Sunpak 422D flash has safe voltage to be used with my Pentax K20D. When I check with the safe voltage page in Bozilla, I see reported voltage of 6 volts and 5.5 volts for the model. This Sunpak flash also goes by the model of Sunpak 30X. It is inexpensive to get in ebay in the 10's or 20's when bought used. It is quite effective when I tried it together with an inexpensive lens with Pentax F 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5.
The lens is slower in speed and hence I test the flash on the lens. Results are quire pleasing. While the flash is not PTTL, I find the settings very intuitive and it is easy to find the three f/apertures to work in f/2.0, f/4.0 and f/8.0 to cover different range of focal length. The best about this flash is the ability to control the strength in full power, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and 1/16.
The flash comes with swivel and bounce. Some test shots with Pentax F 35-70mm f/3.5-4.5 with my two boys constantly moving with my blind closed to test the flash
I will investigate what pc sync cord and gadgets to get in order to use this as a slave flash with Pentax AF 540. It is similar in weight to the Pentax flash and I find the simple menu to be less intimidating to use without frequent references to the user menu. The other flash that look just as promising to try out is the Pentax AF280T which is smaller in size and I think the Pentax alternative is more capable with support for TTL with older Pentax bodies.
With kid's constant moving in indoor, it is difficult to take a portrait with any lens in dim lighting and I have resolved to using flash to get the sharpness with faster shutter speed.
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This is the BEST flash, and it has a great dedicated reflector. I could never understand the fascination with the 283 - this covers a 28mm angle (283 only does 35mm), tilts and swivels, has better controls, is smaller - I still use them and have for 20 years. Thansk!
Scott, thanks for the visit and comments. I have friend from PentaxForums who also highly recommend this flash as the lesser known but a good and dependable favorite.
I've had a "30 Dx" and a "DX 8R" for a few years, the 30 had a weird Nikon F3 mount, and the ring flash had a normal Nikon mount. I bought each for next to nothing from different thrift shops. Of the two, I've only used the ring flash once, and that was over a year ago. I was thinking of getting rid of the 30DX, but now I'm happy I have them both because I I realized I can use them with a Pentax DSLR I bought recently (my first DSLR). I couldn't use either with the Sony F828 I was using before. Not that it will help much, but I've ordered the Pentax mount; until recently I wasn't thinking about you could change the mount.
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