I dunno about Larry but in my case I use my two $400+ AF540's as dumb slaves because back when I was flush with disposable income I thought that wireless P-TTL was the awesomest concept ever and I bought two of them.
Now I'm older and much wiser and realize that I should have bought cheap stupid flashes and used radio triggers, and invested the extra money in Apple stock. But at least I can get good use out of them as powerful light sources. I do like having one P-TTL flash for on-camera inside event work. They are built like brick sh*t houses and after a couple of repairs are pushing 6 years of service. Not a total waste. On Fri, Aug 1, 2014 at 12:15 AM, Darren Addy <pixelsmi...@gmail.com> wrote: > Crikey, Larry. Why use a $400 flash as a dumb optically triggered > slave? You can get old Vivitar 283/285s for that purpose and they are > a dime a dozen these days. Add a Vivitar Vari-Power Module (admittedly > getting harder to find) and you've got oodles of flexibility on an > optically fired slave. > > On Thu, Jul 31, 2014 at 8:55 PM, Larry Colen <l...@red4est.com> wrote: >> When my AF 540 died, I replaced it with a metz 58-2. >> >> For just basic flash operations, it works a lot better. My AF-540 was an >> unreliable piece of crap. Unreliable in that it kept breaking and unreliable >> in that I could never rely on it to do what I told it to. >> >> The UI of the Metz is not very good. The other problem with the Metz is >> that I cannot figure out how to use it as a dumb optically triggered strobe. >> It’ll work with the fancy ttl controls, at least in theory, I haven’t had >> much luck, but when I want it on a stand, triggered off my studio lights, I >> seem to be SOL and just need to get an external optical trigger. >> >> I’ve been looking at the yongnuo and the Midwest photo strobes lately. >> >> >> On Jul 31, 2014, at 2:15 PM, Igor Roshchin <s...@komkon.org> wrote: >> >>> >>> Dan, >>> >>> I've been heavily relying on flash in what I photograph: >>> quick dances in a dark room, fill-in flash for my child indoors and >>> outdoors photos, some candid portraits in dynamic settings. >>> >>> While I have only tried Pentax AF540 with K-7, I didn't like it, >>> and bought Metz 58 (not "2" yet), that I've been happily using ever >>> since, with both K-7 and K-5IIs. >>> IMHO, it works much better (but not universally perfectly, - so you have >>> to use it smartly). >>> I've been using it in two modes: either in "A", where the flash decides >>> when to cut itself off, or in PTTL. >>> In most cases, I find that "A" mode works better, especially when >>> I turn the main flash up, and have the front fill-in sub-flash enabled. >>> I use PTTL often for forward-facing (typically longer-distance) shots. >>> >>> Also, PTTL seems to work somewhat better at the very close range (1-3 feet), >>> maybe because camera's CPU is faster to cut off this powerhouse. >>> >>> I agree, however, that the buttons of Pentax AF540 are more convenient >>> than the menues of Metz 58. Those menues are frustrating. >>> But I choose a better functionality. >>> >>> Also, there were some problems (and I don't remember all the details), >>> that Pentax AF540 didn't not keep its settings upon power-cycling, and >>> it might not allow a manual mode. (Larry might still remember this part, >>> - he complained about that more recently.) >>> >>> It looks like Metz 58-2 might have a better hotshoe mount, which is >>> welcome, as the one in Metz 58 is becoming a bit "loose" after a lot of >>> use, and may require occasional adjustment after insertion. >>> >>> See my earlier response about Metz 58 in this thread: >>> https://www.mail-archive.com/pdml@pdml.net/msg656989.html >>> >>> HTH, >>> >>> Igor >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Thu Jul 31 16:36:09 EDT 2014 >>> Paul pentax1941 at gmail.com wrote: >>> >>> I have both the Metz 58 and the Pentax AF540 and would pretty much >>> concur with the Amazon review from Darren's link. Both will tilt and >>> swivel, features that I prefer for better lighting. >>> >>> The Pentax is a little quicker to use since you can make most changes >>> via buttons rather than spending time in menus. The secondary flash on >>> the Metz is very useful for a fill light and the Metz is upgradeable via >>> a USB cable. >>> >>> Either one will serve you well. The Pentax *is* pricier by about $50. >>> >>> -p >>> >>> On 7/31/2014 1:19 PM, Darren Addy wrote: >>>> I've never owned a modern Pentax flash. When it came time to get one, >>>> I looked at the power and features and went with the Metz 58 AF-1. I >>>> think that has been supplanted by the AF-2 now, but it still gets very >>>> decent reviews: >>>> http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/744545-REG/Metz_MZ_58327PS_mecablitz_58_AF_2_TTL.html >>>> >>>> If you don't need that much power: >>>> http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Metz+52+AF-1+pentax&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ma&Top+Nav-Search= >>>> >>>> That being said, the first review on this page is worth reading: >>>> http://www.amazon.com/Metz-mecablitz-Digital-Pentax-Cameras/product-reviews/B004DUMU8I/ref=pd_sxp_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 >>>> >>>> Hope this helps. >>>> >>>> On Thu, Jul 31, 2014 at 1:12 PM, Daniel J. Matyola <danmatyola at >>>> gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> I have been extremely pleased with my new K-5IIs. Recently, however, >>>>> my hotshoe mounted flash has be acting up, and I am thinking of >>>>> replacing it. >>>>> >>>>> Which flash unit would you recommend for use with the K-5IIs? >>>>> >>>>> Thanks in advance for your advice. >>>>> >>>>> Dan Matyola >>>>> http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola >>>>> >>> >>> -- >>> 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. > > > > -- > Photographers must learn not to be ashamed to have their photographs > look like photographs. > ~ Alfred Stieglitz > > -- > 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. -- -bmw -- 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.
