[Keith23]

That camera and 2-flashes makes for a powerful combination .... a lot of control and creative options!

I don't do a lot of flash photography but when I do, it could be better. My various other books and guides have not been that helpful with the flashes.

[Keith23]

I will add that having the 540 and 360 already when I got the K3-II was handy as it does not have a built in flash. I can put the 360 on the camera and use it to control the 540 which is really neat.

[mcgregni]

Yes, It's a very good combination you have there. I find that when using one of my AF-540 FGZ units on-camera as controller, that I get very accurate and consistent automatic flash exposures from the other AF-540FGZ slave.I mostly use this configuration with the slave on an umbrella, and sometimes add in some bounced fill light from the on-camera flash in 'master' mode. Again, this operation gives very good reliable flash exposures I have found.

[mcgregni]

"Supplement to the 2nd Edition of the Pentax Digital Camera Flash Lighting System "


And now I am pleased to tell you that my 'Flash Guide' has been updated again, this time with a new "Supplement" PDF.....

(Example Pages)





This Supplement contains 40 more pages of Pentax flash related material ...... Here are the key new sections :


1) New Camera Models (K1, K3ii, K70, KP) Flash Features and New Choices
2) The AF 160FC ('Circular Ringflash') & AF 201FG
3) Automatic Flash Photography Technques, AE Modes/AutoISO
4) Off-Camera Control Technologies (Optical / Wireless / Radio / TTL & Manual Systems)
5) Pentax Optical Slave Modes
6) Extension Cord (Wired Off-Camera) Operations


The new "Supplement" PDF is available for download now from this direct link .... https://www.pentaxforums.com/content/uploads/files/1/p1634/Supplement%20to%2...une%202017.pdf



Thanks to Adam for providing the download and allowing this to be shared with all forum members!

I hope this new material will prove helpful and useful for members! This Guide resource is on ongoing project, and with this update I am bringing things up to date and adding more coverage to areas that were not dealt with previously, with the aim of making this Guide resource an accurate and detailed account of working with flash and our Pentax cameras. As always I value all feedback, comment, corrections and ideas for improvements or additions! I depend on the input and enthusiasm of forum members committed to flash. There has been a great deal of flash-related discussion on this forum since the last edition was published, and I hope that much of the new content reflects the latest and most informed elements of our collective knowledge and experience.

Thanks for your continued support!
Nigel

---

Last edited by mcgregni; 07-23-2017 at 04:04 AM.

[ant11sam]

mcgregni Thank You. Its a very comprehensive guide indeed!

[mcgregni]

You're very welcome! Come back if there are any questions or things you'd like to discuss

[Dgr]

Wow, thanks for a great guide. I'd like to point out one thing that needs updating: the Tumax website changed from icorpandtumax.com to itumax.com. No redirect has been set up, so currently anyone following the old link will see a timeout message.

[mcgregni]

Thanks for spotting that and I'm pleased you found the guide. I will eventually be refreshing everything into a new 3rd edition, so I will change the hyperlink then . Please feel free to ask any questions that you might have.

[uncyjim]

These guides are a great source, thanks so much. I have a question about compatibility between the FGZ360/540 Mk1 and Mk2 as regards the wireless P-TTL system. Forgive me if it is covered somewhere, I have failed to find an answer from local sellers on this question and the manuals are also somewhat ambiguous.

I own the original AF-FGZ360 (Mk1) and I would like to know if I use an FGZ360 (Mk2) or FGZ540 (Mk2) will my unit will be compatible with the newer models if used as the control flash for P-TTL wireless mode? I expect that they most probably are but thought it might be possible that the coded pre-flash instructions could have been changed or improved when the Mk2 was developed. I am using the K1 so the essential of my question is:

Can an FGZ (Mk1) flash unit be paired with an FGZ (Mk2) flash unit successfully in P-TTL wireless mode?
If so, can an FGZ (Mk1) flash unit act as both the control and slave flash in this setup?

[mcgregni]

Hi, and thanks, I'm glad you have found the Guides useful. The answer to both questions is yes. The original 'Pentax 360' model has both wireless slave and control capability, and there is complete wireless compatibility between the 'MKI' & 'MKII' versions of the Pentax flashes. There does not seem to have been any changes to the wireless protocol. Communications are over the same 4 channels, the channel setting process for the camera is the same. The only difference is the flash channel setting is within the Fnc menu on the newer flashes, rather than with the buttons on the older models.

[geoffb]

Hi, I was looking at an older (finished) thread re Voltrix JY670 Ring flash, which I just purchased, and it's issues with firing only once. I have a K3 with version1.30 firmware, but am still having issues with the flash.
It only fires once when you turn it (and the camera) on then won't fire again unless you turn the flash off and on again. The old thread recommended soldering a resistor into the unit, but not being a technical kind of guy (and knowing stuff all about elcectronics) am reluctant to even attempt something like that. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks

[mcgregni]

Hi Geoffb, soldering and electronics are not my area either. Hopefully someone who knows about it will chip in. Perhaps you should post a link here to the old thread so others can go back through it. Otherwise it there's no response then I'd start a new thread yourself.

[geoffb]

Thanks for that thought mcgregni, will also start a new thread.
Viltrox JY670 Ring Flash Issues with some Pentax models (including the K3) Link:

Viltrox JY670 ring flash - K5iis can only fire flash once, K7 is fine - PentaxForums.com

[SharkyCA]

Forum member mcgregni (Nigel McGregor) has put together an extremely detailed PDF guide that covers the Pentax digital flash system from A to Z. This is the perfect read if you'd like to master the various features of modern flashes.

Since it's a large file, I'm helping Nigel out by hosting it here and sharing it on the homepage. See below for the download, and enjoy!

Edit: version 2 of the guide is now uploaded. It contains many additions and fixes based on community feedback (7/15).
Edit: a supplement to the 2nd edition is now available, with information on the latest flashes (7/17).

I recently sent a question to Nigel about flash recommendations and he suggested I post a copy of our emails here. Hope this is in keeping with the forum rules, e-mail addresses deleted.

> Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2018 at 12:31 PM
> From: "SharkyCA @ PentaxForums.com"
> Subject: Flash Recommendation
>
> Hello Nigel, Perhaps I could pick your brain a little? I have read some of the "pdf" file that is on the PentaxForum about flash capabilities but I am totally confused, I recently purchased a K-70 and returned to Pentax after 50yrs and find the digital world rather daunting. If I want to buy a flash like the Godox and use it for HSS with the K-70 what would you recommend?
>
> Thanks for your time!

Hello, I'm glad to hear you're back with Pentax and ready to get cracking with some flashing! The technologies certainly are different from the film era, and there can be quite a learning curve, but I have created my "Pentax Flash Guides" specifically to help a wide range of people. So I am confident you will find plenty of practical help in both the main Guide and the Supplement PDFs.

There is a dedicated section in the Supplement that covers the different types of flashes and the capabilities of each type(Eg Optical Wireless, Radio P-TTL etc), with specific product examples for each category that are popular for use with Pentax DSLRs.
Bear in mind that for P-TTL wireless the K70 cannot control a slave flash with it's built in unit, so you would need 2 P-TTL dedicated system types for this functioning. Or you might want to look to "Radio P-TTL" system with a radio trigger on the camera

Recently, in my opinion, the Cactus V6II trigger and Cactus RF60x flashes have become the number one choice for Pentax shooters in this category.
If you are only wanting an on camera flash, then the Pentax AF-540FGZii is my first choice. I hope your flash explorations and learning is enjoyable, and please do post further questions onto the forum, for example into the "Comprehensive Pentax flash Guide" thread at the top of the Flash forum., then everyone can benefit from the discussion.

McGregni

[mcgregni]

Thanks SharkeyCA, I thought that maybe others might have some alternative suggestions. Certainly the Metz range is very popular, as is the recent new Yongnuo P-TTL model. It may depend also on your personal budget and how much expansion to the system you imagine you mightt need as things develop, if you get more and more hooked!