Sigma EF-500 DG ST P-TTL

That's odd - I am having hot shoe problems with my DS, so I tried my new Sigma EF-500 DG ST P-TTL flash on the K100D and it worked fine?

That was a simple test shot in the store... I didn't go to town with it or anything... it triggered the pre-flash and the flash properly for me.

Marc
--
35mmfilm_user
http://www.marclangille.com

I think,after all,I'll go for pentax 360,sure is sure,I just dont like limitation of Sigma,altought the price is good

Thanx to everybody who took there time to read and write

Love pentax

Alefone said:

I think,after all,I'll go for pentax 360,sure is sure,I just dont
like limitation of Sigma,altought the price is good

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Limitation? You mean of the ST version? Fair enough, but (if I remember rightly) the head of the 360 doesn't rotate (only tilts up and down). That would make bouncing the flash off a ceiling impossible in portrait mode.

Could be wrong though -- I haven't used it myself.

Pete

--
http://www.magpiementality.org/gallery

Hi, I did allot of research between the 500 Super and the Pentax. On paper, both are quite similar. I have an older Sigma 500 w/o the D-TTL too. The one thing I discovered is that the Sigma has a very high rate of returns due to quality control issues. I ended up with the Pentax 540 which works great.

macsisman said:

Most of my shoe-mount flash use would be indoors of my daughter
using bounce. Would the lack of high-speed sync affect me there?

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Not really IMHO. High-speed needed mainly for outdoor shooting.

KSV said:

I would really recommend to consider Sigma EF-500 DG Super.
Although it a bit more expensive it has some extra bells and
whistles two of them just about to be crucial IMHO. First is
high-sync flash – IMHO absolutely crucial – with ST model you will
not be able to use anything above 1/180 while with Super model you
can use any shutter speed. Second is Super can be set in 8 levels
of power in manual mode while ST only has two – not flexible enough
in my opinion.

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Umm.. I have Sigma EF-430ST as my secondary flash with FGZ-360. My ST a least has manual control for full power and 1/16. Oh and the TTL works with flash correction works ok with DS.

and yes, tempted to sell the Sigma - and buy FGZ-540 as my primary flash..

Well, christmas is still far away, and tire from my street bike crashed. I am somewhat vertain bike service centes fault. To be seen tomorrow or day after. Tempted to buy a new bike though. 1000 - not much compared to all the glass I could be buying + certainly half the price off from the old bike (not that old and other than that in excellent condition. Hey.., with 500 you cant get even 21mm DA limited, + it would be DSLR only ;(

JJJPhoto said:

Brendan PK said:

Note: Sigma released today some isues of the flash with the new
K100D, and they are offering a free upgrade

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Wow. Good catch. I just checked the Sigma homepage and, sure
enough, neither of the Sigma P-TTL flash units work with the K100D.
Sigma is offering a free upgrade/fix for people who need to use
these flashes with the K100D, but you have to send it in to Sigma
first.

Click to expand...

Umm.. does K100 support TTL in addition to P-TTL?

Living under expression, DL sold today, does not support TTL only, can someone verify this?

Oh and, TTL works just great with my DS, just wondering about the K100D, K10D is what I really am waiting

JJJPhoto said:

--
http://www.jjjphotography.com

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One advantage with the Sigma super flash is that later on if you want to get another flash you can be a little more creative and use the other flash off camera to create come great effects. eg side lighting your subject, etc.

the DG Super is also wireless, the DG ST is not.
--
Shane,Gold Coast Aussie DS user.Lens list in profile.

Sounds pretty cool. How can it be that the Sigma Super EF-500 seems to be THAT MUCH cheaper than this Pentax 540FGZ? The "only" difference is some power pack thing? Is the powerpack some kind of external power adapter for extra batteries or so? Or?

Yeah, this thread is a bit old but surfing through, I thought I'd bump it up instead of starting a new thread .

Is it only the ST version that has incompatibility probs with the K100D? Or also the EF-500?

And last but not least, when buying the EF-500 Super, there's basically only one version of it out there yeah? As in, it supports, TTL, E-TTL, i-TTL or whatever else there is out there? Or are there actually seperate models for each cam brand?

Are the Sigma EF-500 Super and Pentax 540FGZ the "only" ones that support wireless as well? As in, good for Pentax cams.

ok, on money isue, the sigma is cheeper just like all 3rd party equpiment because it lacks some features, and is typicaly not built as well.

The main 3 differences in favor of the pentax are Locking hot-shoe pin, better controle layout, high-voltage powerpack (you can use a quantium cord and lowvoltage pack on the sigma, but you have to notch the batt. door)

Sigmas advantages are: longer tell-zoom (out to 105 compared to pentax 85mm, but the pentax is still more powerful) Multy flash burst (for stroboscopic effect) and price.

I have both (I have 2 sigmas, and one pentax) and now use my sigmas primarly as slave-ttl flashes. They work about 50% of the time on the first try, the slave sensor can be picky, same with on the Pentax) I also use them on my second body if I need to use flash/AF asist beam in lowlight)

Yes, sigma makes the ssame flash, but with different electronics for the other camera brands.

The pentax AF360 also does wireless i think, but it is a rather poor performer compaired to the sigma and 540 flashes because of its low GN and no swivel head.

For wireless flashes more than 10Ft. away or so I still rely on my pocketwizards and 2 Sunpak 444D's great high out putflashes, with HV battery packs, quick recycle, and the pocketwizards hardly ever fail.

--
I Want my, I want my , I want my K10D
(oh and of course get my Money for nothing and my Checks for free

Brendan PK wrote:
Hi Brendan

brendan PK said:

ok, on money isue, the sigma is cheeper just like all 3rd party
equpiment because it lacks some features, and is typicaly not built
as well.
The main 3 differences in favor of the pentax are Locking hot-shoe
pin, better controle layout, high-voltage powerpack (you can use a
quantium cord and lowvoltage pack on the sigma, but you have to
notch the batt. door)

Click to expand...

Okay like that cool . What exactly is this powerpack used for again? Is it so that it can fire off and charge up more quickly?

brendan PK said:

Sigmas advantages are: longer tell-zoom (out to 105 compared to
pentax 85mm, but the pentax is still more powerful) Multy flash
burst (for stroboscopic effect) and price.

Click to expand...

Is the GN on the Pentax much higher?

(Guide No. 148' 45 m at 50mm) in Pentax vs (Guide No. 165' 50 m at 105mm) in Sigma... not sure how to read that :S. Lol.. it's been a while.

brendan PK said:

I have both (I have 2 sigmas, and one pentax) and now use my
sigmas primarly as slave-ttl flashes. They work about 50% of the
time on the first try, the slave sensor can be picky, same with on
the Pentax) I also use them on my second body if I need to use
flash/AF asist beam in lowlight)

Click to expand...

Cool stuff. Yeah, if I end up with the Sigma, I hope to use the AF Assist lamp, even when there isn't a need for the flash to fire. That should be possible yeah? Basically just using it like an AF assist lamp only?

brendan PK said:

Yes, sigma makes the ssame flash, but with different electronics
for the other camera brands.

The pentax AF360 also does wireless i think, but it is a rather
poor performer compaired to the sigma and 540 flashes because of
its low GN and no swivel head.

Click to expand...

Ah okay, interesting. But it's def. nice that the Sigma 500 Super and the Pentax 540 can swivel the head both H and V. Nice how the Sigma is "only" some bucks more expensive than the Pentax 360.

brendan PK said:

For wireless flashes more than 10Ft. away or so I still rely on my
pocketwizards and 2 Sunpak 444D's great high out putflashes, with
HV battery packs, quick recycle, and the pocketwizards hardly ever
fail.

Click to expand...

Hehe that sounds like a nice setup .

Thanks a lot for the nice information here .

brendan PK said:

--
I Want my, I want my , I want my K10D
(oh and of course get my Money for nothing and my Checks for free

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