ELECTRONIC FLASH UNIT OPERATING MANUAL EN FOR THE SAFE USE OF YOUR FLASH UNIT Although we have carefully produced this flash unit for safe operation, please be sure to especially follow warnings and cautions given on page 1. WARNING This symbol indicates that violating this item could cause serious personal injuries. CAUTION This symbol indicates that violating this item could cause minor or medium personal injuries, or material losses. is a symbol indicating items that are prohibited. is a symbol emphasizing a warning. WARNING The flash contains electronic circuits that operate at high voltages. Do not attempt to disassemble the flash unit yourself, as there is danger of an electric shock. If internal parts of the flash unit becomes exposed due to impact, etc., do not touch them as there is danger of an electric shock. Do not expose the flash unit to water or moisture as there is danger of an electric shock. CAUTION Do not use the flash near anyone's eyes, as it may hurt them. Be particularly careful with the flash around infants. The following may lead to an explosion or fire. Shorting the batteries Exposing the batteries to flames Dismantling the batteries Attempting to recharge non-rechargeable batteries Remove the batteries from the camera immediately if they become hot or begin to smoke. Be careful not to burn yourself during removal. 1 Precautions for Your Flash Unit Never use organic solvents such as paint thinner, alcohol or benzene to clean the flash unit. Avoid leaving the flash unit for extended period in places where the humidity and temperature are very high such as in a car. Be careful not to subject the flash unit to strong vibrations, shock or pressure. Use a cushion to protect the flash unit when carrying it in a motorcycle, car, boat, etc. Do not use the flash unit where it may be directly exposed to rain, water, etc. Replace all the batteries at the same time. Do not mix battery brands, type or an old battery with a new one. It may cause explosion or overheating. When using the flash unit off the camera, do not try to attach any metallic object to the electric contacts or to mount incompatible accessories. Otherwise, the TTL auto mechanism may be damaged or rendered inoperable. Do not attach any accessories having either fewer or different (layout other than PENTAX standard) electrical contacts for the hot shoe or grip. Otherwise, some functions may not work properly. PENTAX will not be held responsible for any accidents or damage, etc. caused due to the use of this product with cameras and accessories made by companies other than PENTAX. Periodic checks are recommended every 1 to 2 years in order to maintain high performance. If the unit has not been used for an extended period of time, or is being readied for an important shoot, it is recommended that you take a test flash with the test button and test shoot with it. Test flash is also important to maintain optimum performance. Avoid contact with garbage, dirt, sand, dust, water, toxic gases, salt, etc. When the flash unit is subjected to rain or moisture, wipe it off with a dry soft cloth. 2 Remove the batteries when not using the flash unit for extended periods. Otherwise, battery leakage might result and cause damage to the circuitry and proper operation of the flash unit. Battery performance may temporarily be hindered in low temperatures. Batteries should be kept warm in temperatures below freezing for proper performance. When photographing black subjects or white subjects, use exposure compensation. 3 Contents FOR THE SAFE USE OF YOUR FLASH UNIT Precautions for Your Flash Unit ....................... 2 Names of Parts ................................................... 5 Inserting the Batteries ....................................... 6 Types of Batteries ............................................... 7 Application Shooting of Auto Flash ............... 15 Slow-speed Sync Mode .................................... Compensating Flash Output ............................. Using the Wide-angle Panel ............................. Connecting the AF200FG with the Extension Cord .............................................................. 15 16 17 18 Turning the Power On........................................ 8 Mounting to Camera .......................................... 9 Mode Dial Functions ........................................ 10 Auto flash shooting ......................................... 11 Approximate effective flash range in P-TTL Auto flash...................................................... 12 Optional Accessories ...................................... 19 Specifications................................................... 20 Appendix........................................................... 22 Table of dedicated functions at Auto flash shooting................................................ 22 Warranty Policy ................................................ 23 Manual flash shooting ..................................... 13 Approximate flash distance in Manual flash...... 14 4 Names of Parts (Inner pin) Battery chamber cover Wide-angle panel Flash head Shoe foot Test button/ Ready lamp Locking lever Mode dial Power switch Shoe lock pin Flash signal contacts 5 Inserting the Batteries 1 2 1 Slide the battery chamber cover as shown in the figure and remove it. 2 Insert the above four AA batteries sequentially from lower one making sure the plus/minus markings +, - match the diagram inside the battery chamber and close the battery chamber cover. If you thread the ribbon in the battery chamber under the batteries beforehand when inserting the batteries, you can remove the batteries easily by pulling the ribbon when removing the batteries. 6 Types of Batteries This flash unit uses four AA batteries of the same type, as shown below. Alkaline battery (LR6) Lithium battery (FR6) Nickel-Metal Hydride battery (Ni-MH) (Nickel manganese (Ni-Mn) and nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries cannot be used.) For information about recycling times and total number of flashes, refer to "Specifications" on page 20. If the ready lamp does not light up when you turn on the power (page 8), the batteries may be exhausted or not inserted correctly. Verify the orientation of the batteries or, if the indicators and ready lamp still do not light up, replace them with new batteries. If charging time takes more than 20 seconds, the batteries are exhausted and should be replaced with new batteries. If you let the flash unit discharge successively using lithium batteries, the batteries will overheat, activating a safety circuit that temporarily disables the flash unit. If this occurs, rest the flash unit so that the temperature of the batteries returns to normal. 7 Turning the Power On Sliding the power switch to the (ON) position will turn on the power. The ready lamp will light up when the flash is charged. Sliding it to the (OFF) position will turn off the power. Test Flash Check that the ready lamp is lit, then press the test button (TEST). The test flash will discharge. Auto Power Off Function When the flash unit is left unused for about 3 minutes with the power switch set to the (ON) position, it automatically turns off to save the power. Quick Start Function If the flash unit is mounted on autofocus cameras, press the shutter release button half way to turn on the power. 8 Mounting to Camera 1 2 1 2 Remove the hot shoe cover from the camera. Attach the flash unit to the camera. Turn the locking lever of the flash unit in the direction opposite to that indicated by (FIX). Slide the hot shoe foot of the flash unit into the camera's hot shoe from the back of the camera forward. Turn the locking lever of the flash unit in the direction indicated by (FIX) to lock it. PENTAX digital single lens reflex cameras can accept a shoe lock pin. When attaching the flash unit, turn the locking lever in the (FIX) direction and lock the flash unit to the camera with the shoe lock pin. When releasing the flash unit, be sure to do so after turning the locking lever in the direction opposite to that indicated by (FIX) and loosening the shoe lock pin. Otherwise, the hot shoe will be damaged. 9 Mode Dial Functions Using the mode dial located on the rear side of the AF200FG, you can set the following flash modes. Auto flash mode (P-TTL Auto/ TTL Auto) When the mode dial is set to (AUTO), (­0.5), or (­1), the operating mode of the flash unit is automatically switched to P-TTL Auto or TTL Auto by communicating with the camera you use. P-TTL Auto flash Manual flash mode (full output) When the mode dial is set to (FULL), the flash unit always discharges at its full output regardless of the ambient light condition. Determine the Guide No. of the flash unit based on the ISO sensitivity setting of the camera, then calculate the aperture value according to the flash range. This mode is available on all the cameras for which you can set the desired aperture. A pre-flash is discharged before the main flash so that the metering sensor in the camera can measure the condition of the subject and adjust the output of the main flash properly. This mode gives more accurate results than the conventional TTL mode. TTL Auto flash The metering sensor in the camera measures the amount of light coming through the lens and adjusts the flash output properly. 10 Auto flash shooting Set the lens aperture to the position A in PTTL Auto mode When the lens you use is equipped with the lens aperture ring, set the position of the ring to A (You do not need to do this for the DA or FAJ lens). Otherwise, the flash unit cannot function in P-TTL Auto mode. When you use the cameras that support both P-TTL and TTL modes (*ist DS2, *ist DS, *ist D) , if the aperture of the lens is in a position other than A, you can shoot in TTL Auto flash mode. Be aware that for the cameras that only support P-TTL Auto flash, the flash unit does not adjust the flash output but discharges at full output, if the aperture of the lens is in a position other than A. Procedure Confirm that the subject is within the effective flash range and the ready lamp is lit, and take a picture. The correct flash output is obtained in P-TTL auto mode only when the flash unit is used with auto-focus lenses. 1 2 3 Slide the Power switch to (ON). Set the mode dial to (AUTO). About TTL Auto flash mode With single lens reflex cameras (film cameras) other than PENTAX digital single lens reflex cameras, you can perform auto flash shooting if they support TTL Auto. (However, the 645 format cameras before SF series and of the early type do not support the TTL Auto) 11 Approximate effective flash range in P-TTL Auto flash Flash ISO senCoverage sitivity Angle Normal ISO 100 With the wideangle panel Normal ISO 200 With the wideangle panel Normal ISO 400 With the wideangle panel Normal ISO 800 With the wideangle panel Normal With the wideangle panel Aperture (F value) 1.4 2.1-14.3 1.6-10.7 3.0-20.0 2.2-15.0 4.2-28.6 3.2-21.4 6.1-40.7 4.5-30.0 8.5-57.1 6.4-42.9 2 1.5-10.0 1.1-7.5 2.1-14.0 1.6-10.5 3.0-20.0 2.2-15.0 4.2-28.5 3.1-21.0 5.9-40.0 4.5-30.0 2.8 1.1-7.1 0.8-5.4 1.5-10.0 1.1-7.5 2.1-14.3 1.6-10.7 3.0-20.4 2.2-15.0 4.2-28.6 3.2-21.4 4 0.7-5.0 0.7-3.8 1.0-7.0 0.8-5.3 1.5-10.0 1.1- 7.5 2.1-14.3 1.6-10.5 3.0-20.0 2.2-15.0 5.6 0.7-3.6 0.7-2.7 0.7-5.0 0.7-3.8 1.1- 7.1 0.8- 5.4 1.5-10.2 1.1- 7.5 2.1-14.3 1.6-10.7 8 0.7-2.5 0.7-1.9 0.7-3.5 0.7-2.6 0.7-5.0 0.7- 3.8 1.1- 7.1 0.8- 5.3 1.5-10.0 1.1- 7.5 11 0.7-1.8 0.7-1.4 0.7-2.5 0.7-1.9 0.7-3.6 0.7- 2.7 0.8- 5.2 0.7- 3.8 1.1- 7.3 0.8- 5.5 16 0.7-1.3 0.7-0.9 0.7-1.8 0.7-1.3 0.7-2.5 0.7- 1.9 0.7-3.6 0.7- 2.6 0.7-5.0 0.7- 3.8 22 0.7-0.9 0.7-0.7 0.7-1.3 0.7-1.0 0.7-1.8 0.7- 1.4 0.7-2.6 0.7- 1.9 0.7-3.6 0.7- 2.7 (Unit: m) * You can check the approximate range of distances within which the flash unit can adjust the flash output (and the appropriate exposure is available) based on the combination of the ISO sensitivity setting on the camera and the aperture value from the above table when the mode dial is set to (AUTO). (The values in "Wide Panel" line indicate the range when the wide-angle panel is used.) Note that the minimum range that will give correct exposure is 0.7 meters. ISO 1600 12 Manual flash shooting Example: If the subject distance (between the AF200FG and subject) is 2.5 m, sensitivity is ISO 100, and the wide-angle panel is not in use, the calculation will become as follows: The Guide No. will be 20. Procedure Aperture = Guide No. Subject distance 20 2.5 =8 1 2 3 Slide the Power switch to (ON). Set the mode dial to (FULL). Measure the distance to the subject (between the AF200FG and subject) and determine the aperture value using the following procedure. (The Guide No. varies depending on the ISO sensitivity. Refer to the table on page 14.) 4 5 Set the lens aperture to the calculated value. Confirm that the ready lamp is lit. Then ...