using hot show & PC socket simultaneously

[medina photography cherry]

Will using a 550ex flash on the hot shoe of my 1DMKII AND a pc cord from body

to pocket wizard to fire 2 additional lights on the pocket wizrd system affect

my camera in any way?

 

I need the af assist of the flash but the reliablity of the pocket wizards for

fireing off camera flashes- this seems like the easiest solution, as long as it

works.

 

Thanks for your answers.

 

Rob

[mark u]

So long as you aren't trying to use the 550EX to provide some of the light in E-TTL mode it should work OK. If the slaves have optical slaves and you are not at risk of other flashes acting as triggers you can use the 550EX to trigger them without attaching the Pocketwizards provided you use a manual power setting to prevent the E-TTL preflash - even with low power output bounced off the ceiling in many studio circumstances.

[fourfa]

couldn't parse the previous answer into english... yes, what you propose will work great. I've done it, works fine.

[medina photography cherry]

Mark U, that is exactly what I am trying to do. I am using the 550 on camera as fill, in ETTL ( I guess I do not really need it in Ettl- I could go manual) and having the PW Transmitter fire off 2 more flashes, 1 is a 550 and the other is a sunpak 555.

 

I was shooting entirely off camera for both 550's and found that I was limited in which directions I shot so I figured a 3rd light on camera would be perfect for just that fill (talking receptions)but found that without some type of af assist my cameras were hunting for focus (even my 1DMKII)

 

So that is why I came up with this. I know someone sells an hot shoe adapter that has a pc sync in the side of it and continues the hot shoe terminals to attach a flash, but they wanted $165+ for it.

 

So is this safe for my camera?

 

Thanks again

[chrisjb]

I know someone sells an hot shoe adapter that has a pc sync in the side of it and continues the hot shoe terminals to attach a flash, but they wanted $165+ for it.

 

Not sure but is this what you mean

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hot-Shoe-PC-Sync-Adapter-for-Nikon-Canon-etc_W0QQitemZ200006917869QQihZ010QQcategoryZ30086QQcmdZViewItem

 

HTH

[kin_lau]

Yes, I've fired my 580EX in E-TTL mode with my 20D and fired a Sunpak with a cheap ebay wireless trigger via the PC socket.

[medina photography cherry]

Chris JB- no that isn't the one. The more I think about it I think it is paramount cords that has it.

 

Kin- so it is safe to do so then, right?