jhp Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 I've been a natural light shooter and am jumping in to flash/lighting. I have a 1D MKIII, 580 EXII and a LC-5 Wireless Controller. Can I use these to remote fire the flash? I think I may have to go corded - if so what would you recommend? I'm wantng to use the setup for many things but right now will be doing some "smoke" captures. I see some Pocket Wizards in my future.... Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 if you go wit hPocketwizards ( that is how it is spelled) you'll get an excellent, extremely reliable remote triggering with unsurpassed range system for both your camera and your flashes. But there is no TTL flash control with the Pocketwizard system. You can set the flashes for either Auto mode or Manual control mode. If you are just starting or have been working for awhile with artificial lighting I really recommend you buy a copy of "Light, Science and Magic" , third edition. I have never come across as comprehensive yet down to earth guide for understanding and using the properties of light as this book. I have no connection with the authors and in fact only recently (early Sept. 08) bought a copy after hearing certain people here on photo.net rave about it. I was skeptical because of the title and feared it was yet another lighting cookbook of cookie cutter approaches to using light. it emphatically is not . It is very useful even if you never intend to never use artificial light. It is both well written and well illustrated. As a companion volume I also recommend Kirk Tuck's book " Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Lighting" if you are using small strobes such as the Canon, Nikon, Metz or Sony Speedlights. Together these two books virtually 100% of the ideas concepts and practices of using light dynamically to make more creative and visually powerful photographs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellis_vener_photography Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 Actually it is spelled Pocketwizards with no "h' before the P. That was a typo I missed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two23 Posted September 21, 2008 Share Posted September 21, 2008 If you don't need 1600 ft. range, the Skyports or CyberSync triggers are a no-brainer. They give around 400 ft. range and are every bit as reliable at half the price. Kent in SD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark u Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 The LC-5 is only good for remote triggering of the camera, not the flash. Even then, it has limitations since it depends on IR and requires line of sight. Of course, you may be content to trigger the camera remotely and use the flash in the hotshoe. If you wish to get the flash off the hotshoe, then a proper Canon offshoe cord (OCSC 2 or OCSC 3) is required to retain E-TTL operation of your 580EX with cords (these cords can be extended to 50-100ft with a little hacking - ethernet cable is a popular choice). If you want to go wireless with E-TTL, then you need either another E-TTL flash that can be used as a slave to your 580EX, or a device that can be used as an E-TTL master (which includes other high end EX Speedlites and the ST-E2 flash controller). However, there are range limitations between the on-camera master unit and the slaves (basically there needs to be an adequate optical path). If you want to exceed the normal range capabilities of wireless E-TTL, this can be achieved using radiopoppers: http://www.radiopopper.com/ If you are content to deal with setting manual power levels on your 580EX (and therefore adjusting ISO and aperture on camera to match), then you can go with the radio trigger solutions mentioned above. Radio triggers can also be adapted for use as remote camera triggers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhp Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 I appreciate all of the remarks - each with good insight. Mark U - Wonderful explanation. I expected more lighting expense and probably for now with go with another 580EX, stands umbrella, and wireless remote triggers. I like the corded otopin if even to just get the flash in hand and off cam too. I feel a hit to the bottom line coming... :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now