Pentax AF 360 FGZ Flash for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras (w/ case)

I have been an amateur SLR shooter for a while now. This past summer I picked up the AF360 after taking many disappointing shots at a wedding and crushing my K100D's batteries using the pop-up flash.

My initial impression was shock - the manual for the flash is about as big as that of my camera!! There is an astounding number of settings in this little package, but fortunately the camera and flash work together perfectly in 'auto', so immediate reading is not necessary.

My photography has changed drastically since I started using this flash. It is terrific both indoors and outdoors - for bouncing and direct light. The range is pretty decent, and the built in wide angle diffuser and white card are both very useful.

Battery life is fantastic, and obviously saves your camera's batteries as well.

The only real complaint I have is the plastic foot for the hotshoe.. no real issues with it but it does not look like the sturdiest choice for materials.

Beware, too, the added weight!! One-handed shooting is much more difficult, but the flash is phenomenal.

I debated getting the 540, and really there have only been a few instances where I really wanted to bounce the flash sideways. For an amatuer, this flash does it all.

If you've got a Pentax dSLR, this is the flash you're looking for. I really agonized whether to go with a cheaper flash to use off camera with an optical slave triggered by the on camera flash, or go ahead and get the 360, which would provide me with more options, especially when used on camera. I'm very glad I went with the Pentax. So glad I ended up buying a second one. It's a good all around flash, easy to use, and obviously great to use in conjunction with your Pentax dSLR. When you have two, you can use one on camera to trigger the other off camera. Or use both off camera triggered by the on camera flash (put the 360s in Slave 2 mode if you have the K100D). They have a built in optical slave so you don't need to buy anything extra. Used on camera, you also have the option of very high speed sync. Cool! My only nitpick is the battery door doesn't close as firmly as I'd like, so you have to check it from time to time to make sure it's shut all the way. A battery meter would have been nice too. Other than that, no real complaints. It's a good flash for the money. If you plan on using it off camera a lot ("Strobist" style) you might want to get a cheap off camera radio sync system, like the Cactus triggers. But you don't need that right off the bat. Play around with triggering it optically and see if that works for you.

Good luck, and happy shooting.

The Pentax AF 360 FGZ is an excellent beginner flash for anyone interested in shooting indoors or using light in more creative ways, and I highly recommend it. While some will find that they need the added power and features of the AF 360's bigger and more expensive brother (the AF 540) this flash is excellent, and at a price of around $200, an extremely good flash for the money.

I use my AF 360 with a Pentax K10D, and have noticed a dramatic improvement in my indoor photography when using this flash. In darker rooms where I would normally be unable to focus well because of low light I am able to get off quick, accurate photographs that are well-lit and pleasing to look at. It may take a little while for new users to become comfortable with the AF 360, but once you do you'll enjoy dramatic improvement over the built-in flash.

Points for new users:
1.) The documentation for this flash is terrible. The manual was clearly designed 4-5 years ago for the "*ist" series of cameras and has not been updated. In addition, there is no new information to be found on the Pentax website. I was quite disappointed with how poor the documentation is, and how difficult it is to find additional information about using this flash on the web. The best way to learn about this flash is simple trial-and-error.

2.) The wireless functions of this flash are easy to learn, however you should be aware that in order to fire this fash when it is in wireless mode the on-camera flash will fire faintly about 1/60 of a second before the AF 360 does. While this is not a problem in most situations, unless you use a hot shoe extension cable the on-camera flash MUST fire in order to fire the AF 360 in wireless mode, and the on-camera flash will add a small amount of light to the final exposure.

3.) The battery door on this flash is slightly flimsy. It seems unlikely that any adult using it with care will have problems with it and it does not seem like it is about to break, but it feels slightly less durable than I would like.

4.) If you shoot in portrait mode (camera held sideways) very often you should consider purchasing the AF 540 instead. The AF 540 is somewhat stronger of a flash, and can both tilt and *swivel*, which is crucial if you want to bounce the light off the ceiling while shooting in portrait mode. Pointing the flash directly upwards and setting it into Auto mode will reflect the flash off the ceiling softening shadows and creating a very pleasing overall glow to the picture.

Overall I am quite happy with my purchase, and I would gladly recommend this flash to friends.

This flash is far better than the on-camera flash, in that it does extend the range a little, and adds an enormous amount of versatility and control over lighting the subjects. My problem is it's range - although it is a basic flash, I tried shooting subjects no more than 16ft away and it had problems lighting them up properly.

At first I thought it was my camera or my partial inexperience in using flash photography, but then I allowed a friend to try it out on his, and he being one who has more experience than I, he found its range capability to be unexciting and disappointing. I have put mine up on EBay for sale, with the hopes to recoupe enough out of the sale to upgrade to the larger model, with the hopes it will do better for me.

The AF 360 FGZ flash is a hard-working, no-nonsense flash for Pentax DSLR P-TTL enabled cameras. It will work as a Master or Controller on camera to control other P-TTL flashes off camera (for K110D, K100D, K200D users). I use it with others in P-TTL mode wirelessly and cabled with a Pentax Pentax F5P 9.5-Foot Extension Cord for Pentax Flash Units cable and Pentax F adaptor. I also use it extensively in manual mode, both on and off camera (as an optical slave).

The flash is well designed. For the most part it is pretty solid. I've dropped it several times and it still works! I have an issue with the battery door - it looks good but is somewhat flimsy and can dislodge with rough handling, which turns the flash off. The door latches but I wish the latch were a little more robust.

I have found that in general, P-TTL mode issues are that of camera operator and not the flash. A lot of people report under exposures in P-TTL. Care must be taken as to what is selected for exposure or, yes the area may be under exposed. If care is taken, exposures are pretty much spot on, even for two and three flash set-ups in P-TTL.

The flash is very consistent in Manual mode. Light output doesn't vary cycle to cycle. In optical slave mode, the flash goes off even at very low initiating flash power - works like a charm.

I wish that the flash swiveled. I wish the battery door was a little more robust. Other than that, I am a very happy photographer!