Pentax K-x flash

l3yl3y · 10-09-2011, 11:09 PM

Hi, I'm newbie for Pentax k-x....I would like to buy flash recently, any suggestion for me ?

is it nissin di622 suitable for k-x?

thanks

**firefly** · 10-10-2011, 05:12 AM

The Nissin di622 is for Canon and Nikon systems. You will only be able to use it as a slave, off camera. If you want something up-to-date and supports AF functions, the Pentax 360 is good. People here also swear by Metz as well. These both support exposure through P-TTL (Pentax Through The Lens).

I myself use old sunpaks. They have a manual slider control so I can control the light output manually. Way cheaper and the light is still light last time I checked.

kenafein · 10-10-2011, 08:21 AM

The Pentax 360 doesn't swivel. You can get the metz for cheaper than a used Pentax 540.

Amazon.com: Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 Digital Flash for Pentax Cameras: Camera & Photo

**mgvh** · 10-10-2011, 09:23 PM

After much researching, I ended up buying a Bower SFD926P flash (~$105-125). The head tilts and turns and has Autofocus TTL Power Zoom and has a built in reflector and diffuser.

DaveHolmes · 10-11-2011, 07:09 PM

Originally posted by mgvh

After much researching, I ended up buying a Bower SFD926P flash (~$105-125). The head tilts and turns and has Autofocus TTL Power Zoom and has a built in reflector and diffuser.

The K-x does not support TTL... It supports P-TTL... They are quite different systems... You will only be able to use this flash in 'manual' mode... AF assist is cool though...

I don't know the price of the Bower unit.... I do however think that 'manual' mode is the way to go if you really want to understand how flash works (in terms of exposure...)... I use and recommend the YN560 as for the price you really can't go wrong...

**Spodeworld** · 10-12-2011, 07:01 AM

Hi. I saw someone here say that a flash supports TTL not P-TTL. I haven't located a good explanation as to the difference, although what I am inferring is that in the P-TTL case, a pre-flash is used to determine the correct exposure, and I assume that that is not the case in TTL. Is that correct? And, if so, does that make a TTL type, such as the Bower mentioned above, inappropriate for a camera like the K20D, assuming you don't want to have to rely on manual settings?

Thanks

**Just1MoreDave** · 10-12-2011, 02:16 PM

This is one of those sloppy editing problems that causes concern. In the text under "Overview", they say "This version is dedicated to the Pentax/Samsung P-TTL ". It is a flash available for many systems, and they are using TTL generically. The text is probably correct, maybe worth checking to be sure. The same error happens for lenses, when Pentax users check the photo for the A setting, and see the Nikon version photo with no A.

Some flashes have their own sensors that cut off the flash when they see enough light. The flash doesn't know anything about the lens, so they can be fooled when a lens is really wide or really telephoto - say on either extreme of an 18-200mm zoom. They work fine with a lens in the normal range.

A flash that only does TTL needs sensors in the camera to tell the flash when the scene is getting enough light. The camera's sensors look through the lens so they aren't fooled by unusual lenses. You can run out of flash power at long ranges but otherwise it's a good system and even works with M42 or weird macro setups. Highly reflective surfaces can fool the flash sometimes. I believe the sensors are separate from the camera's metering so the sensors are less sophisticated than multi-segment metering.

The P-TTL system eliminates the need for sensors in the camera and puts more of the intellegence in the flash. It fires a pre-flash to measure the light with the camera's metering system, again through the lens. Then it decides how much power the flash needs to light that scene correctly. The meter needs to know more information about the lens to work, so the lens needs to be KA mount or newer. The flash needs to have more reserve power to fire the preflash and the main flash for every shot, and more electronics to work, so the flashes are expensive. Reflective surfaces are still a problem but theoretically the multi-segment metering can ignore small bright points better. I think 77-segment metering helps here (K-7 or K-5). The preflash can cause people or pets to blink when the actual photo is taken.

**Spodeworld** · 10-13-2011, 07:57 AM

Thanks Dave. So, a flash would have to be P-TTL, rather TTL, for it to work properly on a Pentax DSLR. Is that correct? Is a TTL flash useles on a Pentax if it is not P-TTL?

kenafein · 10-13-2011, 08:49 AM

Originally posted by Spodeworld

Thanks Dave. So, a flash would have to be P-TTL, rather TTL, for it to work properly on a Pentax DSLR. Is that correct? Is a TTL flash useles on a Pentax if it is not P-TTL?

You can use it in manual mode.

DaveHolmes · 10-13-2011, 05:02 PM

Originally posted by Spodeworld

Thanks Dave. So, a flash would have to be P-TTL, rather TTL, for it to work properly on a Pentax DSLR. Is that correct? Is a TTL flash useles on a Pentax if it is not P-TTL?

Properly is a 'funny' thing...

I only ever use manual flashes... But I get consistant results in terms of exposure... A friend who shoots canon and uses a TTL (or e-ttl or whatever...) gets very inconsistant exposures unless he too shoots manual...

My thoughts are that you should be the one saying what 'correct' exposure is... Learning on manual flash is a) not hard and b) leaves you in complete control of your image....

**Spodeworld** · 10-14-2011, 06:51 AM

I appreciate the suggestions to learn to use flash in manual mode. I'll have to start looking into that.

But, out of curiosity, does TTL that is not P-TTL mean that the ability of the flash to judge exposure is not present or just likely to be much more inaccurate because it is non-P TTL?

northcoastgreg · 10-14-2011, 10:02 AM

Originally posted by Spodeworld

But, out of curiosity, does TTL that is not P-TTL mean that the ability of the flash to judge exposure is not present or just likely to be much more inaccurate because it is non-P TTL?

The flash only judges the exposure in auto flash mode; in both TTL modes involve using a metering system in the camera, through the lens. I doubt that p-TTL is much more accurate than p-TTL. All the automated flash systems, whether auto-flash, TTL, or p-TTL work fairly well. Given the order in which these technologies were developed, one would expect TTL to work a bit better than autoflash and p-TTL to work a bit better than TTL.

The important thing to remember is that only p-TTL and autoflash will work with the current Pentax digital cameras. So in short you have three choices when using flash with Pentax DSLRS: autoflash, p-TTL, and manual.

**Spodeworld** · 10-14-2011, 01:04 PM

Thanks...so TTL doesn't work on a new Pentax unless it has a P- in front of it. Good to know to avoid investing in a mismatched flash. :^)

noblepa · 10-14-2011, 01:05 PM

One thing that confuses the issue is that manufacturers and advertisers do not make a distinction between the older sensor-in-the-mirror-box system that we call TTL and the newer sensor-in-the-viewfinder-preflash system that we call P-TTL. They refer only to TTL in their descriptions, even when the flash is, in fact, a P-TTL flash.

To be fair, P-TTL is a through-the-lens metering system. It differs from the older system in that it uses a pre-flash, rather than metering during the main flash. This is an important technical distinction, but apparently the advertisers feel that newbies looking for their first external flash will be confused by making the distinction.

**mgvh** · 10-14-2011, 01:21 PM

I'm a bit confused here, and the descriptions don't help. I had earlier noted the Bower:

Originally posted by mgvh

After much researching, I ended up buying a Bower SFD926P flash (~$105-125). The head tilts and turns and has Autofocus TTL Power Zoom and has a built in reflector and diffuser.

This generated DaveHolmes' response.

Originally posted by DaveHolmes

The K-x does not support TTL... It supports P-TTL... They are quite different systems... You will only be able to use this flash in 'manual' mode... AF assist is cool though...

I don't know the price of the Bower unit.... I do however think that 'manual' mode is the way to go if you really want to understand how flash works (in terms of exposure...)... I use and recommend the YN560 as for the price you really can't go wrong...

On the B&H site, however, it says of this flash:

The Bower SFD926P Digital Shoe Mount Flash is an economical flash with complete TTL exposure support for digital SLR cameras. This version is dedicated to the Pentax/Samsung P-TTL metering system.

In any case, it seems to work well enough!

10-09-2011, 11:09 PM	#1
l3yl3y Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 4	Pentax K-x flash Hi, I'm newbie for Pentax k-x....I would like to buy flash recently, any suggestion for me ? is it nissin di622 suitable for k-x? thanks

10-13-2011, 07:57 AM	#8
Spodeworld Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: New Joisey Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,370	Thanks Dave. So, a flash would have to be P-TTL, rather TTL, for it to work properly on a Pentax DSLR. Is that correct? Is a TTL flash useles on a Pentax if it is not P-TTL? Last edited by Spodeworld; 10-13-2011 at 08:04 AM.

10-14-2011, 01:21 PM	#15
mgvh Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: MD Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,033	I'm a bit confused here, and the descriptions don't help. I had earlier noted the Bower: Originally posted by mgvh After much researching, I ended up buying a Bower SFD926P flash (~$105-125). The head tilts and turns and has Autofocus TTL Power Zoom and has a built in reflector and diffuser. This generated DaveHolmes' response. Originally posted by DaveHolmes The K-x does not support TTL... It supports P-TTL... They are quite different systems... You will only be able to use this flash in 'manual' mode... AF assist is cool though... I don't know the price of the Bower unit.... I do however think that 'manual' mode is the way to go if you really want to understand how flash works (in terms of exposure...)... I use and recommend the YN560 as for the price you really can't go wrong... On the B&H site, however, it says of this flash: The Bower SFD926P Digital Shoe Mount Flash is an economical flash with complete TTL exposure support for digital SLR cameras. This version is dedicated to the Pentax/Samsung P-TTL metering system. In any case, it seems to work well enough!

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10-10-2011, 05:12 AM	#2
firefly Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: New Brunswick Photos: Albums Posts: 200	The Nissin di622 is for Canon and Nikon systems. You will only be able to use it as a slave, off camera. If you want something up-to-date and supports AF functions, the Pentax 360 is good. People here also swear by Metz as well. These both support exposure through P-TTL (Pentax Through The Lens). I myself use old sunpaks. They have a manual slider control so I can control the light output manually. Way cheaper and the light is still light last time I checked.

10-10-2011, 08:21 AM	#3
kenafein Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Southern California Photos: Albums Posts: 4,082	The Pentax 360 doesn't swivel. You can get the metz for cheaper than a used Pentax 540. Amazon.com: Metz mecablitz 50 AF-1 Digital Flash for Pentax Cameras: Camera & Photo

10-10-2011, 09:23 PM	#4
mgvh Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: MD Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,033	After much researching, I ended up buying a Bower SFD926P flash (~$105-125). The head tilts and turns and has Autofocus TTL Power Zoom and has a built in reflector and diffuser.

10-11-2011, 07:09 PM	#5
DaveHolmes Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 1,501	Originally posted by mgvh After much researching, I ended up buying a Bower SFD926P flash (~$105-125). The head tilts and turns and has Autofocus TTL Power Zoom and has a built in reflector and diffuser. The K-x does not support TTL... It supports P-TTL... They are quite different systems... You will only be able to use this flash in 'manual' mode... AF assist is cool though... I don't know the price of the Bower unit.... I do however think that 'manual' mode is the way to go if you really want to understand how flash works (in terms of exposure...)... I use and recommend the YN560 as for the price you really can't go wrong...

10-12-2011, 07:01 AM	#6
Spodeworld Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: New Joisey Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,370	Hi. I saw someone here say that a flash supports TTL not P-TTL. I haven't located a good explanation as to the difference, although what I am inferring is that in the P-TTL case, a pre-flash is used to determine the correct exposure, and I assume that that is not the case in TTL. Is that correct? And, if so, does that make a TTL type, such as the Bower mentioned above, inappropriate for a camera like the K20D, assuming you don't want to have to rely on manual settings? Thanks

10-12-2011, 02:16 PM	#7
Just1MoreDave Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Aurora, CO Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,340	This is one of those sloppy editing problems that causes concern. In the text under "Overview", they say "This version is dedicated to the Pentax/Samsung P-TTL ". It is a flash available for many systems, and they are using TTL generically. The text is probably correct, maybe worth checking to be sure. The same error happens for lenses, when Pentax users check the photo for the A setting, and see the Nikon version photo with no A. Some flashes have their own sensors that cut off the flash when they see enough light. The flash doesn't know anything about the lens, so they can be fooled when a lens is really wide or really telephoto - say on either extreme of an 18-200mm zoom. They work fine with a lens in the normal range. A flash that only does TTL needs sensors in the camera to tell the flash when the scene is getting enough light. The camera's sensors look through the lens so they aren't fooled by unusual lenses. You can run out of flash power at long ranges but otherwise it's a good system and even works with M42 or weird macro setups. Highly reflective surfaces can fool the flash sometimes. I believe the sensors are separate from the camera's metering so the sensors are less sophisticated than multi-segment metering. The P-TTL system eliminates the need for sensors in the camera and puts more of the intellegence in the flash. It fires a pre-flash to measure the light with the camera's metering system, again through the lens. Then it decides how much power the flash needs to light that scene correctly. The meter needs to know more information about the lens to work, so the lens needs to be KA mount or newer. The flash needs to have more reserve power to fire the preflash and the main flash for every shot, and more electronics to work, so the flashes are expensive. Reflective surfaces are still a problem but theoretically the multi-segment metering can ignore small bright points better. I think 77-segment metering helps here (K-7 or K-5). The preflash can cause people or pets to blink when the actual photo is taken.

10-13-2011, 08:49 AM	#9
kenafein Veteran Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: Southern California Photos: Albums Posts: 4,082	Originally posted by Spodeworld Thanks Dave. So, a flash would have to be P-TTL, rather TTL, for it to work properly on a Pentax DSLR. Is that correct? Is a TTL flash useles on a Pentax if it is not P-TTL? You can use it in manual mode.

10-13-2011, 05:02 PM	#10
DaveHolmes Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 1,501	Originally posted by Spodeworld Thanks Dave. So, a flash would have to be P-TTL, rather TTL, for it to work properly on a Pentax DSLR. Is that correct? Is a TTL flash useles on a Pentax if it is not P-TTL? Properly is a 'funny' thing... I only ever use manual flashes... But I get consistant results in terms of exposure... A friend who shoots canon and uses a TTL (or e-ttl or whatever...) gets very inconsistant exposures unless he too shoots manual... My thoughts are that you should be the one saying what 'correct' exposure is... Learning on manual flash is a) not hard and b) leaves you in complete control of your image....

10-14-2011, 06:51 AM	#11
Spodeworld Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: New Joisey Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,370	I appreciate the suggestions to learn to use flash in manual mode. I'll have to start looking into that. But, out of curiosity, does TTL that is not P-TTL mean that the ability of the flash to judge exposure is not present or just likely to be much more inaccurate because it is non-P TTL?

10-14-2011, 10:02 AM	#12
northcoastgreg Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Northern Michigan Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,175	Originally posted by Spodeworld But, out of curiosity, does TTL that is not P-TTL mean that the ability of the flash to judge exposure is not present or just likely to be much more inaccurate because it is non-P TTL? The flash only judges the exposure in auto flash mode; in both TTL modes involve using a metering system in the camera, through the lens. I doubt that p-TTL is much more accurate than p-TTL. All the automated flash systems, whether auto-flash, TTL, or p-TTL work fairly well. Given the order in which these technologies were developed, one would expect TTL to work a bit better than autoflash and p-TTL to work a bit better than TTL. The important thing to remember is that only p-TTL and autoflash will work with the current Pentax digital cameras. So in short you have three choices when using flash with Pentax DSLRS: autoflash, p-TTL, and manual.

10-14-2011, 01:04 PM	#13
Spodeworld Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: New Joisey Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,370	Thanks...so TTL doesn't work on a new Pentax unless it has a P- in front of it. Good to know to avoid investing in a mismatched flash. :^)

10-14-2011, 01:05 PM	#14
noblepa Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bay Village, Ohio USA Posts: 1,142	One thing that confuses the issue is that manufacturers and advertisers do not make a distinction between the older sensor-in-the-mirror-box system that we call TTL and the newer sensor-in-the-viewfinder-preflash system that we call P-TTL. They refer only to TTL in their descriptions, even when the flash is, in fact, a P-TTL flash. To be fair, P-TTL is a through-the-lens metering system. It differs from the older system in that it uses a pre-flash, rather than metering during the main flash. This is an important technical distinction, but apparently the advertisers feel that newbies looking for their first external flash will be confused by making the distinction.