aokatec - Products
It's a little different. It looks like they take the optical pulses, convert to wireless, then back to optical. I don't have a P-TTL flash to test it out. Someone out there needs to order one and report back to us.

[Sol Invictus]

I've been waiting for these excitedly! I hope someone tests them out soon.

[jake14mw]

hmmm... their web page is not displaying for me. Sounds like they are trying to do what Radio Poppers do. Radio Poppers does not support Pentax so this could be good. How much are they?

[callmeraymon]

Looks like the RX/TX kit is $109USD on paypal. Aokatec - Products

[junyo]

Okay, so it's bypassing any need to be aware of any given TTL protocol by basically being a media converter/repeater?

[callmeraymon]

It's actually kinda genius when you think about it. Don't have to spend time programming for each manufacturer when you can just replicate the output. Should theoretically work with anything.

[adwb]

any body ordered this yet? looks like it will cost 148.99 with express shipping
very tempting if it works ,

[mattb123]

So if I understand this correctly, to get P-TTL you need that optical to RF thing that goes over the pop-up flash? Or can the P-TTL info just get relayed via the hotshoe?
The dongle seems a little awkward if that is the case.

I'm tired of messing with my eBay triggers and feel like I should get something more reliable but I'm not sure what the best choice would be. P-TTL would be nice but reliability is my top priority. Simplicity would be a plus.

[adwb]

correct or over hotshoe fitted flash , camera set to wireless and off camera flash as well, all the rest as normal.
I have ordered one , and will report back once received and tested out

[adwb]

OK so the kit arrived today 15th via dhl which I paid extra for but worth every penny as the Aokatec AK-TTL Radio Wireless TTL Flash Trigger was only shipped on Monday . 2.5 days from Hong Kong not bad service.
The goods arrived well packaged and undamaged. inside the outer heavy duty cardboard box were two smaller boxes on with the hot shoe adaptor and some mounting pieces of Velcro and a couple of rubber bands. In the other box is the Rx and the TX unit as well as assorted cables. I had already downloaded and printed the pdf instructions, just as well as there were non in the boxes,[ not that you really need them as it turn out.]

Next I fitted the bracket in the hot shoe mount on my k5, and the TX once fitted with 2 AAA batteries [not supplied] fits on to that.

The receiver gets fitted with batteries , again 2 x AAA, and has the sensor cable plugged into it.

The other end of the sensor cable has a small block on the end with a round lens in it.

Now I have a Metz 48 and that has the Ir sensor on the side so the small block get positioned over the sensor and held in place with one of the rubber bands. It sound a bit home made but it works perfectly well. There are two small lanyards supplied to fit to the TX and RX so I fitted one to the RX so it could hang from the light stand.

I switched both the RX and TX on, and turned the flash on and set it to wireless mode , set the camera to commander wireless flash, activated the pop up the built in flash and lit up a tree in broad daylight in bright sun light with the flash 3 meters [9ft] from the tree and me over 10 meters [30 feet away] from the tree and flash.

Brilliant,works like a charm, I know that at that distance the pop up would never ever trigger the Metz 48 in bright sunlight and I tried just to make sure. I had to get under 3 meters [9 foot] before the flash would work due to sun on it.

Next I changed to a 200 mm lens and went off about 80 meters [240 ft] and it still worked perfectly.

Next I went back to the original sort of distance and with a 28-65 lens back on changed to manual and deliberately underexposed by 2 stops, and then by 4 stops, you can see the effect in the attached images.

I love this type of lighting and so do Brides , it is a very effective way of creating a different image for them.

So I think these triggers are well worth the money, I have to admit you can get the same effect with a wireless trigger just by trail and error or quickly if you have a flash meter , and yes you can also get that to work as a fill flash but with this now genuinely wireless PTTL flash it is much less messing about and more controllable.

It also beats using a pttl extension cable and gets you further away.

Highly recommended if like me you do a lot of off camera flash and want the PTTL to work rather than going manual.

[Sol Invictus]

Thanks a lot adwb! I'm going to get these as soon as I order the Metz 58.

[callmeraymon]

adwb. The forum owes you. Finally, we have a P-TTL solution. I know we've all been waiting.

[adwb]

So yesterday something was bugging me as the images all seemed a bit over exposed flash wise when on Program setting, so today being a nice overcast day I have been experimenting a bit more.

K5 in p mode, ISO 160, in camera meter selecting 125/F3.2 on a tripod 10 meters from subject , Metz 48 on stand 3 meter from subject set to wireless and 28 mm [ on a Metz 48 focal length is not adjusted when in slave mode ] and standard power setting no + or - dialled in.

seconic 308s flash meter set at ISO 160 and 125 shutter speed.

With the pop up flash set to commander the flash output from the pop at the subject position did not register on my flash meter.

With the pop up flash triggering the Metz 48 the flash at 3 meters from subject on the meter indicated f7.2, and the exposure looked good.

With the pop up and the Metz fitted with the remote kit every thing else set the same the flash reading is much brighter giving a meter reading of f5

To get the same exposure as triggered by the pop up of f7.2 I had to move the flash stand 3 metres further away from the subject.

given the ambient is f3.2 I would expect the fill flash to be a few stops brighter so F7.2 is about what I would aim for if I was doing it all manual with radio triggers., but F5 is to much and gives the over exposed look that I got yesterday in the full sun conditions.

All the above does not detract from the kit working but be aware it will tend to over expose so you have a choice, dial the power down in the flash, not a bad thing for battery life, or remember to put the flash allot further away than you normally put it.

BTW I also made sure that the flash main body was facing the subject so the red panel "saw" the flash as I assume it has something to do with the exposure being correct

the meter readings are pretty much in line with what I would expect as my full manual rule of thumb to get going is flash at wide angle 3 meters from subject camera set to ISO 160 and 160/f8 take test shot which is normally pretty close and adjust from there.

[CadentOrange]

Could you post some close ups on how the RX unit is connected to your Metz 48 flash? I've been going through the AK-TTL documentation and it looks like you need a PC-sync port which the Metz 48 doesn't have.

[adwb]

hi you are wrong , on the side of the Metz is a small red window that is the sensor, you get a short cable with a square end on it supplied as part of the kit #ASWC-1, in the end is the transmitter/ receiver sensor , you place that over the flash sensor and hold in place with supplied rubber band or Velcro pieces.
look at the PDF on their website section on settings part 2 http://www.aokatec.com/pdf/Aokatec%20AK-TTL%20instruction.pdf