TTL doesn't work on the latest Pentax digital cameras. I think it went away after K10, but I'm not sure. PTTL is the later version of through the lens auto control, and it works to a certain extent. Combined with a flash compensation setting, which your flash probably has, it can work quite well. Flash compensation simply dials the flash exposure to a point over or under the ambient exposure. You'll almost always want to be under. I'm usually at -.5 stop or -1 stop, but that can vary with distance and the reflectivity of your subject. Lots of practice will get you to a good place.
As others have mentioned, there are gizmos you can attach that will diffuse the light. The very simple Omnibounce is a darn good one. It doesn't get in the way, so you'll see it on the flashes of most PJs. Off camera can be fine, particularly when you are using two flashes or more, but I'd focus on mastering the on-camera stuff first. You can create the illusion of off-camera just by bouncing the flash off something in the room. Outdoor fill is a blessing when the sun doesn't shine where you'd like it to, but with no ceiling or walls in the great outdoors, you'll find the power of the flash is greatly compromised. To get good fill from ten feet or so on a sunny day, you pretty much need direct flash, but dialing it down with the comp switch is still a good idea. The light from the flash probably won't reach a -.5 stop fill level anyway, but in case it does, your butt is covered. Paul On May 30, 2013, at 2:12 PM, Walt <ldott...@gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks, Dave. > > Now that you mention it, I recall someone (maybe Bruce) pointing me to > "Lighting 101" at Strobist a while back as a place to start. In fact, I think > I even "starred" the email for future reference. > > -- Walt > > On 5/30/2013 1:01 PM, David J Brooks wrote: >> This is a good place to staert:http://www.strobist.blogspot.ca/ >> >> After that just show up at Stenquest's place. >> >> Dave >> >> On Thu, May 30, 2013 at 1:54 PM, Walt <ldott...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> Oops. Not the right URL. >>> >>> This one's better: >>> >>> http://www.amazon.com/Promaster-7500EDF-Digital-Flash-Pentax/dp/B00125XY28/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top >>> >>> >>> >>> On 5/30/2013 12:53 PM, Walt wrote: >>>> Well, a couple of weeks after my little financial windfall at work, I >>>> finally decided I should use some of the money to join the flash >>>> photography >>>> world. So, I went down to the local brick-and-mortar camera shop in town >>>> and >>>> picked up this: >>>> >>>> >>>> http://www.amazon.com/Promaster-7500EDF-Digital-Flash-Pentax/product-reviews/B00125XY28/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending >>>> >>>> Shorty: http://goo.gl/QQ3Kz >>>> >>>> I tested it out in the shop and it worked fine as far as I could tell. The >>>> thing is, I know jack shizzle about using flash units. Still, it seems like >>>> a well-built unit -- good heft and smooth rotation. The wireless signal >>>> worked well as best I can tell, too. So, for the time being, I feel like I >>>> got a decent deal: $169, discounted from the regular $249 price tag. >>>> >>>> When I got home, I spent the better part of the evening watching tutorials >>>> on flash photography. The problem is, they all essentially said, "This is >>>> where you can use flash to get this lighting effect." There was no >>>> nitty-gritty technical detail to speak of -- as though TTL were completely >>>> reliable, which I gather isn't really the case. So, I was wondering where I >>>> might be able to learn more about shooting manual flash in the event the >>>> TTL >>>> function fails me -- something to give me an idea of when to adjust the >>>> flash output power, at what distances, etc. I know nothing about guide >>>> numbers, flash modes, or anything like that. >>>> >>>> Anybody got any suggestions to that end? Any guidance would be >>>> appreciated. >>>> >>>> -- Walt >>> >>> >>> -- >>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>> PDML@pdml.net >>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>> follow the directions. >> >> > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
