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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-05-2016, 12:36 PM
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:lol: The Pop-Up flash has never before received so much attention !
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-04-2016, 04:33 AM
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:lol: Sure, that's a problem though .... It IS only below my sig and in the articles section, not packed into the new camera boxes and not on the shelves in bookshops and public libraries ! :)
Cee Cee, your manual re-write there is commendable, but I can't ever see Pentax going that far .... They're not particularly renouned for engaging directly with the end use and the end user, so the manuals steer clear of most ' educative' angles. It's hard to imagine them suddenly coming to understand what details and specifics the human beings require .....
From my experience of writing the guide, and from feedback and noticing little things missed out, I have realised that it's really a structural and constructional type of issue .... For example, my detailed 'Lens and Modes' section was constructed to follow certain patterns of mode and specific flash functioning for each one ... This very pattern did not accommodate the specific configuration you encountered, not because I wasn't aware or didn't want to mention it directly, but because it did not occur in the particular structural pattern my section was based around .
Manuals are the same .....
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-03-2016, 07:37 AM
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I think we may be insured against that, thanks Pentax .... I was always pleased that my K7 did not have the automatic pop-upping flash (which my old Canon EOS300 did) .... In P mode it would always catch you out, and delayed the actual capture of the shot as well. Much better the Pentax way with the photographer taking the decisions ....
Which I guess comes back to the main focus of this thread, which has become to be about how we learn and find out specific kinds of information and get our knowledge.
I do think there will always be certain kinds of generic photography-equipment functioning type of things that will remain outside the scope of individual camera modal manuals. One of these things IMO is probably the general principles of automatic flash exposure. Certainly I found this knowledge through photography books, going back to the days when I used the Canon SLR, which had the same kind of built-in flash with its ETTL exposure control. So the awareness of ambient light and flash exposure balancing techniques and how the cameras function came from general photography books .... When I got my Pentax I knew automatically that P-TTL was the equivilent' of the general system types I had been reading about.
There are some system specific quirks that you'd have to read about, perhaps in flash dedicated books (for Canon and Nikon) or something like my Guide for Pentax (as sadly there are no books on the flash system yet). It seems that knowing about whether the flash system tries for a fill-in or a full exposure is something we just have to pick up somehow, probably through forums. Canikon have additional custom controls to further refine these behaviors ... Ours is determined automatically.
That's probably why the combination of manual exposure mode plus P-TTL auto flash mode is so good ... Transparent and consistent.
The other bit of system-specific knowledge that was part of this problem for the OP is the behaviour of the flash when the lens aperture is uncoupled from the cameras control. If you understand that P-TTL is dependent on aperture coupling and autofocus, then its easier to figure out the variations .... We only have small (small print literally!) guidance in the manuals about the flash firing at full power in that instance. There were a number of trip-up hazards for our OP all combining here, and it's been interesting to think about their impact. The question is, how best to tie it all together, in what form so the information is easily accessible .... ?
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-02-2016, 04:04 AM
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Ok, thanks ... Needs some further looking into. Clearly the pop.up is not going to'act' as a slave, but I wonder if that indication in the manual is really saying that it can't 'trigger a slave' .... ?
Any K-S1 and K-S2 owners ..... Are you able to use wireless P-TTL with your built-in flashes to control off-camera P-TTL slaves? I guess another clue would be if the camera flash modes panel offers the Wireless option .....
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-02-2016, 02:09 AM
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Thanks, Il add that in as well :) Doe anyone know about the wireless triggering feature on the K-S1 and 2 ....? I have a faint memory that I'd read it wasn't available ...?
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Forum: Pentax DSLR Discussion
02-01-2016, 12:12 PM
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Its an interesting problem you encountered, one of assumption and mis-information,whoever can be blamed. It just goes to show how complex the mix of camera modes and lens to camera contacts make the whole business of working with flash ...... explains why I ended up with 90 pages in my Guide!
I agree with the points made earlier about how much we can expect from a camera manual. I know Pentax could do more to explain the 'putting it into practice' aspects, but the manuals would end up being a great mishmash without much clear focus I fear. The Flash Guide was intended to supplement the manual by providing the practical context, and I did sort of cover this area in the following section, which I'll quote here .....
THE CAMERA : FLASH & EXPOSURE MODES (Page 28)
Now that we’ve considered the general principles of controlling flash and ambient exposures, I’m going to look at how the different camera flash and exposure modes specifically act to change the camera’s response, and practical ways to take control.
It is worth noting that on the Pentax DSLR’s there is no actual ‘Flash On / Off’ setting. Whether the flash will fire or not is dependent solely on raising or lowering the built-in flash, or fitting and switching on an accessory flashgun. There will always be one flash mode active at all times when a flash is ready to fire, depending on what is set on the flash mode display. Remember also that the Built-In flash and accessory flashgun will equally be affected by these Camera Flash and Exposure modes, but any additional mode settings on a flashgun will take priority over the camera set options.
Apart from the latest K-S2 & K3 cameras the Built-In flash units are P-TTL controlled only (the two latest models listed offer a 2-stage manual option also). Regardless of any camera exposure settings made, it will fire at a power determined by the P-TTL system. You are able to apply -2 to +1 stops of flash compensation to the flash exposure from the built-in unit, but this will be in relation to the camera determined flash exposure level. With an accessory flashgun you have additional flash compensation range for P-TTL working, and more extensive output control with its ‘Manual’ flash mode.
I've taken a note of this issue and will definitely try and address it more directly in the next update to the guide with some specific examples using the lens aperture ring as you have described.
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