jtainter wrote:
I asked Pentax a few questions about non-Pentax flashes, max. sync voltages, use of both the hot shoe and X-sync at the same time, etc. with the *istD. Here's part of the reply message I received."The second question is on the flash systems. Will the D/DS control a Vivitar 285 flash unit; both with and without the remote sensor? Are there any issues with the triggering voltages required for the 285?"
There might be. I don't have this flash, but have read a lot of posts on it. Apparently earlier versions had very high trigger voltages -- enough to fry a D or DS. Later versions had it down to 6 volts or so, which is apparently safe. I would research this thoroughly before connecting this flash to your camera.
Best results are from a P-TTL flash. Some people get good results from TTL flashes, some don't. Some people have gotten good results using the cut-off sensor on some flash models, bypassing TTL.
Joe
The sync voltage is in the area of 400 volts. The only problem you might incur in using both the hotshoe and the PC terminal would be in that there wouldn't be any TTL flash metering from the PC socket and only on the hotshoe from a dedicated flash which would mean tweaking your exposure by trial and error or using a flash meter.
I've read that the early 285s had sync voltages of more than 600V, but later ones were in the single digits. I don't know how to tell the difference, but I hope this helps at least a little bit.
Glenn
