[HGMonaro]

I now have one camera and one flash, rather than a combo unit!

Needed wife to hold camera and flash while I pressed jewellers screwdriver down hard and turned screwdriver with pliers! Screws were pretty tight but mostly the angle leaves no where to grip the screwdriver.

Have removed the pin and spring. Interestingly, the locking mechanism that clamps the flash to the hotshoe still works fine. Combined with how tight it is sliding into the hotshoe anyway, the pin (which is quite a solid item.. don't go trying to bust it off!) is complete overkill!

Regards, Nige

[blende8]

I can only recommend to remove the pin before you get into this dilemma.
Open the four screws at the bottom. Remove the plug and you can separate the shoe from the main part. Then remove the pin.
While doing this the plastic pin already broke. Scrap.

Here are some images:





Removed parts:


Everything at owner's risk of course.

[Rick]

Interesting...

Just in our (relatively) small group, the number of people who are having a problem with this pin hanging up. I spoke with Pentax customer service about this a couple of days ago, while calling on another matter. Their response was to say, almost verbatim: "Yeah, we've heard of that happening, but those people are amateurs who really haven't taken the time to learn how to operate their equipment."

I have so many problems with that attitude that I don't quite know where to start. Should it matter if it's an "amateur" or not? And why wouldn't you want to know more about an apparent trend developing involving some of your equipment, rather than dismissing it as "amateurs"?

Anyways, this was only one customer service individual, but if he is representative of Pentax's attitude towards this, it hardly inspires confidence...

[blende8]

"Yeah, we've heard of that happening, but those people are amateurs who really haven't taken the time to learn how to operate their equipment."

Very funny!

I have got some very funny responses, too.
These customer service guys know next to nothing about Pentax and photography. I think it is some kind of call center.
The emails I got from the email hotline here in Germany are equally nonsense, always!
On the other hand the real Pentax co-workers are always helpful and knowledgable.

[ISH]

I just use my K10D and AF-540FGZ in wireless mode and that way I don't have to worry about having it stuck on my camera body. But seriously, I must have mounted my flash in the hot shoe hundreds of times before the firmware update that allowed wireless with the K10D and not once did mine stick. Lucky perhaps, but did it have anything to do with knowing the proper way to take it on and off... no way I just wiggle it off every time!

[sharpshoota]

I've seen multiple threads over the past 6 months regarding K10D and 540 flash. I beleive it is the locking pin but most have had to send in to pentax. THat sucks. Glad I only use my 540 off-camera.

[HGMonaro]

Lucky perhaps, but did it have anything to do with knowing the proper way to take it on and off... no way I just wiggle it off every time!

care to enlighten us on the correct method?

Regarding the amateur / professional thing... a Pro is more likely to break anything, mostly from being in a hurry! Most amateurs cherish their equipment!


I reckon that's what I did, in a rush to remove it and tried to pull it off while the locking arm was invoked. I had removed it on numerous occasions successully.

[pentaxographer]

Non-destructive paranoid fix for my AF-360FGZ
That is some good clear packing tape over the plastic release pin.

[Gustav]

I've just encountered the same annoying problem. The 540 is totally stuck in the hotshoe. Only used it five times. I appreciate the do-it-yourself recipe, but I've contacted the local Pentax service office here in Adelaide who replied with a very service minded email, asking me to let them have a look at it. In case they're planning to knock the flash off I emailed the Pentax representative the url to this thread

Gustav

[FotoPete]

LoL HAha they had better not charge your for parts then and you should get a reduction in the labour because you're doing the work for them.

[TomBrooklyn]

you should get a reduction in the labour because you're doing the work for them.

I hope Pentax removed the speedlight from Gustov's camera for free, because it is stuck due to a manufacturer's defect.

Has anybody else had their speedlight get stuck in the hotshoe?

[Ex Finn.]

Sure did, the 540 suffered from the normal plastic release pin breakage. Had to dismantle it on camera and remove the locking bits. You need a #0 JIS screw driver, the longer and skinnier the better, the right front screw is the hard one to get to due to bad angle.

[Lowell Goudge]

i would like to thank all those who contributed, having just had to disassemble flash on camera and remove it from my K1.

one tip, as the camera body blocks access to the mounting screws that hold the flash base to the flash, i used a set of Miniso interchangeable bit screw drivers, the relitively short 25mm long 4mm hex drive end of th ebit can then be grabbed with small pliers, or a 4mm wrench to use it as a right angle screw driver, making loosening of the screws simple

then it is just removing the pin from the flash.