New Accessory!!!

[RBennett]

Ok, so I think that the next thing I've decided to purchase for my camera is an external flash. Perhaps one that I can just mount on top of my Pentax K100D. But here's my question: like most items out there, I doubt that I have to purchase one manufactured by Pentax. Can someone steer me in the right direction as to where to look and what to look for?? I'd really rather not drop a whole lot of coin on this one as it's my first one and it's more for want than need. Thanks!!!

 

[Master Mason]

I don't know anything about 3rd party flashes, that's one that I always by from the manufacturer to make sure that they are compatable.

But anyway whatever you buy make sure that the light head will swivel around so that you can use it as a bounce flash, this will become very important as you learn to use it.

 

[ukcatfan]

I have the AF360 and it does everything I need. It does not have the swivel head, but that was not all that important to me. Plus, once I upgrade over the K100D, it will work wirelessly, so I could just hold it or mount it on a tripod when I need to bounce in portrait orientation. As for third party, I only considered Metz, b/c the Sigma has pretty bad reviews. There might be other brands, but those are the only two I looked at.

 

[RBennett]

Let me ask this; Kevin, I found the flash you recommend on Amazon being sold by Cameta Camera for $169.95 with free shipping. Are they one of the shops that we have all heard about as being "questionable"? And is this a good price?

 

[kenny]

Cameta Camera is located in NY on Long Island. I actually work right down the road from them. I have not purchased anything via internet from them (as I work so close) but I know the actual store is reputable.

Hope that helps.

 

[extreme8]

I've had great luck with Cameta - and on some pretty high dollar gear as well.
They have a good reputation and their feedback on ebay is overwhelmingly positive.

 

[Groucho]

I've used three different flashes on my Pentax DSLRs.

First was my old Sunpak auto 144 D that I had bought back in my K1000 days. It's very simple, just a swiveling head and some basic adjustments where you set the ISO and you can choose a couple different levels depending on the distance you need, it tells you the aperture to use - so I used it in manual mode with good results. Very basic but it does get you much better results than the built-in flash.

Next was my Pentax AF-360FGZ. This was their lower-end flash at the time (they've since released a real cheap ~$100 flash) but has most of the features of the larger one, just not quite as bright as no swivel head. It zooms, does P-TTL metering, focus assist grid, wireless triggering with K10D/K20D/K200D's built-in flash, built-in diffuser and catchlight, and a bunch of other features.

Finally, I recently got a Sunpak auto 433 D in a local buy along with some other equipment. It's an older but high-end flash, and it does swivel. It's got more options for control and power level. The guide number is virtually the same as the Pentax so it's my go-to flash if I need the ability to swivel.

If you just want to get started for low buck, I would seriously consider purchasing an older flash and see how that works for you. If you find yourself using it a bit and want more features, you can then upgrade to a higher-end model. You can pick up a decent used flash for very, very cheap over on eBay.

One concern with older flashes is voltage, though. There's a big list here of how much voltage they use. Too high and they can damage your camera. 6v or less is definitely safe and I've heard that Pentax has told people that it can handle up to 30v. I would lean towards making sure it's fairly low, say under 12v.

Also, if/when you upgrade to a "proper" flash (Pentax or Metz or Sigma or whoever), you can then get a cheap Cactus wireless triggering setup to fire multiple flashes at once. Mine just arrived yesterday... they are only safe up to 12v, BTW.