Pentax flash

Photo-gear · Nov 7, 2013

I have three Pentax bodies: K1000, ESII and Spotmatif f.
All three have the same synch: 1/60s.

Is there a flash that could be compatible with them all?

BTW, I have a third party flash called "Image MBZ-1500". I got it tested regarding the voltage and the result was 1,8 - 1,9... This flash used to work on a Ricoh KRx10 that is now gone.

Vonder · Nov 7, 2013

The best non-dedicated flash on Earth is the Sunpak 383 Super. Ebay usually has several listed, mostly under $50.

BrianShaw · Nov 7, 2013

The best non-dedicated flash on Earth is the Vivitar 283/285. Ebay usually has several listed, mostly under $50.

Vonder · Nov 7, 2013

BrianShaw said:
The best non-dedicated flash on Earth is the Vivitar 283/285. Ebay usually has several listed, mostly under $50.

Does the head swivel? IIRC it just does bounce.

BrianShaw · Nov 7, 2013

Bounce but no swivel. 285 has fresnel to allow "shaping the beam" for telephoto lens. They both originally came with an adapter for wide angle. GN is 80 @ 100 ASA. The sunpack may put out a bit more light; I can't recall.

Photo-gear · Nov 7, 2013

I will manage to check out the Sunpak 383 Super. I suppose this flash works TTL as well, isn't?

BrianShaw · Nov 7, 2013

Photo-gear said:
I will manage to check out the Sunpak 383 Super. I suppose this flash works TTL as well, isn't?

The aforementioned Sunpak and Vivitar have an on-flash sensor for thyristor control of the flash output when used in Auto mode. The only TTL capability they support is the flash ready indicator.

None of your Pentax cameras support TTL flash, do they?

lxdude · Nov 7, 2013

Wolfeye said:
Does the head swivel? IIRC it just does bounce.

Brian's head? It swivels, and will bounce somewhat if it comes off.

lxdude · Nov 7, 2013

BrianShaw said:
None of your Pentax cameras support TTL flash, do they?

Correct.

lxdude · Nov 7, 2013

Photo-gear said:
I have three Pentax bodies: K1000, ESII and Spotmatif f.
All three have the same synch: 1/60s.

Is there a flash that could be compatible with them all?

Any flash that has a contact on its foot to trigger from the center contact on the hot shoe (which all three cameras have), or any flash which has a cord with a PC connector to go into the "X" PC receptacle on the camera body (which all three cameras have) will work. If a flash requires a module, and that module will operate in either of those ways, it will also work. So almost all flashes will work with all three.

Trigger voltage is not an issue with those cameras.

elekm · Nov 7, 2013

The best non-dedicated flash is a Rollei Beta 4, which has swivel and bounce. Or possibly a Metz unit. Or maybe the Vivitar 283/285 with the Vivitar flash bracket that gives it swivel capability.

Older cameras can use any electronic flash. They don't have the pansy electronics of digital cameras.

Photo-gear · Nov 7, 2013

lxdude said:
Any flash that has a contact on its foot to trigger from the center contact on the hot shoe (which all three cameras have), or any flash which has a cord with a PC connector to go into the "X" PC receptacle on the camera body (which all three cameras have) will work. If a flash requires a module, and that module will operate in either of those ways, it will also work. So almost all flashes will work with all three.

Trigger voltage is not an issue with those cameras.

If so, i don't see why i could not use the flash Image MBZ-1500.

Thank you all for your comments.

Pioneer · Nov 7, 2013

You certainly can use that flash, or just about any other flash as well, as long as it supports manual operation. I am not familiar with your brand of flash but it is helpful to be able to change the power output to 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc. This helps model the flash to your needs. The advantage to a couple of the flash units mentioned is that they have a thyristor that modifies the flash. This allows you to use the flash in a similar manner to TTL, though not through the lens.

Photo-gear · Nov 8, 2013

Pioneer said:
You certainly can use that flash, or just about any other flash as well, as long as it supports manual operation. I am not familiar with your brand of flash but it is helpful to be able to change the power output to 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc. This helps model the flash to your needs. The advantage to a couple of the flash units mentioned is that they have a thyristor that modifies the flash. This allows you to use the flash in a similar manner to TTL, though not through the lens.

Thanks for the info. To be honest, I just learn what about "thyristor"...
ps: after verification, the flash Image has the thyristor function.

BrianShaw · Nov 8, 2013

You've been working on this question for some time, eh? Suggest you read up on basic flash photography principles or stop by a local camera store and show them what you have. They should be able to walk you through the steps... but it should be really quite simple. You should be able to use it in either manual or auto modes with no problem at all. In manual mode you set the aperture based on distance between flash and subject. In auto mode you set a aperture for a range of distance (there should be a calculator/scale somewhere on the flash indicating the ranges) and the thyristor contol will adjust for the proper amount of light as liong as your flash-subject distance is wtihin the set range. TTL flash metering is not possible with the cameras you list. You may have a flash indicator in your viewfinder that tells you that the flash is on and may even indicate if it is at full power.

Photo-gear · Nov 8, 2013

BrianShaw said:
You've been working on this question for some time, eh? Suggest you read up on basic flash photography principles or stop by a local camera store and show them what you have. They should be able to walk you through the steps... but it should be really quite simple. You should be able to use it in either manual or auto modes with no problem at all. In manual mode you set the aperture based on distance between flash and subject. In auto mode you set a aperture for a range of distance (there should be a calculator/scale somewhere on the flash indicating the ranges) and the thyristor contol will adjust for the proper amount of light as liong as your flash-subject distance is wtihin the set range. TTL flash metering is not possible with the cameras you list. You may have a flash indicator in your viewfinder that tells you that the flash is on and may even indicate if it is at full power.

At the OT, I was especially looking for info regarding the compatibility of the flash. But, somehow, indirectly, it meant that I should be aware that most flashes with contact at their feet should be compatible.
Lately I have used a flash [Image CZ-65] on my Canon AT-1 and it worked out pretty well.
However, I should read about the fundamentals, so I would be able to play with the swivel of the flash and use secondary sources of light as well.
Again, thank you all for the inputs.

Pentax flash

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