Using Pocket Wizards with a sync cord

[john_murphy1]

Let's say I buy a couple Pocket Wizards, one for the camera and one on the main light. What do I do about

metering with a light meter? Do I have to keep switching cables every time I use the meter? Or can I run

the meter's sync cord into the Pocket Wizard device and cause it to trigger the strobe?

[brooks short]

The easiest way is to set your flash meter to un-synched mode and press the test button on the PW to fire the flash.

 

An even easier way is to buy a Sekonic meter with the PW transmitter built in.

[michael foy]

In a one light set up I am using a third pocketwizard to trigger the flash for the light meter in hand. Another idea is to purchase a light meter that has a built in trigger to fire the flash. I think it is sekonic that makes it. Your idea with the sync cord I have never tried.

 

Michael

[press_photog]

Set the meter to flash mode, assuming it has such a mode. Press the Wizard transmitter's test button to fire the flash and take your readings. Be sure to set the ISO on the meter according to the camera's ISO. Now, if you happen to be shooting digital, I don't use a meter. I set my shutter speed to say 125th /sec (depends on your cam's max sync speed), and start out at F8. Check out your histogram, and adjust aperture setting till you get what you want.

[sknowles]

A little more detail might help (camera and flash), but you shouldn't need cables or switching

cables. PW's have multiple channels where you can set one to the flash and one to the

camera, but if you want the camera to trigger the flash with the PW, you need a transmitter

for the camera. Check your flash for the external sync, some low/middle models don't have

this requiring direct connection to the camera, which eliminates the use of PW's. The folks at

the store where you buy the PW's should help you buy and even test things (in the store if

you bring your camera and flash), because you may need the PW cables and adaptors.

[Ed_Ingold]

The simplest and most accurate way to meter flash is to connect the PW to the meter via the meter's PC port. You can walk around the area and pop the flash to get zone readings. You could trigger the flash directly with the meter if you have a long sync cord.

 

You can also set up a reading in the meter (e.g., Sekonic L-508) to read flash, and it will wait until it sees the flash. That can mean a lot of walking to profile the area.

 

Life would be good if I had a meter with a built-in PW - the best option of all.

 

If you have no concern over lighting ratios and have plenty of time to waste, use the histogram and set your exposure by trial and error.

[ronald_olsen]

I used to use my backup PW transmitter to trigger the flashes as well, and use a lightmeter while standing where the subject would be. In the end, I found it unnecessary, because walking off the proper distance and calculating according to flash Guide Numbers was actually more reliable (especially when using flashbulbs; too expensive to do a test!). My lightmeter has been sitting in a box gathering dust for over two years now. After long practice in the past with a film camera, now that I have a digital camera I have found to rarely be off by as much as 1/2 stop by using a GN calculation.