[sebberry]

Had to send in my first one because the tilt/swivel head got stuck at an angle and a screw was seen floating around in the reflector, now my second one is also stuck!

I tilt it and swivel it a lot as I am moving the camera around, but isn't that what it's designed for? Do I have to wear velvet gloves and place it on a bed of feathers to adjust it each time to avoid having it break?

It feels like a wire is getting pinched inside somewhere stopping it from moving..

I dunno

[SOldBear]

Is the flash still under warranty? If yes, send it in for repair.

Otherwise, you may be able to fix it yourself. Read this thread (my post at #6 in the thread) as how to dissemble the flash head.

Good luck. Please report back.

[sebberry]

Thanks.

The first one broke within the first 7 days so the ebay retailer (prodigital2000) replaced it no questions asked.

Unfortunately this one is now a few weeks old but I have used it all of three times.

[sebberry]

It's frustrating to have it break in the middle of shooting. I can understand little gripes about things like the battery door feeling flimsy (compared to the doors on the K10D I would agree) but to have something designed to move around a lot break like this is really frustrating.

Fortunately I got the dog pics that I wanted for the night and discovered the jam as I was putting the flash back in the pouch (which of course it wouldn't fit...).

The K10D body is solid and I am sure the K7 feels even more well built. Pentax has some nice WR lenses that while I haven't felt them I am sure they too are good solid pieces. It's a shame that the flash isn't designed/built to the same standard as the other gear.

I guess in this day and age of cost cutting, it's too much to expect that one company will have some good solid gear throughout the product line. I don't need a weather resistant flash (ok, it would be nice) but it shouldn't break after three uses either. For the second time. And if I was hard on my gear I would have broken the body a long time ago. Everything is treated gently and kept stored properly.

/rant. Should have ponied up for the Metz 58

[Ash]

Sorry to hear this.
This is the first I heard of the 540 breaking down like this.

I've had no problems with my own copy, and I've put it through some tough conditions, knocks and bumps, and still came out intact and working fine.

I'm not sure there is a better built flash out there than the 540, but I do hear the Metz 58 doing well to compare.

[sebberry]

Just got an email back from Pentax. Apparantly the two units that I had failed are the first ever that they have heard about this problem.