[AndreiPurcarea]

Hey everyone!

New around here, great to be part of the Pentax community.

I use a Pentax K-3 and yesterday I bought a Sigma EF-610 DG Super. I read some reviews about it, I understood from most reviews that it works great with the K3 and that besides a quirky battery plastic cap and a pretty useless manual, the flash itself is really good.

I agree. It's lovely on camera, but my issues with it start when i place the flash in wireless mode and use it off camera. More precisely, when triggering the flash with my K3 (flash setting on Wireless Controller in camera!), my subject is still lit by the on camera flash, as well as by the Sigma off camera one. How can I make the on camera flash only fire the Sigma without affecting the image with it's light?

Also, when off camera, how do I change the intensity of the Sigma flash? I seem to not be able to make it less powerful in smaller spaces, for example.

I would so much appreciate your help, as now, I am worried that I am either doing something wrong, or the flash is not that good.

Any tips and suggestions are more than welcome.

Thank you,
Andrei

[Unregistered User 8]

Hi Andrei. Check out this link. It is for Pentax flashes, but the camera settings are the same for Sigma or Pentax. Good luck.

You Tube

You Tube

[mcgregni]

The effect of the built-in wireless control flash should be very limited indeed. How do you know that it is illuminating your subject? I would expect to see light on a subject from the trigger flash (in controller mode) only at very wide apertures, high ISOs and very close, or a combination of these. Could you tell us you exposure settings? Assuming the pre-flash and metering is working correctly, then so long as your subject distance is within the limits you should get a good exposure. What is the distance between your flash and the subject, and again what settings are you using for the shot?

The fact that the Sigma is firing suggests that the channel is set OK.

[AndreiPurcarea]

The effect of the built-in wireless control flash should be very limited indeed. How do you know that it is illuminating your subject? I would expect to see light on a subject from the trigger flash (in controller mode) only at very wide apertures, high ISOs and very close, or a combination of these. Could you tell us you exposure settings? Assuming the pre-flash and metering is working correctly, then so long as your subject distance is within the limits you should get a good exposure. What is the distance between your flash and the subject, and again what settings are you using for the shot?

The fact that the Sigma is firing suggests that the channel is set OK.

@PJV - Thank you for the video. Gary Fong has these great videos, but I happened to see this one and it didn't help me that much, as I did set up the flash correctly, the channels were right, the on-camera flash triggered the Sigma but I noticed that it does capture my on-camera flash, still, on the subject.

@mcgrgni - As soon as I get back home, I will post images of my setting and how I notice that the on-camera flash contributes. I will reply to you, with these, but in the mean time, yes, the on-camera flash triggers the Sigma, no problems there. How I notice it's contribution to the exposure as well is by noticing that I see it's reflection in surfaces, or I see it projects my subject's shadow in the back, even if the Sigma is placed so that it doesn't fire directly on my subject ( I am sure that it's not the shadow caused by the Sigma). Also, another way of figuring out is by placing my hand in front of the on camera flash, leaving it side space so that the Sigma can pick the trigger up. When I do that, the Sigma fires, the image looks a lot better *no direct frontal flash on the subject*, and I don't see the on camera unit's reflection anywhere.

What I also struggle with, is how exactly to set the Sigma's flash intensity when off camera? Maybe it's too powerful and that is the reason why I have the impression the on camera flash contributes. I did try to read the manual but it lost me. Maybe you could help out with a suggestion on how exactly to bring down it's intensity.

Thank you so much, guys!

[Unregistered User 8]

Try pressing the mode button until wireless flash is selected. Press the select until the flash mark appears, then press the + or - buttons to get the compensation required, then press select again to stop indicator blinking. It should now be set. Good luck again !!

[mcgregni]

Assuming that the K3 flash is working correctly in 'controller' mode then its illumination should be very tiny ..... yes, it can be seen in mirrors, or maybe off very close shiny surfaces, but it should not cause the shadows you describe by illuminating a subject like that. Give us an idea of the sort of aperture, ISO and distances you are using .....

The brightness of an off-camera slave in wireless P-TTL mode is adjusted by Flash Compensation, which will be in units of 'stops' .... so 0, -0.5, -1.0, +1.0 etc. If you are using manual mode on the Sigma then it is in ratios of full power (1/1, 1/2, 1/16 etc). In P-TTL mode you can also use the camera flash compensation setting (on the flash mode display panel) to control the brightness from the camera position.

[AndreiPurcarea]

Assuming that the K3 flash is working correctly in 'controller' mode then its illumination should be very tiny ..... yes, it can be seen in mirrors, or maybe off very close shiny surfaces, but it should not cause the shadows you describe by illuminating a subject like that. Give us an idea of the sort of aperture, ISO and distances you are using .....

The brightness of an off-camera slave in wireless P-TTL mode is adjusted by Flash Compensation, which will be in units of 'stops' .... so 0, -0.5, -1.0, +1.0 etc. If you are using manual mode on the Sigma then it is in ratios of full power (1/1, 1/2, 1/16 etc). In P-TTL mode you can also use the camera flash compensation setting (on the flash mode display panel) to control the brightness from the camera position.

Ok, great to know. This is really helpful.

Here are the settings I used: I was about 2 feet away from the subject, an ISO 100, f 4.0, and 1/180 exposure setting on camera (can't select a larger value than 180 in wireless, I suppose) and 40mm zoom (I used the HD Pentax-DA 20-40mm Limited DC WR lens).

[BigMackCam]

Andrei - I'm not sure where your remote flash is positioned, but you can hold a piece of white card either side of the built-in flash and angle it so that it is directed towards the off-camera flash and away from the subject. At such a close distance from your subject, I can understand why the built-in flash is still providing some subject illumination.

[AndreiPurcarea]

Try pressing the mode button until wireless flash is selected. Press the select until the flash mark appears, then press the + or - buttons to get the compensation required, then press select again to stop indicator blinking. It should now be set. Good luck again !!

I will try this one as well! Thank you, Pjv!

---------- Post added 02-10-16 at 03:22 AM ----------

Andrei - I'm not sure where your remote flash is positioned, but you can hold a piece of white card either side of the built-in flash and angle it so that it is directed towards the off-camera flash and away from the subject. At such a close distance from your subject, I can understand why the built-in flash is still providing some subject illumination.

I was really thinking of this workaround, in case I don't do anything else wrong. Great tip! Thank you, BigMackCam.

[UncleVanya]

F4 may be the problem. My experience is that the flash overexposes with apertures that low unless you are a good distance from the subject.

[AndreiPurcarea]

F4 may be the problem. My experience is that the flash overexposes with apertures that low unless you are a good distance from the subject.

Great info. Thanks so much, Will try backing up a bit more and lowering the aperture value, see how that works.

[Oldbayrunner]

You can also get and use one of these Nikon SG-3IR IR Panel for Built-In Flash 4905 B&H Photo Video

[SteMa]

Great info!