[gma]

Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here.

---

That's seriously useful Steve, thanks. I'm saving that message!

[stevebrot]

That's seriously useful Steve, thanks. I'm saving that message!

My pleasure! I forget who it was who put me on to what a great flash the 280T is, but I owe them as well. To be honest, I prefer it to my $$ expensive P-TTL Sigma.


Steve

[pentaxpete]

Don't worry !! I never had the benefit of 'Thyristor Technology' when I got my Braun Hobby flash in Germany in 1957 -- here is one of my Braun units NOW -- given and rescued from going to a dump and it all works still 50 years later -- ( mains only -- not accumulators -- long since dried out and discontinued )

[titrisol]

your flash has a couple of settings, depending on the ISO of your film you set the f of the lens and shoot

[MacGreg]

Is this the flash you are talking about ?

PENTAX AF 280T FLASHGUN - USED - UK DEALER STOCK - 1 YEAR GTEE | eBay

[ChristianRock]

That would be the one, MacGreg...

I got around to doing some tests with my Sunpak Auto Thyristor flash last night. While it did work, it's auto exposure isn't nearly as accurate as the Pentax AF280T. It didn't blow out any images, but it would go from slightly underexposed to quite underexposed. So the AF280T is still the one I recommend (out of the very few that I've tried), that one always seemed to send just the right light.
The one thing that is cool about the Sunpak though, is that it has a 35-50-85-135 setting, where it will concentrate the light more as you go up the range. I thought that was pretty cool. I need to try shooting some distant objects with flash to see if this helps beam the light further into the distance...

[KJon]

Prolly too late to do the OP any good (MacGreg), but the Metz 58 AF has an "Auto" setting that allows the flash to work as an autothyristor. I have the same flash and I've used it on that setting with my ME Super to good effect. Exposures were a little hot, but not too bad, and better that than underexposed in my book.

[MacGreg]

It's never too late KJon, I still have the Metz. So, you just set to Auto and that's it ?

[MacGreg]

Oookkk ...... I found my father's old flash for his Canon AE-1, which is this ... http://www.cameramanuals.org/flashes_meters/speedlite_177a.pdf

What do you think ? Will I be able to use it with my ME ? I put it on and it fires at 1/125th which is ME's X Sync speed. The Canon's is 1/60th.
At the back of the flash there is a dial that sets the ASA and shows two readings about the f-stpos that will be used in Auto mode. I checked it with the Canon and the readings are correct when the camera is in Auto Aperture. For example, for 200 ASA, the reading on the flash shows f stops from 4 to 8. The Canon uses f8 in my case.

So, if I simply use the same rule with ME super, having the flash in manual mode and having in mind the 1/250th sync speed, won't I be able to use that flash successfully ?


I know I should use the AE-1 but I still want to use my ME !!!! Plus, the Canon's meter must be a bit off ... the same scene, the Canon's meter says I'm spot on and the ME that I underexpose ... I haven't used the Canon for a while so I can't be sure. On the other hand I use my ME all the time and I know the meter is fine.

[ChristianRock]

Oookkk ...... I found my father's old flash for his Canon AE-1, which is this ... http://www.cameramanuals.org/flashes_meters/speedlite_177a.pdf

What do you think ? Will I be able to use it with my ME ? I put it on and it fires at 1/125th which is ME's X Sync speed. The Canon's is 1/60th.
At the back of the flash there is a dial that sets the ASA and shows two readings about the f-stpos that will be used in Auto mode. I checked it with the Canon and the readings are correct when the camera is in Auto Aperture. For example, for 200 ASA, the reading on the flash shows f stops from 4 to 8. The Canon uses f8 in my case.

So, if I simply use the same rule with ME super, having the flash in manual mode and having in mind the 1/250th sync speed, won't I be able to use that flash successfully ?


I know I should use the AE-1 but I still want to use my ME !!!! Plus, the Canon's meter must be a bit off ... the same scene, the Canon's meter says I'm spot on and the ME that I underexpose ... I haven't used the Canon for a while so I can't be sure. On the other hand I use my ME all the time and I know the meter is fine.

According to this page your flash has 6.7V of trigger voltage, so it's fine. The Pentax AF280T which a lot of us use, measures at 7.8V.

[stevebrot]

having in mind the 1/250th sync speed

1/125s?


Steve

[MacGreg]

Thanks guys. Yes, stevebrot you are right, my mistake !

So, I will be able to use it.