Trigger my SB600 and Vivitar 283

<p>I am getting together what I need to finally start some off camera flash work. I have ordered lightstands and umbrellas(Impact and Wescott). Now I need to figure out which triggers I want to go with and exactly what I need as a minimum to start with.</p>

<p>I have an SB600 and an old Vivitar 283. I was considering either the Cactus V4 or the Cybersyncs. I would prefer to go the Cybersync route for a little better quality plus I like the Made In America idea and really would like to support that.</p>

<p>That being said I would like to be able to get the absolute minimum right now to be able to trigger both flashes and I am getting a little confused on exactly what I would need. Do I really need 1 transmitter plus 2 receivers plus hot shoe to PC adapter for the SB600? Or can I get 1 transmitter, 1 receiver and maybe an inexpensive optical slave to attach to the Viv 283? Of course I guess I still need the adapter for the SB600.</p>

<p>I guess it's the SB600 no PC connection that is hanging me up isn't it? Any suggestions/opinions on what gets me triggering 2 flashes for the least money right now? Using Cybersyncs right now? I know I could get Cactus for about 85 shipped but like I said I want to go with Cybersyncs.</p>

<p>You could use an optical trigger for either flash, along with one receiver. That would work ok indoors, but not outdoors in daytime. Not familiar with the SB600 myself, so can't offer any input on it. Otherwise you would need a receiver for each flash plus the transmitter that goes on camera.</p>

<p>Brian<br>

This is what I use. Cheap and reliable so far I have no complaints with them. See link.<br>

The older version wasn't as reliable.<br>

<a href="http://www.gadgetinfinity.com/product.php?productid=17204&cat=0&page=1">http://www.gadgetinfinity.com/product.php?productid=17204&cat=0&page=1</a></p>

<p>If you opt for an optical flash trigger to fire your 283, make sure the SB600 isn't producing any pre-flash. Any pre-flash will trigger the 283 before the image is captured and you won't get any benefit from it.</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

<p>If you like Cybersyncs, your cheapest route would probably be to go with one transmitter, one receiver, an optical slave for the Viv., and a hotshoe-PC adapter for the SB600. Of course, the optical slave would have to be on line-of-sight to the SB600 for the optical slave to work reliably.</p>

 

<p>I've been using Cactus V4's with my Metz 48 and Nikon SB-20 for months, and have had no problems at all with them, either in reliability or durability. On the other hand, I never need more than 20 meters or so of range, and I tend to baby all my equipment, so I haven't really stress-tested this setup either. All l I can say is that it works for me and my modest non-pro needs. The receivers are inexpensive enough that buying extras doesn't involve selling a kidney. Optical slaves are certainly cheaper, but I decided to avoid line-of-sight problems entirely and just get an extra receiver.<br>

I'll also second buying from Gadget Infinity. They shipped my order fast. I had my airmail-shipped V4's in my hand two weeks after ordering online, and I'm on Canada's east coast. That's no small distance. Everything from the ordering to the billing to the shipping went perfectly smooth, with no bait-and-switch nonsense, no unexpected credit-card charges, no missing items, or other issues. I'm definitely planning on buying from them more often.<br>

The only trick with the V4's is to turn the receiver's power switch off when you're done using them or they'll waste power; some early users forgot to do this, and reports of power-drain problems still persist on the web when googling about the V4's. :)</p>