TTL Flash for Pentax 645N
leigh dawson
I recently purchased a Pentax 645N and a Pentax AF500FTZ flash and am
not having much luck with my photos. The flash is supposed to be TTL
and no calculating required, for the most part. I have shot several
"basic" events; i.e., parties, receptions, etc. The subjects come out
either underexposed or overexposed. I have tried reading the manual and
my questions do not seem to be addressed. Does anyone know if this
flash/camera combo works only on the autofocus lens setting? I am using
the Lumiquest pocket bounce with it--is that causing the problem? I
feel that since I paid extra for the "bells and whistles" at least I
should be able to utilize them, but I am about ready to just do it the
"old fashioned way" and calculate distances manually. If anyone out
there has this combo and is having luck with it, please let me hear from
you--share your technique! Thanks--Leigh Dawson.
Xin He
I don't have a P645N, but I do have the a PZ-1p and experience the same
problem. I guess Pentax's TTL flash technology is not so advanced. If
you take pictures indoor, that probably will not pose a big problem.
But you try outdoor photography at night, the subject is always
overexposed because of the dark background.
I think you may try to use flash exposure shift +/- if P645N has one. Or
you should try to do the calculation manually.
Good luck.
PS: I guess Nikon's 3D matrix meter is better for flash photography.
Dwp GRR
I've got another question about the 645N: what if we want to use full size
professional potato mashers like Sunpac 544s, etc thru the PC terminal and pc
cords. Will they work OK on X-synch 1/60 sec and f-8, etc??? Does this screw up
the AF? It shouldn't! And now the BIG question: how the heck can we use flash
fill OUTDOORS w/ 400 film and that lousy 1/60 synch speed. Damn focal plane
shutters. Why didn't Pentax build that new 75mm normal lens w/ a leaf shutter
inside???
OptoPrism
I have the older P645 with a Metz 45CL-4 with TTL adapter. While I've had
a few poorly exposed images from this flash combination, I've attributed
this
more to not understanding the exposure conditions than to any fault with
the
equipment. Overexposure for print film by 1-2 stops rarely is an issue;
you
should be able to get good prints. The real problem is underexposure.
This is often due to the flash pooping out at far away distances. You can
lose
2-4 stops of light when you use bounce flash off a ceiling (sorry don't
know about
Lumiquest).
IMO, I don't know many metering systems that have taken away the need to at
least
examine exposure conditions. For my P645, the TTL metering measures light
off-the-film
plane with a separate sensor, and the luminosity is then controlled. It
takes an 'average'
reading of the scene. If everyone is wearing white clothes on a white
floor and ceiling,
the image is going to be underexposed. I'm surprised the P645N manual
doesn't
at least give a basic explanation on how your TTL metering works. I'll be
really
surprised if autofocus operation is necessary to use TTL metering for the
P645N!
If there is darkness surrounding the subject, I fill the frame with the
subject.
If the subject is very light, than I compensate by lowering the ISO
setting. (Yeah
this kind of cheating, but it works for TTL). Unless the subject is
pitched black,
for print film a little overexposure is acceptable.
Another important thing is to make sure that the flash can reach the
subject with
the given F-stop. IMO, Metz flashes settings are optimistic; I normally
open up at
least another stop as compared to the recommended Metz scales.
For me TTL does not address every conceivable flash situation. However,
understanding how it works and with practice, things should get better.
Some
of my best TTL images were with transparancy film (both E100SW and Velvia)
during parties and events. This was after I've taken all my print shots
and I
wanted to practice exposure analysis. After all, I'm just an amatuer who
wants
to enjoy the hobby.
Hope this helps.
G.
leigh dawson <jd...@swbell.net> wrote in article
<3528DA1D...@swbell.net>...