Mike , that basically is a cop out .
I'm the same as you : I started with Metz circa 1970 when I got a Mecablitz 500 as a package deal with a Rolleiflex T .
A few years later ( 1976 ) I bought a new Pentax KM , and continued to use said Mecablitz with it - manual cameras ; manual flash .
A bit later , I had worked my way up the Pentax range : KM , KX , ME , ME Super , MX (x2) , LX (x2) .... by that time dedicated flash , with TTL and OTF metering was a thing , and I had two Metz 45-CT5 units with the dedicated SCA units for Pentax - never failed .
I used my two LX cameras professionally for about 20 years , never seeing a need to upgrade ( short of moving to medium format , but there were Hasselblads at work so I never bothered ) .
Only when it came to 2004 and the *istD was introduced did I think of changing . I tried an *istD and liked it , but baulked at the cost ; out a year later I bought a used one for about half price . Later I got a second one , although I was also still shooting film with my LX's . I had never before been interested in automatic focus , because I had no problem focussing with my eyes , but once I had an AF capable body , I bought a few AF lenses . Then , having those lenses , I bought an AF film body - the MZ-S : it was a good successor to the LX , although not as flexible .
So , that was me until 2014 , and the Commonwealth Games here in Glasgow . I thought to update my cameras - I bought a new K-3 , and a new K-01 as a backup body , very pleased with both .
Even then , talk of a FF Pentax had been rife for many years and I had held off so long .
By now , my old Metz flashes , which had served me well for so many years , were outdated . While the *istD had supported standard TTL , and OTF metering , as had the LX and the MZ-S , the new cameras did not , so I was looking at P-TTL . ( I had already been using Nikon kit with their iTTL at work , but I am not a Nikon fan ) . I bought my first Metz 54 MZ-4 flash , with the SCA 3702 adaptor - this worked great on the K-3 but not on the K-01 .
I subsequently bought another 3 54 MZ-4 , four 45 CL-4 Digital , and one 70 MZ-5 guns , all of which worked fine with the k-3 , and the *istD cameras , but never the k-01 .
Later , I got a K-1 and the same was true .
Now , all of these flashes are the older SCA module type , and they work fine with my SLR and DSLR cameras , but not the K-01 .
I also have a set of four Cactus V6II transceivers , which I use for a 3 flash off-camera setup , again fine with K-1 and K-3 , but won't talk to the k-01 .
I also have seven 'dumb' Elinchrome flasheads , which I use with 'dumb' wireless triggers on the DSLRs ; TBH never tried them with the K-01 , which I only bought as a backup body , and mainly use at family/social outings where a DSLR would be overkill . BTW , the K-01 is a perfect partner with the DA Limiteds , of which I have all 5 , bought one at a time . I love that it uses the same lenses ( including all my cherished SMC-M lenses from my film days ) and the same batteries as my other cameras .
I did a search here to see if others had similar issues ; while many similar questions have been posed , there seems to be no definitive answer . I am only prompted to write here because today I just purchased a Metz 26 AF2 flash - this will be my first non SCA Metz flash ( but Pentax dedicated ) , so I will be curious to see how it turns out .
I would also be interested to hear the comments of others .
Regarding discussions on other forums , I have always tried to have a compact 'carry everywhere' camera . In the film days this was my Rollei 35S ( which I still have ) . After going digital , I tried and rejected numerous compact cameras , until I got a Canon G11 . I was unhappy with the image quality , so that was partly why I got the k-01 .
More recently , I was given a broken Canon G12 , which I managed to repair ; I will probably give it to my son , but I'm now thinking of buying a Pentax Q series camera to try it out ....
I wonder if the flash issues will apply to it too ?
