Bronica GS-1 flash

Learning triggers?

Why? There's nothing to learn!

 

With a 'dumb' setup like a Nikon flash on a Bronica camera, all the trigger needs to do is transfer the 'fire' signal from the camera to the flash, and any cheap radio trigger would do that.

 

I used to use 'iShoot' brand triggers at around £16 ($20US) for a set of transmitter and receiver. Extra receivers cost about $12 equivalent each. I used them for several years and they were perfectly reliable. During that time I used them on a variety of cameras and with a mixture of speedlights and studio monolights. They never missed a shot unless for something silly like a loose connection or flat battery, and that can happen with any trigger.

 

Recently I went more upmarket and swapped to YongNuo 603s at (wow!) about twice the price of the iShoots. The YongNuos have better build quality and offer the extra functionality of being able to act as remote shutter releases. As flash triggers they work pretty much the same.

 

For non-dedicated Auto-Aperture or manual power-setting flash, there's no need for anything more complicated than a cheap, simple radio trigger. Some claim Nikon or Canon dedication, but that's pretty much marketing BS. All they do is fire the flash.

 

No need to spend big or buy overpriced (hole in) Pocket Wizards.

Edited March 18, 2018 by rodeo_joe|1

I just had a quick look at the Cactus V6 unit. It appears not to be a radio device, but triggers some modern flashes using infrared signalling.

 

The flashes it'll control are ones that are dedicated to modern digital camera systems, which is not what you've got.

 

Forget TTL, remote power and zoom control, or any other fancy automation. You ain't going to get it with the Bronica and SB-80.

 

Buy the cheapest radio flash triggers you can find. 'Wireless' does not necessarily mean radio, it can encompass optical firing. You'll need one transmitter for on-camera, and one receiver for each flash you intend to fire.

 

These'll work. No setup required.

 

I see the iShoot triggers are no longer very good value for money.

 

How did you expect that single Cactus V6 to fire your SB-80 BTW? Telepathy or some other kind of magic?

Edited March 18, 2018 by rodeo_joe|1

I don't have Cactus equipment, just trying to help here.

 

Looking through the V6 manual, it does refer to transmission and reception of 2.4 GHz radio signals. So it seems the V6 is a radio device.

 

Michael, forget the "learning" mode for now. Try to get the system working in manual mode.

 

0. Do you have fresh batteries in the flash, the camera and both V6 units?

--> if yes then OK

--> if no then address this

 

1. Do you know if the hot shoe works properly on the grip -- does it fire the flash when it is mounted on the grip, with no V6 units?

--> if yes then OK

--> if no then figure out this problem --> is the grip properly mounted to the camera? --> are the electrical contacts functioning?

 

2. Do the Cactus V6 units talk to each other? Read all of the manual pages 3 times carefully to figure out how to do this. Can you "dry fire" the Cactus units without being connected to the flash or the camera?

--> if yes then OK

--> if no then figure out this problem

 

3. With the flash connected to a V6 unit off camera, can you fire the flash with the second V6 unit, also off camera (not attached to the hot shoe)?

--> if yes then OK

--> if no then figure out this problem

 

4. When the second V6 unit is mounted on the hot shoe, and the flash is mounted on a V6 unit off camera, can you fire the flash in manual mode?

--> if yes then OK

--> if no then figure out this problem

 

Please read the manual 3 times carefully, and follow each of the above steps. Please report back on which steps were successful and which ones were unsuccessful.

Thanks for your response guys Joe it's a 2.4 gigahertz radio transmitter I have two of them not one I'm not using mental telepathy.

 

I have both Cactus V6 there's a switch on it you can switch it to receiver or transmitter I put my Nikon SB 80 DX on top of there and it learned all the functions no problem.

 

I have one of them on my bronica and it's set to transmitter I have my flash on the other one that set as receiver the one on my camera when I push the test button it fires The Flash no problem when I cock and release the shutter on my camera it will not fire The Flash.

 

The only thing I can think of is that I may need a sync cord plugged into my camera sync Port into the cactus V6 I'm not sure it's getting frustrated I've been playing with it all night and can't get it to work.

 

I do have a lot of control over the flash through the transmitter on my bronica I can change the power I can change a lot of things so they're communicating but some reason when I pull the trigger on the bronica it's not telling that transmitter to fire.

When I put my flash in just a bronica hotshoe on the speed grip it fires perfectly every single time it works great.

 

I have my flash in one of the cactus V6 in receiver mode I have the other Cactus V6 and transmitter mode when I fire the test button on the transmitter it fires my flash every single time that is sitting in the receiver so they're communicating that's not the problem it's whenever I put the transmitter into my hot shoe it doesn't work.

 

Since it's an older hot shoe I'm guessing some of the pins that are on that Cactus need to be touched or be making a connection and they're not I'm not sure.

 

The cactus V6 has a sync port hole in it so I'm going to go to Samy's Camera today and buy a 3.5 mm to PC sync and plug that into my camera and into the cactus and my guess is that it will work if that doesn't work then the cactus V6 will be on its way back to Adorama camera.

 

I really was hoping to not have to use a sync cord from my camera into the cactus because now the factor of the sync cord moving misfires I was hoping it would just work on the shoe and it's not working.

 

I will read the manual three times again but you have to realize I'm dealing with an old film camera this is not a modern camera the shoes a little bit different than today's cameras shoes. It's not the greatest manual either but I will read it again.

Edited March 18, 2018 by michael_radika

Michael it sounds like a hot shoe issue as you mentioned. What doesn’t make sense to me is that the hot shoe fires the flash, but the hot shoe does not trigger the Cactus transmitter. A sync cord is a good option to try.

Yeah I find it really odd that it'll fire the flash on my hot shoe with just a flash it'll fire The Flash with the radio trigger but as soon as I put the radio trigger into my hot shoe it doesn't work.

 

I'm wondering if there's some kind of adapter I could get that would fit into my hot shoe to make it and convert it to a more modern one on the other end of the conversion I really don't like using sync cords.

Michael reading pages 19 and 20 of the V6 manual. It talks about how to lock the V6 shoe on the camera shoe.

 

The symptoms you describe do not make sense to me. Something must be loose or not properly connected. Try switching the V6 units with each other.

Okay thanks buddy I'll I'll give that a try I'm going to pick up a sync cord just in case but I will try that.

 

But you're right something is wrong it should work even with my hot shoe it should work.

I just read page 19 and 20 in the manual I did exactly what it said there's like a little thumb lever that to the left it allows it to slide into the shoe when it's in the shoe you switch into the right to lock it down I tried Wiggling, jiggling it around no difference still doesn't work.

Okay update just got home with the PC PC to 3.5 mm cable. now it works now it fires every single time but there's something weird going on.

 

When I choose TTL mode on the flash I am able to control the zoom and the power of the fat Flash and have full control over the flash through the transmitter on my bronica.

 

I don't know why it's working in TTL mode because I don't have TTL on my camera so it's kind of weird.

 

I am able to put it in manual mode also and control it but I can't control the zoom I can only control the power like 1/8 1/4 power.

 

So I'm happy it works but not sure if it's working correctly I'm going to have to play around with it some more.

I have another update I don't need to sync cable I found out why it was not firing without the cable just in the hot shoe.

 

My bronica only has a 3-pin hot shoe the this transceiver there are more pins the last two pins were getting hung up and not engaging and allowing the cactus V6 to slide all the way in I took a butter knife and pushed the pins up and it slid right in and locked in and it works perfect.

 

I knew it had to work without the cable I remember when I bought the godox flash I had the same problem on my hot shoe I had to push the pins in with a butter knife to get it to lock in all the way so it dawned on me maybe this is what's happening sure enough problem fixed I can take my $20 overpriced pocketwizard cable back.

 

Now I'm a happy camper and I love the cactus V6 highly recommended it.

 

I love that it's self-learning you put your flash on there and it'll learn all the functions I can control the zoom I can control all the power from 128th all the way to 1 to 1 great product.

 

Again thanks for all the help I appreciate it I'm learning little by little.

Glad you've finally got it working, but at £90 UK each, the Cactus units are hardly a low budget option.

 

I'll stick with my RF-603s. When the speedlight is in a softbox or umbrella, it doesn't need zooming, and changing power is just a couple of steps walk from the camera. After the lights are balanced, there's usually no need to touch them again for the rest of the session.

I paid 65 US dollars each of them and for me not having to lower the light stand to make adjustments is worth it.

 

And I can add just about any flash I want mix flashes different brands. I'm happy with my choice.

Well done Michael! Good to hear you have your system working.

Little bit of a final update so I am able to control my Nikon FBA TDX flashes but only through TTL mode in manual mode my Cactus V6 will not control The Flash I know weird.

 

I cannot control the zoom either like I thought I could I swear I was able to control the zoom but I guess I can't I can only control the power quarter 1/8 128th Etc.

 

I kind of wish I could control the zoom it's kind of a little bit disappointing to me but I would have to buy a different Nikon flash and move up to the cactus V6 to to be able to do that I think at this point I'm done I'm keeping my Nikon sb-80dx and then I control the power is good enough.

Better check my spelling from now on I'm speaking into my phone and it's misspelling a ton of words.

Test Edited March 30, 2018 by michael_radika