sheila_whitfield Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 I am using two pentax digital cameas - ist DL and K100D Super. I am shooting a wedding in about 4 weeks. I have done several but this time, since I have heard so much about the Pocket Wizard I am thinking of purchasing one. I have a few questions, 1. Do I really need one and if so, how will it benefit me and finally, which one do you recommend and finally is it true I need to purchase two one that transmits and one that receives. Thank you for your input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jgredline Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 What is a pocket wizard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mithrandir Posted June 1, 2008 Share Posted June 1, 2008 Link to Pocket Wizard Website: http://www.pocketwizard.com/index.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Laur Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Sheila: Have you ever used strobes off-camera before? If so, I presume you're used to using synch cables to the camera? A pair of Pocket Wizards (or three, or four, depending on how many strobes you use) allows you to get rid of the synch cables.Yes, you need one at the camera, and one for each strobe that you want to fire remotely. Of course, remote strobes usually means that they're on stands, and often that you're shooting through light modifiers like umbrellas or softboxes. What are you currently using for lighting gear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jptreen Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 http://strobist.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtk Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Maybe this is an "opportunity" to upgrade to K20D and Pentax 540 or 360 strobe : don't need $$ for accessories, nothing bulky hanging on the camera or strobe: wireless is internal. Pocket Wizards make sense if you insist on using your current camera and strobes, and they're expensive. Strobists talk about funky Chinese alternatives, but they mostly wish they had PWs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisa_stieg Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 I looked at Pocket Wizards but they were pricier than I could afford. I ended up getting some inexpensive radio triggers with the lighting kit I purchased and they work like a dream. So yes, while I wish I had PW's, the inexpensive ones (like what you'd get at gadget infinity) are doing just fine. Radio Poppers sound interesting...http://radiopopper.com/ Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheila_whitfield Posted June 2, 2008 Author Share Posted June 2, 2008 I currently have a Pentax 360 which I love - I am using basically lighting equipment - umbrella - softbox etc. I will be taking my lighting equipment with me to Wisconsin for taking portraits at the reception but the church has lots of windows and since the wedding is at 2:00PM CT, it should be lit nicely. The other photos will be taken by the lake so shouldn't be a problem there either. I have used my flash with no problem for other weddings, setting it on P-TTL. But I have heard so much I thought I would ask. My main lens is 28 - 135 F2.8 - 4. I will also be using my 50mm 1.4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtk Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Radio Poppers aren't yet Pentax-compatible...I think. I think Pentax 540 will control several (3?) additional Pentax strobes WITHOUT external gizmos... does 360 do that? I need one or the other. ...recent Nikons (all? some?) don't need PWs or other radio triggers for Nikon strobes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainvisions Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 All radio slaves work with all cameras. Although your connection and the quality of the RF transmitter will have some factor in the max sync speed (most RF systems sync to 1/1000th of a second and some cameras can achieve that but only through the PC sync connection, not the hot shoe in most cases) If you've ever been to a high end sporting event, and noticed the strobes popping from the ceilings, then you've seen pocket wizards (the defacto standard) in action. All major japanese SLR cameras lose P-TTL metering when you go RF. If you don't know what a pocket wizard is for you probably don't need one, but if you think you do, then head over to the Strobist blog (and flickr group) and you will learn everything you need to know. Nikon uses the same crappy (albeit slightly more advanced) P-TTL optical strobe activated system as Pentax and every other brand (canon, olympus, sony). The brand that comes out with a built in wireless transmitter that maintains P-TTL/FP sync (for those that care) is a winner in my book. Personally, I'd love to see the K5D with a battery grip that has a built in RF sync. optical sync is junk and outdated. Looks cool, works poorly in all but the most controlled environments. RF (pocket wizards/skyports/etc) on the other hand has a steeper learning curve but will nearly always yield superior results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
personalphotos Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 If you want PW quality but not the price then get these. http://www.g9chon.com/ I have a transmitter and 3 receivers. Works perfectly with great range and no misfires. I learned of them at a photo course where the Pro used them in studio. About half the price as the PW's with all the adapters and quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainvisions Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Just as a heads up, the "wizards" peter linked look different than the cheap ebay (Gadget Infinity) wizards I originally bought but the issue with the chinese knockoffs isn't that they don't work, but will they work. I was reading where a camera club bought a set for each member as a cooperative purchase and about 50% were DOA. They were able to all get working units because of the bulk buy and unified shipping cost. If you have to play games shipping to Hong Kong or anywhere for that matter your $200 wizards might cost nearly as much as a real set. Now usually it's the batteries, or the contacts need to be adjusted, but sometimes they are DOA, or require things like surrounding them with foil and such. Anyway, I'm not trying to discourage anyone from spending less, but I just wanted to put out this issue,. As long as I'm destroying peoples ideas I'll toss out some pros of the real wizards (and some cons). 1) weather proof 2) indestructable 3) 300volt sync voltage safe (basically you cannot fry them without trying) 4) high quality control 5) good range Cons: 1) expensive 2) heavy/bulky 3) might not work a whole lot better than a good set of 3rd party units My recommendation is to look at Elinchron Skyports just because they are small (great for mobile use on a Pentax size DSLR/SLR). They do have good range, and are well built (made in Switzerland). While they probably would not stand up to the rigors of a Pocket Wizard in remote setups (rain, vibration, impact,sync voltage must be below 50volts) they do have high quality control, and a set of Skyports (1 transceiver, and one receiver) cost what 1 Pocket Wizard cost. Additional receivers are only about $100 (about 1/2 of a Pocket Wizard) and the whole setup is about the size of what Peter linked to. Going cheap can work out especially if you don't want to committ $300-600 for 2 strobe setup, but for me I've got $60 worth of Ebay remotes that I can't sync above 1/100th of a second tops, and usually it's more like 1/60th or 1/30th of second even with brand new batteries (not cheap either). If I'd saved that $60 and put it towards another Elinchron receiver (or a Pocket Wizard) I'd have not had any headaches. Finally, I'll guarantee if you have to unload the genuine wizards you can for pretty small loss, my gadget infinities are right now just paper weights (ironically, I'm not kidding I do use them as paper weights). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_rush Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 "If you've ever been to a high end sporting event, and noticed the strobes popping from the ceilings, then you've seen pocket wizards (the defacto standard) in action." Not to derail too much, but I've always wondered how they arrange that. Do the photographers climb into the catwalks and place their strobes? Are they provided by the arena? What's to keep some idiot from firing one off every few seconds and blinding the patrons and the TV cameras. How do the TV cameras deal with the strobes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisa_stieg Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 My son's recent graduation from high school was held at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma, where the University of Oklahoma hosts many events (sports, music, etc.). During the ceremony, I noticed the strobes in the ceiling kept firing, so I started looking around the arena and sure enough, one of the photographers had a PW on his camera. Made me wonder if I could have brought my RF transmitters and fired off their strobes as well! LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainvisions Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 1) usually they are put in by the photographer. only one set is allowed so for say the NCAA basketball tournament it's SI that owns them. Thus the best shots are always SI. Sometimes an arena owns them, I was hooked up to a set at college a few times, very cool. When I covered the AHL all-star game the people that cover that arena (binghampton) also covered hershey. So they installed permanently a set in both places, but for the all-star game they borrowed a second set from Hershey to install. Suffice to say they strobed quite a few of my shots because they had 2 banks that they fired at half second intervals, plus remote cameras in the nets, and on the catwalks. Amazing setup!!! With pocket wizards you can set the strobes to bank A and B so you have one set on bank A and then one on B and the camera wizard alternates between the two giving you more than the usual 1 shot per 1-2 seconds. The irony of strobes is they reduce those fancy 10fps cameras to just 1fps...gotta love it!!! 2) the pocket wizards should have enough combos to keep someone from messing with them, but of course if you have $300 or an extra wizard that would be a hell of a prank to play. No doubt you'd be kicked out when they found you, and probably sued by the company who owned the strobes for lost income. 3) the duration of the sports strobes is well less than 1/1000 of a second, you can see them once you are cognizant of them, even on TV at times but they don't affect the cameras if properly setup over the court or ice. Usually no one notices them till I point them out since I'm always looking for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtk Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Radio Poppers told me they're not compatible with Pentax and they didn't suggest they would be, anytime soon. Maybe they meant "not fully compatible," but they weren't encouraging. http://radiopopper.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountainvisions Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Hmm, never heard of Radio Popper till I clicked the link, how long have they been around? I think as noted above I'd stick with either Skyports (which I have and work with pentax) or Pocket Wizards. Why the skyports are newer (came out less than 2 years ago) they already have a large following, and Elinchrom isn't a new kid on the block in lighting, actually a lot of pro sports photographers were using Elinchrom strobes with Pocket Wizards for years. IMO, it comes down to need for ruggedness vs. light weight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtk Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Strobists.com has been excited about Radio Poppers for the past year, but the company's started shipping only recently (filling advance order list). It's amusing to hear "new kid on block" as a negative in this era :-) I just ordered Skyports (location portraits) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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