[monochrome]

The Pentax AF540FGZ II Flash is an on-camera flash that is compatible with Pentax DSLR cameras. The AF540FGZ II has a guide number of 177' at ISO 100 and an effective range of 2.6 to 26.2'. Additionally, it features an all weather construction with 28 seals that pairs with Pentax weather-resistant cameras for safe operation in all conditions.

This flash features wireless functionality with access to 4 channels. It utilizes an optical pulse to transmit information and for triggering additional flash units up to 13.1' away. The AF540FGZ II can be set as a master, control, or slave unit and is able to use both manual and P-TTL while in wireless mode.

Full manual and automatic P-TTL controls are available on this flash. Full manual mode features nine steps of adjustment from full 1/1 power to 1/256 power. While in P-TTL mode, flash output compensation can be applied from -4 to +2 stops in either 1/3 or 1/2-step increments.

Additional creative control modes allow for specific effects to be created using the flash. For example, high-speed sync allows you to use faster shutter speeds than the camera's rated flash sync speed. Also, the LED light can be used as a continuous light source for video and long exposures.

Included with the AF540FGZ II are the O-AC141 Case for storage and a stand for setting up the flash off-camera.

Creative control modes include first-curtain sync, second-curtain sync, high-speed sync, and contrast control
Rotates from 180° right to 135° left with a lock at 0° and click stops

Right: 180°, 150°, 120°, 90°, 60°, and 30°
Left: 135°, 90°, 60°, and 30°
Tilts from +90° to -10° with stops at +90°, +75°, +60°, 45°, 30°, 0°, and -10°

Recycle time: NiMH/3 sec - Alkaline & Lithium/5 sec

Flash head automatically controls zoom from 24mm-85mm (full-frame) with compatible cameras and autofocus lenses

Wide-angle panel pulls out of flash head to expand coverage to a 20mm angle of view in full-frame format
Multi-flash mode for up to 100 flashes

AF-assist beam for focusing under low light or low-contrast conditions

Daylight balanced flash for use outside without the need for gels or filters

Auto power off after 3 minutes of non-operation or after 1 hour while in wireless mode LCD panel is backlit for use in poor lighting conditions

Runs on 4 alkaline, lithium, or Ni-MH AA batteries

Mount Shoe

Guide No. 177.17' (54 m) ISO100

Exposure Control Manual/TTL

Angle of Coverage 31° - 78° Horizontal

Wide-Angle Adapter: 98° Horizontal 23° - 60° Vertical

Wide-Angle Adapter: 85° Vertical

Vari-Power 1/1 - 1/256

TTL Dedication Yes

Bounce Head Yes, +90° to -10°

Swivel Head Yes, 315°

Coverage 24 mm - 85 mm (Full frame)

Distance Range 2.62 to 26.25' (0.8 to 8.0 m) at f/5.6

Zoom Head Full frame: 24 mm - 85 mm

Recycle Time Approximately 3 - 5 seconds

Flash Duration 1/1200 - 1/20000 sec

Flash-ready Indicator Yes

Compensation -4 EV to +2 EV (in 1/3 and 1/2 EV steps)

Wireless Transmission
Method: Optical pulse
Distance: Up to 13.12' / 4.0 m
Wireless Communication Channels 4 Channels

Power Source 4x AA Alkaline, Lithium, Rechargeable Ni-MH Batteries

[Mr Spocko]

I am literally stunned by comments from someone on this thread. I don't understand why people keep saying that Nikon has this feature and that, and that Pentax/Ricoh management/engineer should listen to them and get something like Nikon. Thank goodness Pentax/Ricoh don't listen to some individuals who claims that they know all about products and marketing. If Pentax products follow everything Canikon did in the past years, they would have been dead by now. I wonder if that person even noticed that the latest SB910 does not have the LED feature for video taking...and the new Pentax flash for lack of innovation?

Just how useful is that LED anyway? Generally they're not great for skintones
And ebay is full of bargain priced LED lights you can carry or shove on a hot shoe.

[jonny1986]

I am literally stunned by comments from someone on this thread. I don't understand why people keep saying that Nikon has this feature and that, and that Pentax/Ricoh management/engineer should listen to them and get something like Nikon. Thank goodness Pentax/Ricoh don't listen to some individuals who claims that they know all about products and marketing. If Pentax products follow everything Canikon did in the past years, they would have been dead by now. I wonder if that person even noticed that the latest SB910 does not have the LED feature for video taking...and the new Pentax flash for lack of innovation?

led for video taking? a led light so small do you take is useful for video taking apart some macro video?
in ebay you can find tons of led at 40 euro much much better for this feature...the sb910 is so packed with serious feature that i don't know even where to start.
pentax is not innovating because they don't have the capability...is 10 years they have the same rebadged af system still years ahead the competition.
engneers took the same old underfeatured 540 packed with a small led light and weather sealed and sell it at 629 dollar.

[jonny1986]

Boriscleto is right. Adding to the Ignore list is fun!

Pleasant dreams.

And don't feed the trolls.

[EDIT:] From the Wikipedia discussion of trolls in Scandinavian mythology (Norse mythology).

A Scandinavian folk belief that lightning frightens away trolls and jötnar appears in numerous Scandinavian folktales, and may be a late reflection of the god Thor's role in fighting such beings

Interesting, given this thread is about strobe flash.

so i have probably more than 50k dollar of pentax gear, and i cannot say that a flash with a 10 years old technology is a disappointment.
it's pretty easy to see why pentax is 3% in the market. it fullfill a small niche of photographer those who shoot cats and flowers.

[jonny1986]

The Pentax AF540FGZ II Flash is an on-camera flash that is compatible with Pentax DSLR cameras. The AF540FGZ II has a guide number of 177' at ISO 100 and an effective range of 2.6 to 26.2'. Additionally, it features an all weather construction with 28 seals that pairs with Pentax weather-resistant cameras for safe operation in all conditions.

This flash features wireless functionality with access to 4 channels. It utilizes an optical pulse to transmit information and for triggering additional flash units up to 13.1' away. The AF540FGZ II can be set as a master, control, or slave unit and is able to use both manual and P-TTL while in wireless mode.

Full manual and automatic P-TTL controls are available on this flash. Full manual mode features nine steps of adjustment from full 1/1 power to 1/256 power. While in P-TTL mode, flash output compensation can be applied from -4 to +2 stops in either 1/3 or 1/2-step increments.

Additional creative control modes allow for specific effects to be created using the flash. For example, high-speed sync allows you to use faster shutter speeds than the camera's rated flash sync speed. Also, the LED light can be used as a continuous light source for video and long exposures.

Included with the AF540FGZ II are the O-AC141 Case for storage and a stand for setting up the flash off-camera.

Creative control modes include first-curtain sync, second-curtain sync, high-speed sync, and contrast control
Rotates from 180° right to 135° left with a lock at 0° and click stops

Right: 180°, 150°, 120°, 90°, 60°, and 30°
Left: 135°, 90°, 60°, and 30°
Tilts from +90° to -10° with stops at +90°, +75°, +60°, 45°, 30°, 0°, and -10°

Recycle time: NiMH/3 sec - Alkaline & Lithium/5 sec

Flash head automatically controls zoom from 24mm-85mm (full-frame) with compatible cameras and autofocus lenses

Wide-angle panel pulls out of flash head to expand coverage to a 20mm angle of view in full-frame format
Multi-flash mode for up to 100 flashes

AF-assist beam for focusing under low light or low-contrast conditions

Daylight balanced flash for use outside without the need for gels or filters

Auto power off after 3 minutes of non-operation or after 1 hour while in wireless mode LCD panel is backlit for use in poor lighting conditions

Runs on 4 alkaline, lithium, or Ni-MH AA batteries

Mount Shoe

Guide No. 177.17' (54 m) ISO100

Exposure Control Manual/TTL

Angle of Coverage 31° - 78° Horizontal

Wide-Angle Adapter: 98° Horizontal 23° - 60° Vertical

Wide-Angle Adapter: 85° Vertical

Vari-Power 1/1 - 1/256

TTL Dedication Yes

Bounce Head Yes, +90° to -10°

Swivel Head Yes, 315°

Coverage 24 mm - 85 mm (Full frame)

Distance Range 2.62 to 26.25' (0.8 to 8.0 m) at f/5.6

Zoom Head Full frame: 24 mm - 85 mm

Recycle Time Approximately 3 - 5 seconds

Flash Duration 1/1200 - 1/20000 sec

Flash-ready Indicator Yes

Compensation -4 EV to +2 EV (in 1/3 and 1/2 EV steps)

Wireless Transmission
Method: Optical pulse
Distance: Up to 13.12' / 4.0 m
Wireless Communication Channels 4 Channels

Power Source 4x AA Alkaline, Lithium, Rechargeable Ni-MH Batteries

in practice nothing new compared to the 540 az, aprat a small led light and weather sealing, all for 200 dollar more of a price that was already outrageos compared to the competition.

[jonny1986]

Just how useful is that LED anyway? Generally they're not great for skintones
And ebay is full of bargain priced LED lights you can carry or shove on a hot shoe.

is useful for the typical pentax subject small flowers and cat.

[Mr Spocko]

Maybe so. Look I see comments here bashing Nikon and great I'm not a fan of some Nikon ideas. But I can tell you their flash system is "the dogs do dahs" it's a great flash system probably the best out there wonderful to use, and very complete. You really can't knock Nikon for flash it's "well sorted" big time.

It makes the Pentax flash system look like a complete joke in comparison.
They've had plenty of time to work on this, and they don't seem to have bothered. Whatever the views of folks on this, you can be pretty sure nobody is going to run to Pentax "because of it's great flash system", because it doesn't have one!

The new prices on the flashes make them completely irrelevant in the market place, not just v Canikon, but other flash makers it's well out of line and I can imagine lots of dust gathering on unsold Pentax flash boxes.

[jonny1986]

Listen man, we are all sick and tired of your complaining by now.

We got it on your first post. You don't like the new flashes. But why 1) belittle the Pentax user base? And 2) why hijack the thread and waste everyone's time with the same complaints over and over?

You are driving away users who might actually be interested in talking about and actually perhaps purchasing these flashes in the future. No matter how much Pentax gear you claim to have purchased in the past, it does not give you the right to troll this thread into uselessness.

actually i made a claim and underlined where the flash miss features , basic nowadays for other system. nobody answer, apart one that suggest that he uses a nikon d4 when he needs some features pentax is missing. good point i'd say.
ok better accept that pentax cannot do things right most of the time.

[bxf]

We got it on your first post.

Are you sure? The fact that there are counter-arguments to what he's saying would imply that "we don't get it".

From my perspective, I think it's difficult to argue with the sentiment that these new Pentax flashes are still no match for some others, at a price that exceeds the (better) others. Sounds to me like reasonable grounds for disenchantment.

[repaap]

Wow, and it still goes on. Seems like someone is happy with some other brands offering...so what is problem? Use it, and be happy.

'I'm owning 50k D worth of...' So what has that to do anything with this?you don't own these flashes and most obiously you are not going to. So why continue rant at here and make so many other people unhappy. About being a troll, you qualify perfectly by now.

Led light might not be revolutionary and AW sealing might not be exeptional. But there is absolutelly no reason why these things cannot be good in use. You did probably know that led lights are quite good nowadays? They can be had in almost any color, so it can work well too. Not to mention what can be done with flash and led light. You propably use it even as flashlight. Perhaps that will lighten your day.

[monochrome]

Wow. Six Hidden messages in a row. That has GOT to be an all-time record.

From my perspective, I think it's difficult to argue with the sentiment that these new Pentax flashes are still no match for some others, at a price that exceeds the (better) others. Sounds to me like reasonable grounds for disenchantment.

Perhaps true, but there is a distinct difference between factual argument and belittling bullying - a tactic often used by fakers and the insecure.

And there ain't no way this dude has 50K worth of Pentax gear. Not even in his dreams. I'm not sure 50K worth of Pentax gear even exists.

[bxf]

...And there ain't no way this dude has 50K worth of Pentax gear. Not even in his dreams. I'm not sure 50K worth of Pentax gear even exists.

Hang on, I'll ask Digitalis

[jonny1986]

Wow. Six Hidden messages in a row. That has GOT to be an all-time record.Perhaps true, but there is a distinct difference between factual argument and belittling bullying - a tactic often used by fakers and the insecure.

And there ain't no way this dude has 50K worth of Pentax gear. Not even in his dreams. I'm not sure 50K worth of Pentax gear even exists.

instead you come in this thread just to bully , say that somebody is trolling with zero fact.
not 50k maybe 30k 40 k, it depends ...if you buy all 645d lenses new yes much more considering only the fa 645 300 f4 cost 3500 euro by listing and the 645 plus 55 i paid 11000 euro...and i have all af anad manual lens for 645 plus 2 k5 5 da* and 12 lenses more, plus 4 flash and on and on.
p

another one who doen0t even know what is talking about....only the fa 300 f4 for 645 new cost 3500 euro...and the 400 3000.
i'm sure this guy will buy the new flash and is clearly adding important information to this thread.

[jonny1986]

Wow, and it still goes on. Seems like someone is happy with some other brands offering...so what is problem? Use it, and be happy.

'I'm owning 50k D worth of...' So what has that to do anything with this?you don't own these flashes and most obiously you are not going to. So why continue rant at here and make so many other people unhappy. About being a troll, you qualify perfectly by now.

Led light might not be revolutionary and AW sealing might not be exeptional. But there is absolutelly no reason why these things cannot be good in use. You did probably know that led lights are quite good nowadays? They can be had in almost any color, so it can work well too. Not to mention what can be done with flash and led light. You propably use it even as flashlight. Perhaps that will lighten your day.

the bigger light the better....a led light so small is useless apart some macro of cheap grab video...a youngnuo led light cost 40 euro and is a much better solution. so good to have the led light but i would have preferred a new wireless system, a more powerful and fast flash than a led light that in practice is of tiny use.

[jonny1986]

Are you sure? The fact that there are counter-arguments to what he's saying would imply that "we don't get it".

From my perspective, I think it's difficult to argue with the sentiment that these new Pentax flashes are still no match for some others, at a price that exceeds the (better) others. Sounds to me like reasonable grounds for disenchantment.

this is what i think and only the purist fanboys or the ignorant cannot see this.
these flashes at 390 dollar and 219 dolalr could have been a good value and proposition, at the actual price they are a compliment disappointment.
and the best part is that probable i will be one of the few in these thread to buy one of them