[dopeytree]

The p-ttl of pentax is quite inaccurate, I dont know if i-ttl or e-ttl are better or not. Most will dial in a permanent +1 on the flash.

I actually challenge that! My k10D with the af540 flash produced much better exposed photos with the correct colour balence at the clothes show live than many of the pro with many grands worth of photo equipment to see for yourself visit www.dopeytree.com/clotheshowlive

The trouble is many people can't be bothered to learn how to use the equipment properly.

[kyrios]

I just tried pttl again. using M mode, pressing the green button to have the camera set the exposure yields a fairly accurate exposure. Then I changed the shutter to 1/160 and turned the flash on, bouncing it into the ceiling. I had to put +1 on the flash and +1 in the camera flash comp to get a similar exposure.

When flash head is bounced, I always get UE problem in P-TTL with my K100D. The UE problem is noticeable when ceiling is high (>3 meter). But when metz58 is set to A mode, I said bye-bye to P-TTTL. Since then, I leave P-TTL when flash is used.

When the subject is moving around too much for manual flash metering, I run in Auto Thyristor mode. Some wedding photogs run Metz flashes because they're very good at exposing properly in A mode...

Confirmed. Metz does pretty a good job here. Always give consistent result.

[Entropy]

A mode is the way everyone should learn to shoot if not full manual. A mode makes the flash use the thyristor which is more accurate than in body TTL or on flash I/P/E-TTL. You note the ISO, aperture and shutter and balance for the distance you are shooting. I/P/E-TTL is fooled too easily by subjects that get in front of the sensor like a bride thats far away but some guy is in front of her and to the side. This is why I shoot almost fully manual because I understand the relationship between distance and how far light will carry. all the new fancy TTL's are way too dumb to understand that relationship and good luck making a perfect form of it.

Interesting that earlier in this thread you said, "It's quite accurate" and then this post says "It's not accurate, A is better" - and I agree with you on THAT.

Of course, since A is better, there's not much point of buying the AF-540FGZ for most situations when there are far cheaper units that do A mode (Vivitar 285HV and Sunpak 383 both have A mode, comparable output power, and are 1/3 the price).

What I find really annoying is that sometimes the AF-540FGZ insists on dropping out of A or M mode and back into P-TTL mode the moment the camera meters.

Edit: I can't speak personally for the 383's A mode, but the 285HV always exposes as well as or better than the 540 when the 540 is in A mode. Either unit in A mode blows away the 540 in P-TTL.

[rwa]

Thanks for the information. I guess from what I am hearing the flash system of Pentax is not a strong point. I will probably purchase the K20D and give it a go. Thanks again:
RWA

[MJB DIGITAL]

RWA

you are getting a K20D + 540fgz combo?

well you wont be sorry.
i've been working professionally for a couple of years on pentax K10D's
I'm maxing out these days at $500.00/day.....not top pay, but thats ok. im cool with 500, right?

btw...thats no number worth bragging about....its not like I have clients 5 days a week.... ugh

but im curious...what lenses are you getting?

i suggest
DA*16-50
DA* 50-135
thats a good setup....but then if you need long range...

i have been finding myself in sort of a puzzle.
i got the 50-135 first. then i put the 16-50 on layaway....

now i need to fill the long range gap i have....so its the sigma 150-500 for me and i'll be set.
I will be very happy...after I spend the next grand.....

8)

[rwa]

MJB:

I would get the K20d with 16-50, and 50-135, flash probably the 360 and a battery grip. I did a lot of 35 MM shooting in my younger years and have been saving to get back into taking digital. I have owned Pentax and Olympus 35's, and was never too impressed with canon even though the 40D is definately under consideration. I want to get good glass and get into a system I can build on. The price of the canon and nikon good glass is crazy and I keep coming back to Pentax as the logical choice. I did do some wedding photography and would like to have a decent system should I decide to go in that direction once I learn the system. It is good to hear of the many that are happy with Pentax. In my area Pentax is not known very well. Thanks again for the comments.

RWA

[codiac2600]

Interesting that earlier in this thread you said, "It's quite accurate" and then this post says "It's not accurate, A is better" - and I agree with you on THAT.

Of course, since A is better, there's not much point of buying the AF-540FGZ for most situations when there are far cheaper units that do A mode (Vivitar 285HV and Sunpak 383 both have A mode, comparable output power, and are 1/3 the price).

What I find really annoying is that sometimes the AF-540FGZ insists on dropping out of A or M mode and back into P-TTL mode the moment the camera meters.

Edit: I can't speak personally for the 383's A mode, but the 285HV always exposes as well as or better than the 540 when the 540 is in A mode. Either unit in A mode blows away the 540 in P-TTL.

It's not as accurate as A because with A you remove the questionables from the image.

You're stretching what I say, which isn't fair play, but life ain't fair right.

All I know is I shoot professionally, doing models, weddings and events and neither the P-TTL nor A not Manual have failed me and sometimes one is better than another in certain situations.

[Landaris]

On an Italian forum a guy said that the Samsung GX-20 seems to expose much better than the k20D, anyone can confirm?

So far I'm happy with k10D and Metz 48, but I have to admit my old Canon 30D with 430EX was more accurate in this respect. AF, on the contrary, is much more accurate on the K10D.

[switch79]

A mode is the way everyone should learn to shoot if not full manual. A mode makes the flash use the thyristor which is more accurate than in body TTL or on flash I/P/E-TTL. You note the ISO, aperture and shutter and balance for the distance you are shooting. I/P/E-TTL is fooled too easily by subjects that get in front of the sensor like a bride thats far away but some guy is in front of her and to the side. This is why I shoot almost fully manual because I understand the relationship between distance and how far light will carry. all the new fancy TTL's are way too dumb to understand that relationship and good luck making a perfect form of it.

Codiac, many thanks for your advice. I've been having all sorts of dramas with my flash, here is a post I made on the other forum regarding my flash experience:

Dramas with my damn AF540FGZ Flash!

I have been back and forth with a solution and am now left with no idea.

The flash does the following and some more: On my K10D and two K20's. Cant be the camera's surely

When set on P-TTL it will randomly switch to TTL, and at times flash will not fire, even when recharged after a cycle, when it does flash it can massively over expose. It sometimes will jump modes to say manual, auto etc. Sometimes the auto focus assist lamp will not work, then does even when shooting the same subject a couple of times. The LCD screen will disappear sometimes. Usually a fix is turning the flash off and it seems to reset itself only to bugger up at another stage.

Sometimes it works fine, other not. Very frustrated, especially in situations when i NEED the flash to work.

Here is the crazy thing. I pull out my istDS and it works 100% every time without failure, perfect exposure no matter what.

Before I got my K20 i thought the problem was with the K10, but no same issue with a brand new camera. (x2 K20's)

There is a difference between the DS and the k10&20 with the PTTL system isn't there? The flash is faulty and I believe the fault lies in there somewhere.

What's worse is I'm in Australia, bought the flash from the US in October 07. Warranty enquiries has been a pain, but thanks to a link on here I got an international warranty card sent so I can get it attended to locally. Hopefully CR Kennedy will replace the damn thing and give me a new flash.

I'm shooting a wedding tomorrow so fingers crossed the weather is good and I can limit the use of the flash. I will be taking my good mate DS with me if flash is needed.

Frustrated,

Matt.


I've been mucking around with the A Zoom function, referring back to the manual and my little training session tonight is looking good. Great exposures everytime. I still believe somewhere in my flash is a flaw with the P-TTL system, hence all my troubles.

Flash photography is a whole other universe!