[jfsavage]

Is the 540 worth the extra cash over the 360? Are the Metz flashes worth considering? Do the Metz support wireless P-TTL?

Thanks,

Jonathan

[alohadave]

It's worth it if you want to be able to swivel the head in addition to tilt.

[audiobomber]

Is the 540 worth the extra cash over the 360? Are the Metz flashes worth considering? Do the Metz support wireless P-TTL?

Thanks,

Jonathan

Aside from swivel, the 540 is a lot more powerful than the 360.

Have a look at the powerful Sigma 530 Super too. It does wireless P-TTL, bounce & swivel, HSS, etc. for about the same cost as the 360.

[christinelandon]

Jonathan, you might take a look at the Metz site, which has a handy recommendations function where you can input your Pentax camera model(s) and see Metz's flashes which will work for you. A little more digging gets you all the details on any model that interests you. Look here: Flashlight Recommendations: Metz

[Vern]

I've had both a 330ftz and 500ftz with my PZ-1p. I much prefer the 500 for both its power and versatility. However, I've been very disappointed with the 500 on my *istDS, even though the DS is supposed to be TTL compatible. TTL doesn't seem to work very well in the digital arena. I get consistent bad exposures. Usually over exposed. Now that I have a K10d I've toyed with getting the 540fgz because the K10d doesn't do TTL. But got an AF280T instead. With the cameras in manual mode I've had great pictures on both the DS and K10d with the 280. And with the K10d it's very easy to tweak the exposure if you think the light is a little strong.

Maybe my experience is unusual, but I've seen a lot of negative commentary on P-TTL flashes. I'd be interested in hearing some success stories. Until then I've taken a step backwards with my flashes.

Vern

[Sanglant]

Umm, anybody seen a good sale on this one, 58 AF-1

james

P.S.
TIA if i forget where this thread is

[jfsavage]

The Metz 58 is nice, but rather pricy - With live cashback, you can get the 540 for ~260, but the Metz is 400.

[mattdm]

Is the 540 worth the extra cash over the 360? Are the Metz flashes worth considering? Do the Metz support wireless P-TTL?

Yes, the Metz flashes support wireless P-TTL, but the 48 AF-1 only as a slave and not as a controller. (The on-board flash on the K10D and later can be used as a controller, though.)

As for "is the 540 worth the extra cash", you have to consider the flash power and features you want, and how much they're worth to you.

The Metz 58 is nice, but rather pricy - With live cashback, you can get the 540 for ~260, but the Metz is 400.

You might also want to look at the Metz 48 AF-1 — between the AF360FGZ and the others in power, with a lot of nice features. And depending on your budget and needs consider the Sigma EF-530 DG as well.

[jfsavage]

Looking to buy a P-TTL flash? Check out my Definitive Guide to Pentax P-TTL Flash Options.

That is a great guide - it answered all my questions and more besides. Many thanks!

[ltshaw711]

Agreed, the above link was extemely helpful and comprehensive. Thanks for posting. Think I'll go with the 540 after reading it through.

[Jonson PL]

Jonathan, you might take a look at the Metz site, which has a handy recommendations function where you can input your Pentax camera model(s) and see Metz's flashes which will work for you. A little more digging gets you all the details on any model that interests you. Look here: Flashlight Recommendations: Metz

Thanks for the link. For me it said :

"This camera is equipped with an accessory shoe with centre contact and additional contacts providing some flash features. Therefore we recommend an adapter for flashlights with SCA-system.

Further information you will find also in the recommendation of SCA-adapter.

These Metz mecablitz are best in performance with this camera:

mecablitz 48 AF-1 digital / Pentax/Samsung
mecablitz 58 AF-1P
mecablitz 76 MZ-5 digital
mecablitz 45 CL-4 digital
mecablitz 54 MZ-4i"




And thanks Matt, for your work with overview and guide to Pentax P-TTL Flash options. Will give it a thorough read.

(Edit :
And good with the sticky thread https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/camera-studio-accessories/43215-pentax-p-...omparison.html )

[felix68]

I've had both a 330ftz and 500ftz with my PZ-1p. I much prefer the 500 for both its power and versatility. However, I've been very disappointed with the 500 on my *istDS, even though the DS is supposed to be TTL compatible. TTL doesn't seem to work very well in the digital arena. I get consistent bad exposures. Usually over exposed. Now that I have a K10d I've toyed with getting the 540fgz because the K10d doesn't do TTL. But got an AF280T instead. With the cameras in manual mode I've had great pictures on both the DS and K10d with the 280. And with the K10d it's very easy to tweak the exposure if you think the light is a little strong.

Maybe my experience is unusual, but I've seen a lot of negative commentary on P-TTL flashes. I'd be interested in hearing some success stories. Until then I've taken a step backwards with my flashes.

Vern

Vern,

I read a lot of negatives about P-TTL as well and held off buying a modern flash for over a year. I finally had some Christmas money and decided to get the 540fgz. I am very happy with the performance of P-TTL and with the flash as a whole. IMHO, the top of the line Metz is a better unit but the 540 is much cheaper and just as capable, just not quite as convenient.
The number one feature that the new flashes have is High Speed Synch! It is great for those mid-day shots that would look really bad without fill flash and lets you have almost unlimited control of apeture at the same time. Want to shoot at f2.8 at 1/2000 of a second? No problem.
P-TTL will certainly dial down the exposure to avoid clipping highlight and I think that may be where many of the complaints come from. Just like with your "A" flashes, if you don't like the exposure, dial in some compensation and get it right. The 540 can also switch to "A" mode if P-TTL just doesn't work, but I have not had to do that in 4 months of use.
Just my opinion on the matter and I also am shooting a K100D not a K10D so YMMV.

[Canada_Rockies]

Is the 540 worth the extra cash over the 360? Are the Metz flashes worth considering? Do the Metz support wireless P-TTL?

Thanks,

Jonathan

You get two advantages with the 540 over the 360. The 540 swivels so you can bounce in portrait mode and the guide number goes from 36 in meters (at 85mm) to 54 in meters. That means that I could use my DA* 50-135 with the flash out to (54/2.8 = ) 19.3 meters in 1/1 manual at 85mm of zoom. The 360 will only get out to 12.8 meters (42 feet) instead of 63 feet.

The power is even more useful with slower lenses than with high speed lenses, and allows bounce flash to reach further as well.

[bniece]

O.K. I've had my K200D for almost a week and I'm trying to decide what to do about a flash. My wife is still getting over the cost of the body, and I want to minimize expense for a reasonable flash. I've read Matt's guide (which is a life-saver when it comes to keeping all this straight!), but I still have a question.

I found what appear to be two relatively new Vivitar models, the DF-283 & DF-383, which aren't mentioned in his guide. (Details under "Professional Equipment here: VIVITAR we make it easy! | Product selector)

The DF-400MZ, which he mentions as a rebranded Sakar doesn't seem to be a current Vivitar product. Does anyone know anything about the DF-283 & 383? They claim to do bounce & swivel, reasonable power, P-ttl, and a few other features. The prices are lower than the comparable Sigma 530 units. It doesn't look like they do HSS or rear-curtain.

Mostly, I'm worried about quality. The old automatic Vivitar 283's have been great for reliability, so it is too tempting to see that number in the model and assume it will be the same. If these are really third-party with the vivitar name, I would be more worried about them.

Thanks,
Brian

[mattdm]

I found what appear to be two relatively new Vivitar models, the DF-283 & DF-383, which aren't mentioned in his guide. (Details under "Professional Equipment here: VIVITAR we make it easy! | Product selector)

The DF-400MZ, which he mentions as a rebranded Sakar doesn't seem to be a current Vivitar product. Does anyone know anything about the DF-283 & 383? They claim to do bounce & swivel, reasonable power, P-ttl, and a few other features. The prices are lower than the comparable Sigma 530 units. It doesn't look like they do HSS or rear-curtain.

From the pictures and specs (not to mention model number), the 383 is the same as the Icorp/Tumax DPT383AFZ. I can't find an exact match for the DF-283 in quick perusing, but it has the same look.

I have to update my guide to reflect this, but I'm 95% sure that Icorp is the actual maker of all of these, since their site says "In addition to producing our own merchandise, we also offer customized design service and the manufacture of private label products to suit the needs of our clients. OEM and ODM customers are welcome."

Mostly, I'm worried about quality. The old automatic Vivitar 283's have been great for reliability, so it is too tempting to see that number in the model and assume it will be the same. If these are really third-party with the vivitar name, I would be more worried about them.

The Vivitar name was recently purchased by Sakar, and to my knowledge there's no actual connection to the older company but the name. I've had very little luck in getting good information from Sakar, but I'll try again through this new Vivitar website and see what I can find.