[texandrews]

Please accept my apologies in advance for being a stupid twit. But after hours of searching online, and reading the manuals for the Pentax leaf shutter lenses, I still don't understand something fundamental: how do you attach the lens to the flash? Everything I have found online talks about why you would use an LS lens, advantages, & etc, etc. I know all that, and have both the 75 and 135 LS lenses. It's obvious that one end of the cord must be male PC sync, to fit on the lens.

But Pentax flashes don't have PC sync sockets. Contemporary ones are 5 pin. So, where is the 5 pin to male PC sync cord? There is the scarcer than hen's teeth 4p sync cord C---which of course is 4pin, not 5, and no longer made. I have not yet seen a clear enough picture of this to be able to tell if it will work in a 5 pin plug (just lacking the 5th pin). Will it work, if it can be found? Or does one just use a non Pentax flash gun that has a PC socket? FYI, I have looked on the Zebra Flash website (I bought from them before to deal with the Sony/Minolta hotshoe mess), but no joy.

Can you use a universal hot shoe adapter with female PC sync socket, with the flash connected to that, and just a plain male PC to male PC sync cord to connect the flash to the lens? And how exactly is the lens sending the electronic signal to the flash through the cord to fire? Is it getting the power from the camera? My Z does indeed recognize the lenses, and LS reads in the LCD panel.

The answers to these most basic questions have completely eluded me, so I throw myself on the mercy of the few of you who have had experience with these lenses. My Fuji GSW690II doesn't need these extras because it's a fixed leaf shutter lens, and the flash syncs to it automatically without cabling.

I'm tearing my hair out, what little is left of it....

[rob8888]

Just a simple PC cord from lens to flash. If the flash doesn't have a PC socket just get one of those small cheap ones that use your flash's shoe. If you have a wireless transmitter unit, they normally have a PC connection. Fire that from the lens PC socket, to fire your flash. It's simpler than you think.

I love the 135LS. Bit of a drag to recock, but worth it.

[gofour3]

Here is a similar 6x7 flash cable thread that may help:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/48-pentax-medium-format/298656-pentax-67-flash-cable.html

Phil.

[blackcloudbrew]

It's not such a stupid question. I had this in my head as well the first few times I used my LS lens with flash and strobes on my 645 and 6x7. Works though very nicely too.