[eagle2]

did they happen to tell you where you could buy this module? I have the 5550DX flash, but it has a module made for older film cameras on it, if i could get a compatible module for it, it would save me some serious cash !!

Go here Stratman and check them out.

Promaster

At top left corner of web page they have a "Find A Dealer" tab. See if they have one close to you.

This is recent information for the K10 so a lot of dealers may not know about this. Read the web pages at Promaster and be prepared to inform the dealer of what is now available.

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Last edited by eagle2; 09-01-2007 at 08:11 AM.

[Stratman]

Ahh, thanks, i was hoping some online shops carried them.

[r3nx]

Hey.. I have a question.. or..umm... a few.

I was planning to buy the FTZ 500 for about ~200$ as a manual flash for my k100d. Is it worth it?
I don't thing I would care much about the P-ttl because bounce and such is easier manually. I hate that 360FGZ doesn't swivel. In places I would shoot with it, I would have the time to adjust it manually. Also nikon SB-600 would be a 100$ more, but I'd like the pentax one more (and cheaper too :P). But can the FTZ do high speed sync with k100d ( I mean shutter speeds like 1/500 ; 1/2000 and so on) ?

Thanks.

Up!

Hey could anyone be kind enough and give me some advice with this? Is it totally managable as a flash on k100d (ignoring the lack of p-ttl )? I could get it for like 150$ if I decide today.

Thanks

[r3nx]

Nwm. I got the flash now, and it's SUPERB :P . It doesn't TTL but it does AF. First cons are, that doesn't hi-speed sync and doesn't give AF assist beam ( hope it's because I had extremely low batterys). Can anyone help with the hi-speed ? Can't I go faster 1/180?

[Chuck Lee]

Stratman,

You still have choices. Sigma nor Pentax have dual strobes. I currently use a $85.00 Quantarray 9550 Quantaray QTB-9550D Twin Bounce Flash for Digital AF or Manual - 531660975 - RitzCamera.com with a $35.00 Flash Module QDA-AF (with illuminator for low light) for pentax SLR. (Couldn't find a link but I know it's available.) I recently discovered that the Promaster 5750DX is identical to the 9550. I took mine to a local camera store that sells them and we compared them side by side. I then did the same as eagle2 and emailed Promaster to find out they have a 7161 module that uses P-TTL. Whether or not it works with the 9550 will be interesting but the pin out is identical. What ever Chineese company mfgs these is on top of things. Scenerio: I by a 250- 350 buck dedicated single strode flash like the DG Super (it's in for rechip right now - only a month old -Sigma4Less) or the 540. I'm at some event and I turn around and POW!! I hit the flash body against someone or something and break the plastic ears of the hot shoe. What now? Send it in for repairs with a very large bill. If I own a Quantarray or a ProMaster 5000 series I simply buy another base module. I also have the freedom "God forbid" to transfer the flash body to another brand of camera because I can buy a module for 35-70 bucks. I've used the Quantarray for years with film and with digital and never had a single problem. Honestly, I abuse the heck out of it. I love the dual flash bounce head with secondary fill. I posted a wedding shot recently on another thread as an example. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/11526-lens-suggest...portraits.html The only problem that I have with the new ProMaster which is completely compatable with the K10 is that is does not have a module and it has "METAL" hot shoe ears. That is not a good thing. I'd much rather break plastic ears than destroy the hot shoe mount on either of my Pentax bodies. If the Promaster module doesn't give me results on the 9550 then I'll more than likely purchase the 5750DX.

Humbly Hopes this Helps,

Chuck

[Stratman]

My local camera shop just called me today about that new module, and I will be ordering one tomorrow, I believe he said it was $60.00,< left a message on my cell phone, i was out in the sticks and had no signal > I paid 40 bucks for the flash with a FILM Pentax AF module on it, so maybe i can trade that module in and shave a bit more off that price,,,

[Chuck Lee]

$60.00 not bad.....I'll call in one next week.

Thanks,

Chuck

[WMBP]

Chuck Lee,

Liked your photos in the other thread that you referenced and I'm intrigued by the dual-flash idea. I wasn't even aware of dual-flash strobes before reading your posts. I see now that the idea is that there are actually two light-sources on a single camera-mounted flash unit. The main light source is like the light source on my Pentax FA 540FGZ -- up at the top, and tiltable. The other is fixed on the front of the unit, facing the subject. Two questions.

Can't you get much the same effect by taking the flash off the camera and either holding it in your hand or using a bracket to hold it, and then using both the camera's built-in flash AND the external unit in wireless mode, with the built-in flash acting as a master, not just as a controller? I've come to the conclusion that the best reason to use a bracket is that you can then use two flashes instead of just one.

Alternatively, if you don't want the hassle of a bracket, can't you get much the same effect using a flash modifier like, say, the Demb Flip-It! Pro, which allows some flash to go forward, diffused, and also bounces some of the flash up?

Actually, I kind of wish I could get the built-in flash to fire while the 540FGZ is attached to the camera. The built-in flash will flip up, half way at least, but it won't fire, as far as I can tell. That would seem to be the best of both worlds.

Will

[Stratman]

I just ordered the module, I'll give a report on how it works after they get it in !! Let's hope it works well...

[Chuck Lee]

Thanks Will,

Yes, you can get the same effect by going wireless, and I plan to, when the Sigma DG Super gets back, I'll try the wireless setup just like you pointed out. The problem is that my wife has a hard time shooting one handed. So, I'm currently shopping for flip frames. Omega has one that supposedly allows you to shoot with your "hand on top" H.O.T. when you rotate the camera into portrait position. She has even a harder time rotating the camera with shutter release bottom right. Then the problem becomes the side shadow that is cast by the pop up. Interestingly enough I talked to a pro this week that said he only shoots in landscape at weddings for this very reason. He crops down 8 megapixel jpgs to create portraits and says they print just fine. I should have done the same at this first wedding shoot because being the resolution nut that I am, if I could fit the particular group into portrait I'd do it. Even though I had two fill umbrellas set up with full manual 130 guide no. flashes it was not enough to cancel out the side fill created by the shoe mount flash ( 80 gn) on the camera. Those were the only shots where I feel I missed the technical aspect and neither of us are real thrilled with the outcome. All of the lanscape photos turned out beautiful!! It is a learning process.

I'll truthfully say that if I had know about the ProMasters before I wouldn't of bought the DG Super even though it is a really good value based on the choices at the time. As I said in the previous post, the dual strobe option, with a replacable module make those particular strobes IMHO the best value in town (especially the pricing on the Quantarrays from Ritz). I'm glad to see Pentax support growing for some of these 3rd party devices. I'm not getting any warm fuzzies talking to Ritz about their Pentax support. C, N, S, & M

Will, your contributions to this forum are very informative and I've learned alot from reading them. KUTGW. Your observations recently on Picasa's sharpening algorithm was dead on! I've admonished my wife, for a while now, not to use it anymore. Unsharp Mask works 10 times better and I'm finding in the last few months that I'm even using that more sparingly, 100 - 150 rather than 200 - 250. One another note. Will, have you tried SilkyPix? The only reason I ask, is that you seem to be very technically minded and I have a feeling that you'd really like the way that program handles pef files. I think your an ACR guy. And no, SilkyPix isn't compensating me for my plugs.

P.S. I've viewed some of your gallery on Picasa. Great Pics!! Are some of your latest with the new Tamron 18-250? I'm still watching the pricing on that lens along with several others. I'd like to see examples of the 18 end, the 75-135 middle and 250 end, all at open aperature. I love the 28-75 f 2.8 and I have to say that for the money I've found a great value in the 70-300. That first one at the alter was 300 wide open @ 5.6. That's not something I'd like to make a habit of, but the pro I talked to loved it.

Thanks Again, Sorry for the Junior Member Ramblings

Chuck

[Entropy]

Stratman,

You still have choices. Sigma nor Pentax have dual strobes. I currently use a $85.00 Quantarray 9550 Quantaray QTB-9550D Twin Bounce Flash for Digital AF or Manual - 531660975 - RitzCamera.com with a $35.00 Flash Module QDA-AF (with illuminator for low light) for pentax SLR. (Couldn't find a link but I know it's available.) I recently discovered that the Promaster 5750DX is identical to the 9550. I took mine to a local camera store that sells them and we compared them side by side. I then did the same as eagle2 and emailed Promaster to find out they have a 7161 module that uses P-TTL. Whether or not it works with the 9550 will be interesting but the pin out is identical. What ever Chineese company mfgs these is on top of things. Scenerio: I by a 250- 350 buck dedicated single strode flash like the DG Super (it's in for rechip right now - only a month old -Sigma4Less) or the 540. I'm at some event and I turn around and POW!! I hit the flash body against someone or something and break the plastic ears of the hot shoe. What now? Send it in for repairs with a very large bill. If I own a Quantarray or a ProMaster 5000 series I simply buy another base module. I also have the freedom "God forbid" to transfer the flash body to another brand of camera because I can buy a module for 35-70 bucks. I've used the Quantarray for years with film and with digital and never had a single problem. Honestly, I abuse the heck out of it. I love the dual flash bounce head with secondary fill. I posted a wedding shot recently on another thread as an example. https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/11526-lens-suggest...portraits.html The only problem that I have with the new ProMaster which is completely compatable with the K10 is that is does not have a module and it has "METAL" hot shoe ears. That is not a good thing. I'd much rather break plastic ears than destroy the hot shoe mount on either of my Pentax bodies. If the Promaster module doesn't give me results on the 9550 then I'll more than likely purchase the 5750DX.

Humbly Hopes this Helps,

Chuck

Chuck, I know I'm replying to an old post here - Did you wind up ordering the Promaster 7161 module to try with the 9550? I'm thinking of the same combination, since as far as I can tell those flashes are identical but the price difference ($85 vs $120-130) makes me a little wary of differences between the 5750DX and the QTB-9550D. If you did, how did it work?