[ivanvernon]

I had one Sunpak 522, and just got a second one from eBay loaded with battery pak, Sunpak auto slave, 2 of the Nicad CL-2 batteries (to use in place of the alkalines in the battery holder) and two Remote Sensors RS-005, including a 5 foot cord for one of the sensors, also the AC adapter to allow operating the flashes from house current instead of batteries. I have real good results using the units wet on automatic--a great exposure almost every time. The Sunpak autoslave is working well too, and I am able to fire the second 522 unit (setting 10 feet away mounted on tripod) by triggering it from the first 522 unit on my K-20 camera.

There was no sync cord included, so I am using the flashes by placing the remote sensors in the hot shoe of the using camera, and connecting directly to the 522 unit attached to that camera. The user manual is totally silent on the use of these remote sensors, but they at least function in lieu of the sync cord.

I have several questions for knowledgeable Sunpak 522 users:

1. Should I be using the standard sync cord instead of the Remote Sensor RS-005? If so, where can I obtain a single-prong sync cord? What is the proper use of the Remote Sensor RS-005 if not mounted directly on the main camera?

2. Where can I find a battery for the Sunpak Power Pak, shown as Mallory PF-497 or equivalent.

3. Where can I find the rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries CL-2 to use interchangeably with the 6 alkaline batteries in the battery holder within the compartment of the Sunpak 522?

The users manual is rather sparse, so I will appreciate any references to other sources of information regarding use of the Sunpak 522.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[ivanvernon]

I have a further discovery. While the two flash units perform coordinated, correctly timed flash lighting when set up as above, I find that neither of them will coordinate with a second camera using its own on-board flash unit. The Sunpak slave unit always goes off immediately, at least 1-2 seconds before the onboard flash of the triggering camera. I used several cameras to try this--K5II, K3, and K-01, and results are the same for each triggering camera. I will appreciate any thoughts on this as well.

[tuggie76]

I have a further discovery. While the two flash units perform coordinated, correctly timed flash lighting when set up as above, I find that neither of them will coordinate with a second camera using its own on-board flash unit. The Sunpak slave unit always goes off immediately, at least 1-2 seconds before the onboard flash of the triggering camera. I used several cameras to try this--K5II, K3, and K-01, and results are the same for each triggering camera. I will appreciate any thoughts on this as well.

I can only answer the second e-mail, but the flash is being triggered by the pre-flash of the PTTL system, which I don't think can be turned off. As far as I know the only answer would be radio transmitters. But this would also solve some of your other queries.

Tuggie76

[ivanvernon]

I can only answer the second e-mail, but the flash is being triggered by the pre-flash of the PTTL system, which I don't think can be turned off. As far as I know the only answer would be radio transmitters. But this would also solve some of your other queries.

Tuggie76

OK, thanks. That makes an easy fix. I just put an old Pentax AF500FTZ on the triggering camera (K7), set the flash on manual and very low output level (1/32), and now it works like a charm. However, I will also look into the radio transmitters, but am unsure if they will work with the ancient but reliable Sunpak 522.

[ivanvernon]

Here is one of my K-20 cameras set up with the Sunpak 522. The 522 is equipped with remote sensor, and shown with the slave sensor on top. In actual use, of course, the slave sensor is mounted on a second Sunpak 522 in order to trigger that second unit and produce varying lighting effects. The 522 unit that is mounted on this camera is equipped with a 5-foot extension which allows it to be hand held or mounted on a second tripod away from the camera for varying lighting effects.

This unit works wonderfully with the K-20, and gives a perfect exposure every time with camera set on X mode and flash set on automatic with very minimal playing around with ISO and aperture. It works well with catch-in-focus and my crisp little Pentax-M 50 mm lens as well as with other primes and zooms. The RS-005 Sensor unit mounted in the hot shoe seems to possess magical properties. I am assuming that it has no capability of sensing aperture and/or shutter speed, but at times the initial exposures are so near perfect that it almost seems to be doing so.

Safe? So far, no problems at all, though I am limiting power to the six-alkaline battery pack, and avoiding waist powerpak, niCad batteries, and the household current adapter. I suppose I ought to get some of those hot shoe mounted power limiters, and maybe will do so for use with other power sources. I am limiting the 522 units to use with the K-20s and will not risk using them with K-7 or K-5ii.

I am new at flash photography, so I am doing lots of experimenting with these units to see how much I can learn. Any comments anyone wishes to offer will be most welcome.

[ivanvernon]

To complete the 522 story of this thread, I have now received a couple of Korean safe sync units, and use them to protect my cameras from potentially unsafe trigger voltages. These fit right into the hotshoe of the camera in use, with the Sunpak 522 RS-005 Remote Sensor fitting into the hotshoe on the top of the safe sync unit and the cable of the Remote Sensor attached to the Sunpak 522.

This whole thing is a big rig, and some photographers (including my wife) see it as being too heavy (4 lbs 12 oz.) and unwieldy, but it suits me just fine. The K-20 and kit lens 18-55 kit lens set up with this rig weights 4 lbs. 12 oz, compared to 3 lbs 10 oz. for the K-3 and the same lens with stroboframe and AF360FGZ. However, the K-3 stroboframe setup feels even lighter because it is better balanced than the top-heavy Sunpak 522 unit.

[wildlifephotog]

The info on the flash trigger voltage site quotes, " Michael Foos checked with Sunpak, who reported "usually 190V " for the 522. So it would be well to protect your cameras.

[ivanvernon]

The info on the flash trigger voltage site quotes, " Michael Foos checked with Sunpak, who reported "usually 190V " for the 522. So it would be well to protect your cameras.

Good point. The 522s have never damaged my cameras, but I certainly feel safer using the safe sync units.

[markdesmarais]

If you are still looking for sync cables, I got mine from FlashZebra.com... don't see the exact ones I got, but they still have some sunpak stuff.

[Scootatheschool1990]

I had one Sunpak 522, and just got a second one from eBay loaded with battery pak, Sunpak auto slave, 2 of the Nicad CL-2 batteries (to use in place of the alkalines in the battery holder) and two Remote Sensors RS-005, including a 5 foot cord for one of the sensors, also the AC adapter to allow operating the flashes from house current instead of batteries. I have real good results using the units wet on automatic--a great exposure almost every time. The Sunpak autoslave is working well too, and I am able to fire the second 522 unit (setting 10 feet away mounted on tripod) by triggering it from the first 522 unit on my K-20 camera.

There was no sync cord included, so I am using the flashes by placing the remote sensors in the hot shoe of the using camera, and connecting directly to the 522 unit attached to that camera. The user manual is totally silent on the use of these remote sensors, but they at least function in lieu of the sync cord.

I have several questions for knowledgeable Sunpak 522 users:

1. Should I be using the standard sync cord instead of the Remote Sensor RS-005? If so, where can I obtain a single-prong sync cord? What is the proper use of the Remote Sensor RS-005 if not mounted directly on the main camera?

2. Where can I find a battery for the Sunpak Power Pak, shown as Mallory PF-497 or equivalent.

3. Where can I find the rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries CL-2 to use interchangeably with the 6 alkaline batteries in the battery holder within the compartment of the Sunpak 522?

The users manual is rather sparse, so I will appreciate any references to other sources of information regarding use of the Sunpak 522.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

What is a auto-thyristor?

[reh321]

What is a auto-thyristor?

The auto thyristor units I have owned (going back thirty years to when I got my Pentax Super Program) are able to measure light reflected back to them, so they were a common sight in the days before cameras themselves could measure light off the subject. You set a switch/dial to specify what ISO you are using, and the flash tells you what aperture to use. The camera triggers the start of the flash, and the flash continues to emit light until it has measured the right amount of light reflected back to it.

[Scootatheschool1990]

Okay so does this differ from TTL? Which is better?

[ivanvernon]

Okay so does this differ from TTL? Which is better?

As I understand the matter, with auto-thyristor, you have to dial in the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, and then the flash unit sets the correct amount of light for that configuration. With TTL, the camera and flash coordinate to determine your preset or green mode setting, and adjust the flash light output accordingly. Therefore, TTL is a more automated system than the older auto-thyristor. My auto-thyristor setup with the Sunpak 522 yields perfect or near perfect exposures every time regardless of the type of lens being used, even old legacy screw-mounted lenses. I am not quite sure how Pentax TTL or PTTL do with the legacy glass since the camera cannot read the aperture setting.

[sterretje]

Yes, it differs. With an auto-thyristor flash, the flash measures the amount of light and determines correct exposure. It needs to know the iso and aperture to do this correctly.

TTL stands for through-the-lens and was the successor. The camera measures the light through the lens and determines correct exposure. The advantage is that it will take into account anything in the path between the subject and the film so aperture and also filters mounted on the lens.

pTTL is the successor of TTL (Nikon and Canon call it different) for the digital cameras. Unless you have an *istD or a film camera, you can forget about TTL.

What is better? Auto-thyristor is less convenient as you basically have to copy settings from the camera to the flash. And you have to take into account light loss due to filters. With modern auto-thyristor flashes that also support pTTL, it's possible that the camera copies the settings to the flash.

pTTL is more convenient as the camera does all the work and takes everything into account. Unfortunately the Pentax pTTL system is not known to always be consistent; a number of members here prefer auto-thyristor over pTTL for that reason.

[ivanvernon]

Yes, it differs. With an auto-thyristor flash, the flash measures the amount of light and determines correct exposure. It needs to know the iso and aperture to do this correctly.

TTL stands for through-the-lens and was the successor. The camera measures the light through the lens and determines correct exposure. The advantage is that it will take into account anything in the path between the subject and the film so aperture and also filters mounted on the lens.

pTTL is the successor of TTL (Nikon and Canon call it different) for the digital cameras. Unless you have an *istD or a film camera, you can forget about TTL.

What is better? Auto-thyristor is less convenient as you basically have to copy settings from the camera to the flash. And you have to take into account light loss due to filters. With modern auto-thyristor flashes that also support pTTL, it's possible that the camera copies the settings to the flash.

pTTL is more convenient as the camera does all the work and takes everything into account. Unfortunately the Pentax pTTL system is not known to always be consistent; a number of members here prefer auto-thyristor over pTTL for that reason.

Thanks for this excellent overview. I agree with all that you have said. I would also state that I have had my best and most consistent results with auto-thyristor, although results with PTTL have likewise been acceptable. With my Auto-thyristor Sunpak 522, once I dial in aperture 8, ISO 200, and shutter 160, and set camera in manual (M) mode I am generally good to go all evening with hardly ever a poor exposure. I can increase or decrease aperture at will to fine tune the exposure. With an auto-focus lens, my setup becomes sort of a gigantic point-and-shoot adventure.