[Dericali]

Definitely not for Pentax.

I'm not convinced, BTW, that other AF-assist lights are less intrusive than that of the Cactus V6II. If you catch a bright part of a grid with your eye, it will be intrusive as well. At least one can reduce the intensity on the V6II: it goes rather low. I don't know any other system that supports that.

Thanks, well I guess given the absence of alternatives makes the Cactus system a great choice.

Related question, is it possible 'force' the AF assist light on when in AF-S mode, or is this decision always controlled by the camera? (e.g. whether it's dark enough to need it).

[mcgregni]

It is not user configurable .... it is dependent on light levels detected through the lens, and is automatically determined by the camera. I'm not sure if there is a particular EV. It would be logical to presume this might vary between camera models according to their particular low-light AF capability.


I do think that this AF Assist feature on Radio Triggers should be seen as a mere extra, good to have, but not a core part of the package when making choices. I'm wondering also about how effective in practice an off-camera AF assist light can be, considering that its beam will mostly be coming from a side angle to the subject .... as such, an on-camera AF Assist beam is likely to work better in many situations I'd have thought .....

[Dericali]

I do think that this AF Assist feature on Radio Triggers should be seen as a mere extra, good to have, but not a core part of the package when making choices. I'm wondering also about how effective in practice an off-camera AF assist light can be, considering that its beam will mostly be coming from a side angle to the subject .... as such, an on-camera AF Assist beam is likely to work better in many situations I'd have thought .....

I'm interested in the AF assist on the Cactus camera-mounted transmitter, on the off-camera flashes I can't imagine it's going to do a lot (though would be interesting to test).

I think that for the K1, AF assist on the camera-mounted transmitter could be good for situations such as events or weddings where you need quick focus in low-light.

e.g.

How to Achieve Fast Autofocus In Low Light Situations | Fstoppers

[Class A]

Related question, is it possible 'force' the AF assist light on when in AF-S mode, or is this decision always controlled by the camera? (e.g. whether it's dark enough to need it).

There is a manual mode for the AF-assist light on the V6II, so yes, you can engage it even if the camera still thinks it can do without support.

[pschlute]

Updated the firmware on the V6II triggers and the RF60X. Took me while to work out how to move between manual flash and TTL, but once I did very impressed. As most of my portrait subjects are dogs, it makes sense to work in TTL with the off camera flashes so that when the sitter decides to move I dont have to take a flash meter reading again.

Also the flash compensation can be applied directly from the TX unit to individual groups which is also a great help.

Thank you Cactus

[Class A]

Took me while to work out how to move between manual flash and TTL

Have you seen the "Quick Start" guide available for Pentax?
It contains a lot of useful information how to use the new features.

For some reason, it says "Sigma TTL-Firmware" within the guide, but all the X-TTL variants for various camera systems seem to be very similar in operation anyhow.

[pschlute]

Yes I found it. Pressing the Group button changes the sequence from OFF-TTL-M.

[mcgregni]

And good to know there's a Manual overide of the camera auto function for activating AF Assist, thanks ClassA ..... It all adds up to an extension and development of the possibilities we have available

[jake14mw]

This is great that we have another option now. Looking forward to a review of the user experience of using it practically. So, the RF60 will work for remote HSS TTL without a receiver attached to it?

[Class A]

So, the RF60 will work for remote HSS TTL without a receiver attached to it?

Yes.

It is very nice that they provided an update for the RF60 as well and not just the RF60X, even though the RF60 has been discontinued.

[Dericali]

If I want to buy a V6II and two flashes for HSS, is there a cheaper option than buying two RF60X? E.g. two Yongnuo flashes? Or would I need to buy separate radio receivers as well?

[stub]

Hmm may have to get involved in the Cactus scene and get a couple of V6II's....

[mcgregni]

Yes Stub, the time has come!

---------- Post added 09-11-17 at 18:55 ----------

If I want to buy a V6II and two flashes for HSS, is there a cheaper option than buying two RF60X? E.g. two Yongnuo flashes? Or would I need to buy separate radio receivers as well?

Your flashes need to be HSS capable .... I don't believe the Yongnuo P-TTL model is. So no, I doubt if starting from scratch there would be any more economical or efficient option than one V6II plus two RF60X units.


If you chose other P-TTL / HSS flashes instead, then you'd need a V6II unit in 'Receiver' mode for each. This is very unlikely to work out cheaper, and has the disadvantage of extra equipment to set up, batteries to manage, etc.


The only reason I feel for choosing a P-TTL Dedicated System flash to use Off-Camera in this Radio system, would be if you also wanted to use On-Camera P-TTL as well .... (The RF60X does not work on-camera as a P-TTL flash inherently).

[Dericali]

Yes Stub, the time has come!

---------- Post added 09-11-17 at 18:55 ----------





Your flashes need to be HSS capable .... I don't believe the Yongnuo P-TTL model is. So no, I doubt if starting from scratch there would be any more economical or efficient option than one V6II plus two RF60X units.

Sounds about right. What is the inherent advantage of PTTL on-camera, this means I can shoot in auto mode? My previous flash unit was one of the old Pentax ones that couldn't use PTTL on the K1 and manual operation was fine.

In terms of a system, the cheapest option would then likely be the Cactus plus say the Yongnuo for on-camera PTTL if I wanted it.

[Class A]

I'm not sure about the X-TTL variant for Pentax.

Cactus have updated the "Quick Start Guide" for Pentax X-TTL.

The compatibility notes now make it explicit that manual control and HSS are still supported for other flash systems, i.e., one can use still Canon, Nikon, etc. flashes on V6II receivers for this subset of the functionality. Only full-blown P-TTL (e.g., automated metering) is limited to Pentax-dedicated flashes and the RF60(x).