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11/18/2012 03:31:26 PM · #1 |
I have had a Sigma EF-500 DG Super flash for some time (2006-07). I mainly used it for fill lighting with a Gary Fong Lightsphere attached. I used it with my Pentax *ist DS and my K-10D. I picked up a K-5 body about a month ago. I met up with  cory last Friday and he had brought some strobes with him. They were wonderful and we used them for fill lighting triggered by onboard flashes. I got to looking at my Sigma and read the manual and apprently it does wireless p-ttl. I hooked it up to my K-5 and set my flash settings to wireless while the EF-500 was on my hotshoe and it showed on the display as having the same channel. I then took off the EF-500 and tried "wirelessly" to trigger it. It didn't work.
I then went online and searched a bit and made sure I was in the correct menu on the EF-500 and I read that the older EF-500's had to have a firmware update done by Sigma for the new K-10D and newer bodies. I sent Sigma a message over the weekend asking if it was still able to upgrade the unit since they no longer manf. or sell the unit. My feeling is they wont upgrade it since its a bit old and been replaced with a EF-530 and now the EF-610. It would be nice if they did upgrade it. Anyways I read some more and looked at flashes and I had a choice of getting a Pentax 540-FGZ ($450) ot a Metz 58-AF2 ($350) or a Sigma EF-610 DG Super ($225).
I picked the Sigma again because of price since I don't use it that much. It says it does shoot wirelessly with the K5 out of the box. My question is this. When they say wireless do they really mean that? I mean I can pop up my onboard flash and trigger the one I currently have even with it in wireless mode on both the camera and flash. But that doesnt seem wirlessly to me. What I want is to be able to make the flash fire off camera in p-ttl without having to add more light to the scene by popping up the onboard flash. Do the Nikon SB's work the same way?
Anyones input is greatly appreciated I am just learning this stuff and trying to get better familar with the terms and functions. |
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11/18/2012 11:39:58 PM · #2 |
Originally posted by DustDevil:
What I want is to be able to make the flash fire off camera in p-ttl without having to add more light to the scene by popping up the onboard flash. Do the Nikon SB's work the same way?
Anyones input is greatly appreciated I am just learning this stuff and trying to get better familar with the terms and functions. |
Kinda yes and no.
The wireless they speak of is optically triggered wireless, which means another flash has to operate it. The TTL mode should not contribute appreciably (under most, though not all) situations. I can't speak to this flash's functionality with the Pentax system, but as a general rule of thumb, all third party TTL works a bit.... odd because it's reverse engineered. I'm not familiar with the K-5, but can you manually control the power of the flash on camera? Set it very low and try the sigma in slave mode.
A Nikon SB will work great for TTL with a Nikon camera, but will not offer TTL with other brands (they are still great flashes with many great features, so don't let this discourage you).
Most all flashes can be triggered using a separately sold radio trigger. This topic is a lengthy discussion, since there are many, many options out there. |
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11/19/2012 10:30:17 AM · #3 |
| Thanks spiritualspatula, I heard back from Sigma already which is a good thing and they are having me send the flash in for a firmware update which will be nice either way. I can trigger mine right now with an onboard flash but I cant control the power output of it. Onc I get my new flash I will see what I can come up with as well as a reflashed flash ;). |
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