Pentax AF360FGZ - AF - Hot-shoe clip-on Flash User manual

AF360FGZ
AUTO ZOOM ELECTRONIC FLASH UNIT
OPERATING MANUAL
PENTAX Corporation 2-36-9,Maeno-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 174-8639, JAPAN (http://www.pentax.co.jp/)
PENTAX Europe GmbH (European Headquarters) Julius-Vosseler-Strasse, 104, 22527 Hamburg, GERMANY
(HQ - http://www.pentaxeurope.com) (Germany - http://www.pentax.de)
PENTAX U.K. Limited Pentax House, Heron Drive, Langley, Slough, Berks SL3 8PN, U.K. (http://www.pentax.co.uk)
PENTAX France S.A.S. 12/14, rue Jean Poulmarch, 95106 Argenteuil Cedex, FRANCE
PENTAX Benelux B.V. (for Netherlands) Spinveld 25, 4815 HR Breda, NETHERLANDS (http://www.pentax.nl)
(for Belgium & Luxembourg) Weiveldlaan 3-5, 1930 Zaventem,BELGIUM (http://www.pentax.be)
PENTAX (Schweiz) AG Widenholzstrasse 1 Postfach 367 8305 Dietlikon, SWITZERLAND (http://www.pentax.ch)
PENTAX Scandinavia AB P.O. Box 650, 75127 Uppsala, SWEDEN (http://www.pentax.se)
PENTAX U.S.A., Inc. 35 Inverness Drive East, Englewood, Colorado 80112, U.S.A. (http://www.pentax.com)
PENTAX Canada Inc. 3131 Universal Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2E5, CANADA (http://www.pentaxcanada.ca)
• Specifications and external dimensions are subject to change without notice.
Copyright © PENTAX Corporation 2003
02-200304 Printed in Philippines
The CE Mark is a Directive conformity
mark of the European Community.
56752
PENTAX AF360 FGZ/0 COVER 4/15/03 11:31 AM Page IV

Thank you for purchasing the PENTAX Auto-flash AF360FGZ.
In addition to easy daylight sync photography with TTL auto, the AF36OFGZ also allows wireless TTL auto
(P-TTL) photography and high-speed sync. It is clip-on type flash which enable accurate focus adjustments
even in dark locations with built-in AF-assist spotbeam.
Please read this instruction manual carefully first for proper use.
PENTAX is a trademark of PENTAX Corporation.
* The MZ-S is mainly used in the illustrations in these instructions.
PENTAX AF360 FGZ/0 COVER 4/15/03 11:31 AM Page II

1
Although we have carefully designed this flash unit for safe operation, please be sure to follow precautions
given on page 2.
WARNING This mark indicates precautions that, if not followed, could result in serious injury to the user.
CAUTION This mark indicates precautions that, if not followed, could result in minor or medium injury to the user or damage to the equipment.
is a symbol indicating items that are prohibited.
is a symbol emphasizing a warning.
FOR SAFE USE OF YOUR FLASH UNIT
PENTAX AF360 FGZ/1 BODY 4/15/03 11:26 AM Page 1

2
WARNING
The electronic circuits inside the flash contain
high voltage working parts. Never attempt to
disassemble the flash unit yourself.
Never touch internal parts of the flash unit if
they become exposed from dropping the
camera or for some other reason, as there is
danger of an electric shock.
Do not expose the flash unit to water or
moisture. This is to prevent electrical shock.
CAUTION
Do not use the flash near anyone's eyes, as it
may hurt them. Be particularly careful with the
flash around infants.
Never try to disassemble, short or recharge
the battery. Also, do not dispose of the battery
in fire, as it may explode.
Misuse of the battery can cause hazards such
as leakage, overheating, explosion, etc. The
battery should be inserted with the "+" and "-"
sides facing correctly.
Remove the batteries from the camera
immediately if they become hot or begin to
smoke. Be careful not burn yourself during
removal.
3
• 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. Use only compatible Pentax accessories.
• Never use solvents such as paint thinner, alcohol or benzene to clean the flash unit.
• Avoid leaving the flash unit for extend 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.
• Shield the flash unit from salty air and water at the beach, splashing liquid of any kind, and rain.
When the flash unit is subjected to rain or moisture, wipe it off with a dry soft.
• Replace 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.
• Remove the batteries when not using for extended periods. Leakage of fluids may result and
cause damage to inside of the flash unit.
PRECAUTIONS FOR YOUR FLASH UNIT
PENTAX AF360 FGZ/1 BODY 4/15/03 11:26 AM Page 2

5
FOR SAFE USE OF YOUR FLASH UNIT.............1
PRECAUTIONS FOR YOUR FLASH UNIT ...........3
NAMES OF WORKING PARTS.............................6
INSERTING THE BATTERIES.............................10
NOTES ON THE POWER SUPPLY.....................12
MOUNTING TO CAMERA ...................................13
AF360FGZ FLASH MODES................................14
PICTURE FORMATS AND
FLASH COVERAGE............................................15
DEDICATED FUNCTIONS WITH
THE PENTAX CAMERAS ...................................19
P-TTL AUTO FLASH...........................................22
(with *ist, MZ-S or MZ-L/MZ-6/ZX-L)
TTL AUTO FLASH ..............................................26
AUTO FLASH ......................................................28
MANUAL FLASH.................................................30
HIGH-SPEED SYNC MODE................................32
(with *ist, MZ-S or MZ-L/MZ-6/ZX-L)
CONTRAST-CONTROL-SYNC FLASH ..............35
WIRELESS MODE ..............................................37
(with *ist, MZ-S or MZ-L/MZ-6/ZX-L)
SELECT BUTTON[S]/ADJUSTMENT DIAL
FUNCTIONS ........................................................46
WIRELESS CHANNEL SETTING .......................48
WIRELESS SLAVE MODE SETTING .................49
SLAVE [IN THE MANUAL FLASH MODE].........50
BOUNCE FLASH ................................................52
WIDE-ANGLE PANEL AND CATCHLIGHT
PANEL .................................................................53
MODELING FLASH/TEST FLASH .....................54
SLOW-SPEED-SYNC FLASH ............................54
AF SPOTBEAM ...................................................55
TRAILING-SHUTTER-CURTAIN
SYNC FLASH ......................................................56
USING THE AF360 FGZ DETACHED
FROM THE CAMERA..........................................57
MAJOR SPECIFICATION....................................58
WARRANTY POLICY ..........................................60
TABLE OF CONTENTS
4
• When mounting the flash unit to the camera's hot shoe, hold the portion near the hot shoe
bracket to avoid damage to the hot shoe, and do not mount/dismount it by force.
• 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.
• Manganese batteries are not recommended for use as they provide a lower number of flashes
per set of batteries.
• Battery performance may temporarily be hindered in low temperatures. Batteries should be kept
warm in temperatures below freezing for proper performance.
• Dark or low-reflectance subjects may result in underexposure. Set the camera's exposure
compensation to the + side.
• Do not attach any accessories having the wrong number of electrical contacts for the hot shoe
or grip. Otherwise, TTL auto metering might not work properly.
• When using the AF360FGZ with SF 7 camera, set the flash mode to Auto flash (A) mode.
PENTAX AF360 FGZ/1 BODY 4/15/03 11:26 AM Page 4

76
qFlash head
wAF spotbeam emitter
eSlave sensor
rAuto flash sensor
tCatchlight panel
yWide - angle panel
uHot - shoe bracket
iFlash signal contacts
oShoe lock pin
!0 Locking lever
!1 Battery chamber cover
!2 Bounce lock release button
!3 LCD panel illumination button/Format button
!4 Flash zoom button/Channel button
!5 Test button/Modeling flash button/Ready lamp
!6 Setting switch
!7 Power switch
!8 Wireless mode switch
!9 Sync mode switch
@0 Adjustment dial
@1 Select button
@2 Flash mode button
@3 LCD panel
@4 Bounce angle adjustment
NAMES OF WORKING PARTS
0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 6 8 12 16 22m
2.3 5 10 20 40 70ft
A.Zoom
M.Zoom
mm
CH.
ISO
SB
P-TTLAM
35mm64567
HS
F
MASTER SLAVECONTROL
LIGHT ZOOM
READY
TEST
FORMAT
CH.
MODELING
HS OFF ON
SYNC.
WIRELESS
W
MCS
MODE
FORMAT
WIRELESS
W
S
@3
@4
@2
!3
!4
!5
!6
!7
!9
!8
@1
@0
!0
!1
9
8
7
56
1
2
3
4
!2
PENTAX AF360 FGZ/1 BODY 4/15/03 11:26 AM Page 6

9
When in poorly lit locations and the display panel
cannot be seen, pressing this button will illuminate
the panel for about 10 seconds. Pressing it again
will turn off the illumination. If the camera’s exposure
meter switch is also ON, the camera’s display panel
will also be illuminated. Additionally, if the camera’s
LCD illumination button is pressed, the AF360FGZ
display panel will also be illuminated.
8
LCD Panel Indication
q5 Zoom indicator : [A Zoom] →[MZoom] xxmm = 20, 24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 85 [35mm format]
35, 45, 55, 70, 100, 135, 150 [645 format]
55, 60, 70, 90, 120, 180, 190 [67 format]
w6 Format display : [35mm] →[645] →[67]
e7 Flash mode display : [P-TTL] →[A] →[M] →[SB]
r9 Flash exposure compensation indicator : [-3.0 ~ +1.0 stops, 0.5 stop increments]
t0 ISO indicator : ISO 25 ~ 1600
y0 Bar graph
u1 Effective flash range indicator :
[Closest distance] - [Maximum distance (in P-TTL, TTL, A modes)]
Optimum distance in manual mode
i0 AF spotbeam : [SB]
o2 Synchronization mode indicator : [Leading-shutter-curtain sync: ] - [Trailing-shutter-curtain
sync: ] - [Contrast-control-sync: ] -
[High-speed-sync: ]
!03 Bounce flash warning : [ ]
!1114 Flash adjustment display : [●●●●/××]
f/number display : F2 ~ F22
!27 Channel indicator : Channels 1 ~ 4
!38 Wireless mode indicator : [MASTER], [CONTROL], [SLAVE]
HS
LIGHT ZOOM
READY
TEST
FORMAT
CH.
MODELING
OFF ON
MODE
MODE
FORMAT
WIRELESS
W
0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 6 8 12 16 22m
2.3 5 10 20 40 70ft
A.Zoom
mm
TTL
35mm
0.711.523468121622m
2.3 5 10 20 40 70ft
A.Zoom
M.Zoom
mm
CH.
ISO
SB
P-TTLAM
35mm64567
HS
F
MASTER SLAVECONTROL
!3
!0
!1
9
8
7
5
6
1
2
3
4
!2
PENTAX AF360 FGZ/1 BODY 4/15/03 11:26 AM Page 8

11
When the power switch is set to the [ON]
position, the Ready Lamp lights up indicating
that the flash has been charged and is ready to
fire. Then, by pressing the Test Button, the test-
flash will fire. Auto check confirmation can be
done in the Auto flash mode but cannot be
done in the TTL or P-TTL mode.
BATTERIES
This flash unit operates with four AA-size batteries
as shown below.
Alkaline battery : LR6
Lithium battery : FR6
Nickel Hydroxide battery : Ni-MH
The flash unit charges in approximately 6 seconds
with brand new alkaline batteries, 5 seconds with
Nickel Hydroxide battery and 6 seconds with lithium
batteries. If charging time takes more than 20
seconds, then the batteries are weak and should be
replaced with the same type of new batteries.
•If the batteries are not inserted properly, the
Ready Lamp will not light up. Insert the
batteries correctly.
•If you let the flash unit fire in succession on
lithium batteries, heated batteries would
activate the safety circuit so that the firing is
temporarily disabled.
In this case, take time to reduce the battery
temperature and it would bring you back to the
normol condition of use.
10
Slide the battery chamber cover as shown in
the figure to remove.
Insert four AA-size batteries, making sure the
plus/minus marking(,,.) match the diagram
inside the battery chamber cover.
INSERTING THE BATTERIES
12
LIGHT ZOOM
READY
TEST
FORMAT
CH.
MODELING
HS
OFF ON
SYNC.
WIRELESS
W
MCS
MODE
FORMAT
WIRELESS
W
S
FIX→
2.3 5 10 20 40 70ft
0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 6 8 12 16 22m
A.Zoom
mm
P-TTL
35mm
3
PENTAX AF360 FGZ/1 BODY 4/15/03 11:26 AM Page 10

13
Remove the hot shoe cover from the camera.
Slide the shoe bracket into the camera's hot
shoe, then turn the locking lever in the direction
of the arrow to secure it in place. To remove it,
loosen the locking lever and slide it off the
camera.
•When the flash unit is attached to the *ist, MZ-
S or MZ-L/MZ-6/ZX-L and the locking lever is
turned toward [FIX →] to lock it, the locking pin
will be extended for secure locking.
•Turn the locking lever in the opposite direction
indicated by [FIX →] before sliding the shoe
bracket into the camera's hot shoe.
•Mount or remove the flash unit to or from the
camera's hot shoe while holding the portion
near the shoe bracket to prevent damage to
the hot shoe.
•The 67II does not come with a hot shoe. The
optional hot shoe grip 67II should be used.
MOUNTING TO CAMERA
2
1
12
12
Sliding the Power Switch to the ON position will turn ON the power, sliding it to the OFF position will turn OFF
the power.
•Please refer to page 37 for the WIRELESS
MODE position.
•When the power is turned OFF and ON again,
the flash mode will be set to P-TTL and the
Zoom position A. Zoom 24mm (35mm
cameras), A. Zoom 45mm (645), and A. Zoom
60mm (67).
NOTES ON THE POWER SUPPLY
Auto Power Off Function
When the flash unit is left unused for about 3
minutes with the power switch set to the [ON]
position, its power automatically switches off to
save on power. To restart charging of the flash
unit, turn ON the power. If the flash unit is
mounted on the autofocus cameras, press the
shutter release button lightly to turn ON the power.
• The power will shut off after approximately 6
minutes only when set to auto fash mode [A].
•During wireless flash operation, the power
will turn off after about 1 hour of non-
operation.
LIGHT ZOOM
READY
TEST
FORMAT
CH.
MODELING
HS OFF ON
SYNC.
WIRELESS
W
MCS
MODE
FORMAT
WIRELESS
W
S
FIX→
2.3 5 10 20 40 70ft
0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 6 8 12 16 22m
A.Zoom
mm
P-TTL
35mm
PENTAX AF360 FGZ/1 BODY 4/15/03 11:26 AM Page 12

15
The AF360FGZ's flash coverage can be adjusted with the auto or manual zoom head to suit the camera's
picture format (35mm, 6x4.5 cm, or 6x7 cm) and lens focal length. Follow the procedure below.
Camera Format Size: [FORMAT] setting
qSlide the setting switch down [yellow dot].
wPress the [FORMAT] button and set to the
camera format size being used.
eSlide the setting switch back up [white dot]
when complete.
•When used with *ist, MZ-S or MZ-L/MZ-6/ZX-L
camera, the format size will automatically be
set when the shutter release button is pressed
halfway down. For all other cameras, set
accordingly before using.
PICTURE FORMATS AND FLASH COVERAGE
14
1P-TTL auto flash [P-TTL]
Works with the Pentax *ist, MZ-S or MZ-L/MZ-
6/ZX-L camera.
A pre-flash is fired before the main flash fires so
that the multi-segment metering sensor can
measure the subject's distance, brightness,
backlit condition, etc. The data obtained is
incorporated to set the output of the main flash.
This mode obtains more accurate results than
with the conventional TTL mode.
2TTL auto flash [TTL]
Based on the amount of light reflected off the film,
the camera adjusts the flash output automatically
to obtain a correct exposure.
This mode works with all autofocus Pentax
cameras (except *ist, MZ-S and MZ-L/MZ-6/ZX-
L), LX, Super A, 645N, and 67II.
3Auto flash [A]
The built-in flash metering sensor adjusts the
flash output automatically.
Use with cameras that are not P-TTL or TTL Auto
flash compatible.
4Manual flash [M]
Use the flash unit's Guide No. to calculate the
correct flash range and aperture. This mode
works with all Pentax cameras.
5AF spotbeam beam [SB]
Under low-light or low-contrast conditions, a red
AF-assist beam is emitted to enable
autofocusing. The flash will not fire. This works in
tandem with a Pentax autofocus camera.
AF360FGZ FLASH MODES
The AF360FGZ has the following flash modes. Select the mode best suited for the subject.
1
LIGHT ZOOM
READY
TEST
FORMAT
CH.
MODELING
HS OFF
OFF
ON
SYNC.
WIRELLESS
W
MCS
MODE
FORMAT
WIRELLESS
W
S
0.7 1 1.5 2 3 4 6 8 12 16 22m
2.3 5 10 20 40 70ft
CH.
P-TTL
35mm
1
2
3
PENTAX AF360 FGZ/1 BODY 4/15/03 11:26 AM Page 14