Flash Wake Up Signal

Barrie Lockwood · 11-26-2020, 12:03 PM

Hi

In the process of building up some equipment for Camera Trapping to get better quality photos of wildlife in the garden than I can get with a trail camera. Triggering the camera is no problem as I've built diy infra red systems and I have some PocketWizard and Camtraptions wireless triggers. Question is about the best flash units to use. Most of the information on the web recommends old Nikon SB28's because of their long battery life. Nikon and Cannon cameras seem to be able to send a Wake Up signal to these via the wireless triggers but I've not come across any information as to whether Pentax Cameras can do this (K10,K5,K3). Otherwise are there any Pentax compatible flash units with a Sleep function which can be woken up before the first shot.

**othar** · 11-26-2020, 12:34 PM

Wouldn't waking them up take too long for the picture?
Another problem in my opinion (not for the picture but the wildlife triggering the camera) is blinding/scaring the animals with the flash. On a documentation I have seen some pictures done at night (via a triggering system) but I think they used a IR-converted camera and IR flashes to reduce the irritation for wildlife.

**Alex645** · 11-26-2020, 01:24 PM

The Pentax AF540FGZ II is weather sealed and when in wireless mode will auto power off after one hour; it is a sort of sleep function, but you can't snooze for more than an hour.
The Godox V1 looks promising, but you'd have to email Godox for your specific question and this is assuming you would buy their wireless system for the Pentax.
The Metz mecablitz 64 AF-1 does have a sleep function that will wake up with the camera, but it's not weather sealed like the Pentax.

+1@othar about both the delay in the flash waking up and the flash blinding or scaring off the animals after a single shot. In fact, they will probably be first alerted by the ultra high pitch whine of the thyristor being charged before the shot.

Most critters are blind to a certain frequency of light, such as the amber color in darkrooms and sodium vapor lights. Have you considered running a motion detector to a/c lights instead of using electronic flash?

Barrie Lockwood · 11-26-2020, 02:00 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by othar

Wouldn't waking them up take too long for the picture?
Another problem in my opinion (not for the picture but the wildlife triggering the camera) is blinding/scaring the animals with the flash. On a documentation I have seen some pictures done at night (via a triggering system) but I think they used a IR-converted camera and IR flashes to reduce the irritation for wildlife.

All the DSLR Trap camera systems I’ve seen on the web (and I’ve looked at a lot) use normal cameras and flash guns. Usually set the flashes to something like 1/8 to 1/32 and high ASA to avoid startling the animals and it doesn’t seem to bother them too much. Tried it out on the local cats which pass through the garden using a remote lead from the house and it’s the noise of the shutter that seems to be a problem not the light from the flashes. Next job is too build a waterproof case for the camera (locknlock food containers) and that should help cut the shutter noise down.

Wake up feature seems to work by sending a “half press” signal to the flash about a second before the camera “shoot” signal. Camera and flash then fire as normal

---------- Post added 11-26-20 at 02:24 PM ----------

Originally posted by Alex645

The Pentax AF540FGZ II is weather sealed and when in wireless mode will auto power off after one hour; it is a sort of sleep function, but you can't snooze for more than an hour.
The Godox V1 looks promising, but you'd have to email Godox for your specific question and this is assuming you would buy their wireless system for the Pentax.
The Metz mecablitz 64 AF-1 does have a sleep function that will wake up with the camera, but it's not weather sealed like the Pentax.

+1@othar about both the delay in the flash waking up and the flash blinding or scaring off the animals after a single shot. In fact, they will probably be first alerted by the ultra high pitch whine of the thyristor being charged before the shot.

Most critters are blind to a certain frequency of light, such as the amber color in darkrooms and sodium vapor lights. Have you considered running a motion detector to a/c lights instead of using electronic flash?

Thanks

Will have a look at the Metz flashes, weather sealing isn’t a problem as I’ve built weatherproof cases using locknlock food containers. The snooze mode on the AF540 would be a problem as the units could be left out for 2 - 3 days and I’d need them to be active all the time. Will also talk to Godox but that’s for the future.

From what I can gather off the net the capacitors in the SB28’s seem to be able to stay at full charge for several hours and retain enough charge to fire the flashes at 1/16 or 1/32 power without a recharge

---------- Post added 11-26-20 at 02:27 PM ----------

Originally posted by Alex645

The Pentax AF540FGZ II is weather sealed and when in wireless mode will auto power off after one hour; it is a sort of sleep function, but you can't snooze for more than an hour.
The Godox V1 looks promising, but you'd have to email Godox for your specific question and this is assuming you would buy their wireless system for the Pentax.
The Metz mecablitz 64 AF-1 does have a sleep function that will wake up with the camera, but it's not weather sealed like the Pentax.

+1@othar about both the delay in the flash waking up and the flash blinding or scaring off the animals after a single shot. In fact, they will probably be first alerted by the ultra high pitch whine of the thyristor being charged before the shot.

Most critters are blind to a certain frequency of light, such as the amber color in darkrooms and sodium vapor lights. Have you considered running a motion detector to a/c lights instead of using electronic flash?

Thanks

Will have a look at the Metz flashes, weather sealing isn’t a problem as I’ve built weatherproof cases using locknlock food containers. The snooze mode on the AF540 would be a problem as the units could be left out for 2 - 3 days and I’d need them to be active all the time. Will also talk to Godox but that’s for the future.

From what I can gather off the net the capacitors in the SB28’s seem to be able to stay at full charge for several hours and retain enough charge to fire the flashes at 1/16 or 1/32 power without a recharge

stevebrot · 11-26-2020, 03:25 PM

Originally posted by Barrie Lockwood

Otherwise are there any Pentax compatible flash units with a Sleep function which can be woken up before the first shot.

On camera is not a problem for any flash that supports Pentax flash dedication. The flash wakes up when the camera wakes up. Optical wireless P-TTL provide no such wake-up, regardless of brand. (If Nikon provides this with their optical remote TTL, it must be magic.)

If P-TTL is not a requirement and manual flash is acceptable, I can offer that the Nikon flavor Yongnuo YN560-TX II controller will wake up automatically when mounted to a Pentax camera and will also do remote wake up of their brand flash as well. The same is true for the Yongnuo RF603N II triggers.*

Steve

* There is accidental cross-compatibility between Nikon and Pentax flash contacts for the wake-up feature.

Barrie Lockwood · 11-26-2020, 04:16 PM

Thanks very much for the info. Will be using manual so I’ll look at the Yongnuo controller and flashes.

Ref the cross compatibility between Nikon and Pentax flash contacts I’ve seen an SB28 for £35 second hand so In the meantime I’ll see what happens using it and the Camtraptions triggers I already have as they are both Nikon and Canon compatable.

Will post if it works

C_Jones · 11-26-2020, 07:36 PM - **1 Like**

I have two Godox V1-P (for Pentax) flashes that have excellent battery performance, they can be used as slave or master flashes by themselves, and they can be off camera and controlled by the Godox XPro-P (for Pentax) transmitter while it is on camera. The V1 provides excellent light and its round head distributes it well.

I also have two Godox AD200 flashes and a Godox AD600BM (600 watt monolight, uses battery pack). They also can be controlled by a V1 or the XPro-P transmitter.

I am not sure if you are interested in this type system, but I am just mentioning it because it is an excellent/dependable lighting source/option.

11-26-2020, 12:03 PM	#1
Barrie Lockwood New Member Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: East Midlands Posts: 5	Flash Wake Up Signal Hi In the process of building up some equipment for Camera Trapping to get better quality photos of wildlife in the garden than I can get with a trail camera. Triggering the camera is no problem as I've built diy infra red systems and I have some PocketWizard and Camtraptions wireless triggers. Question is about the best flash units to use. Most of the information on the web recommends old Nikon SB28's because of their long battery life. Nikon and Cannon cameras seem to be able to send a Wake Up signal to these via the wireless triggers but I've not come across any information as to whether Pentax Cameras can do this (K10,K5,K3). Otherwise are there any Pentax compatible flash units with a Sleep function which can be woken up before the first shot.

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11-26-2020, 12:34 PM	#2
othar Site Supporter Join Date: May 2014 Location: Linz Photos: Albums Posts: 3,098	Wouldn't waking them up take too long for the picture? Another problem in my opinion (not for the picture but the wildlife triggering the camera) is blinding/scaring the animals with the flash. On a documentation I have seen some pictures done at night (via a triggering system) but I think they used a IR-converted camera and IR flashes to reduce the irritation for wildlife.

11-26-2020, 01:24 PM	#3
Alex645 Site Supporter Join Date: May 2015 Location: Kaneohe, HI Photos: Albums Posts: 3,526	The Pentax AF540FGZ II is weather sealed and when in wireless mode will auto power off after one hour; it is a sort of sleep function, but you can't snooze for more than an hour. The Godox V1 looks promising, but you'd have to email Godox for your specific question and this is assuming you would buy their wireless system for the Pentax. The Metz mecablitz 64 AF-1 does have a sleep function that will wake up with the camera, but it's not weather sealed like the Pentax. +1@othar about both the delay in the flash waking up and the flash blinding or scaring off the animals after a single shot. In fact, they will probably be first alerted by the ultra high pitch whine of the thyristor being charged before the shot. Most critters are blind to a certain frequency of light, such as the amber color in darkrooms and sodium vapor lights. Have you considered running a motion detector to a/c lights instead of using electronic flash?

11-26-2020, 02:00 PM - 1 Like	#4
Barrie Lockwood New Member Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: East Midlands Posts: 5 Original Poster	Originally posted by othar Wouldn't waking them up take too long for the picture? Another problem in my opinion (not for the picture but the wildlife triggering the camera) is blinding/scaring the animals with the flash. On a documentation I have seen some pictures done at night (via a triggering system) but I think they used a IR-converted camera and IR flashes to reduce the irritation for wildlife. All the DSLR Trap camera systems I’ve seen on the web (and I’ve looked at a lot) use normal cameras and flash guns. Usually set the flashes to something like 1/8 to 1/32 and high ASA to avoid startling the animals and it doesn’t seem to bother them too much. Tried it out on the local cats which pass through the garden using a remote lead from the house and it’s the noise of the shutter that seems to be a problem not the light from the flashes. Next job is too build a waterproof case for the camera (locknlock food containers) and that should help cut the shutter noise down. Wake up feature seems to work by sending a “half press” signal to the flash about a second before the camera “shoot” signal. Camera and flash then fire as normal ---------- Post added 11-26-20 at 02:24 PM ---------- Originally posted by Alex645 The Pentax AF540FGZ II is weather sealed and when in wireless mode will auto power off after one hour; it is a sort of sleep function, but you can't snooze for more than an hour. The Godox V1 looks promising, but you'd have to email Godox for your specific question and this is assuming you would buy their wireless system for the Pentax. The Metz mecablitz 64 AF-1 does have a sleep function that will wake up with the camera, but it's not weather sealed like the Pentax. +1@othar about both the delay in the flash waking up and the flash blinding or scaring off the animals after a single shot. In fact, they will probably be first alerted by the ultra high pitch whine of the thyristor being charged before the shot. Most critters are blind to a certain frequency of light, such as the amber color in darkrooms and sodium vapor lights. Have you considered running a motion detector to a/c lights instead of using electronic flash? Thanks Will have a look at the Metz flashes, weather sealing isn’t a problem as I’ve built weatherproof cases using locknlock food containers. The snooze mode on the AF540 would be a problem as the units could be left out for 2 - 3 days and I’d need them to be active all the time. Will also talk to Godox but that’s for the future. From what I can gather off the net the capacitors in the SB28’s seem to be able to stay at full charge for several hours and retain enough charge to fire the flashes at 1/16 or 1/32 power without a recharge ---------- Post added 11-26-20 at 02:27 PM ---------- Originally posted by Alex645 The Pentax AF540FGZ II is weather sealed and when in wireless mode will auto power off after one hour; it is a sort of sleep function, but you can't snooze for more than an hour. The Godox V1 looks promising, but you'd have to email Godox for your specific question and this is assuming you would buy their wireless system for the Pentax. The Metz mecablitz 64 AF-1 does have a sleep function that will wake up with the camera, but it's not weather sealed like the Pentax. +1@othar about both the delay in the flash waking up and the flash blinding or scaring off the animals after a single shot. In fact, they will probably be first alerted by the ultra high pitch whine of the thyristor being charged before the shot. Most critters are blind to a certain frequency of light, such as the amber color in darkrooms and sodium vapor lights. Have you considered running a motion detector to a/c lights instead of using electronic flash? Thanks Will have a look at the Metz flashes, weather sealing isn’t a problem as I’ve built weatherproof cases using locknlock food containers. The snooze mode on the AF540 would be a problem as the units could be left out for 2 - 3 days and I’d need them to be active all the time. Will also talk to Godox but that’s for the future. From what I can gather off the net the capacitors in the SB28’s seem to be able to stay at full charge for several hours and retain enough charge to fire the flashes at 1/16 or 1/32 power without a recharge

11-26-2020, 03:25 PM	#5
stevebrot Otis Memorial Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Vancouver (USA) Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 42,007	Originally posted by Barrie Lockwood Otherwise are there any Pentax compatible flash units with a Sleep function which can be woken up before the first shot. On camera is not a problem for any flash that supports Pentax flash dedication. The flash wakes up when the camera wakes up. Optical wireless P-TTL provide no such wake-up, regardless of brand. (If Nikon provides this with their optical remote TTL, it must be magic.) If P-TTL is not a requirement and manual flash is acceptable, I can offer that the Nikon flavor Yongnuo YN560-TX II controller will wake up automatically when mounted to a Pentax camera and will also do remote wake up of their brand flash as well. The same is true for the Yongnuo RF603N II triggers.* Steve * There is accidental cross-compatibility between Nikon and Pentax flash contacts for the wake-up feature.

11-26-2020, 04:16 PM	#6
Barrie Lockwood New Member Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: East Midlands Posts: 5 Original Poster	Thanks very much for the info. Will be using manual so I’ll look at the Yongnuo controller and flashes. Ref the cross compatibility between Nikon and Pentax flash contacts I’ve seen an SB28 for £35 second hand so In the meantime I’ll see what happens using it and the Camtraptions triggers I already have as they are both Nikon and Canon compatable. Will post if it works

11-26-2020, 07:36 PM - 1 Like	#7
C_Jones Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: NY Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,084	I have two Godox V1-P (for Pentax) flashes that have excellent battery performance, they can be used as slave or master flashes by themselves, and they can be off camera and controlled by the Godox XPro-P (for Pentax) transmitter while it is on camera. The V1 provides excellent light and its round head distributes it well. I also have two Godox AD200 flashes and a Godox AD600BM (600 watt monolight, uses battery pack). They also can be controlled by a V1 or the XPro-P transmitter. I am not sure if you are interested in this type system, but I am just mentioning it because it is an excellent/dependable lighting source/option.