Which trigger is worth buying?

[mario_saliba]

<p>Dear all<br>

I am planning to shoot some weddings in the near future and would like to have a wireless trigger system available for the date of the events.<br>

I already did some research. Nowadays the Pocket Wizard TT1 and TT5 are being marketed a lot but I read about some issues about them in some forums. It would help if anyone own a set so he can comment on them. They are expensive too.<br>

On the other hand there is also the wireless tranmitter by canon but I think that it is limited only to be used when there are no obstacles between the transmitter and the slave.<br>

There are also cheap options on ebay.<br>

Which is the best option.?</p>

<p>Regards</p>

<p>Mario</p>

[savagesax]

From personal experience the pocket wizards work great. I haven't had any issues with them and they are 3 or 4 years old now. I just bought a set of these and they seem to be wonderful, offering better control with your lights if you use White Lightnings or alein bee. http://www.white-lightning.com/remotes.html The prices are a lot less than pocket wizards.

[peter_j2]

<p>If you don't mind changing to manual flash and camera setups, then consider these <a href="http://www.alienbees.com/cybersync.html#cst">http://www.alienbees.com/cybersync.html#cst</a>. Otherwise, you can try the Canon ST-E2 (I used to own one) which at most times doesn't really need a line of sight in a smaller rooms.</p>

[pge]

<p>The cheap ebay triggers are for amateurs that do not easily get frustrated. I am an amateur but I get frustrated easily so they did not work out for me.<br /> <br /> The Elinchrom Skyports work great, I have triggered them 7 or 8 thousand times without a misfire. They are not cheap but they are nothing like the PW's. You don't have to spend PW money to get great triggers but you have to spend more then $15 like the ebay triggers.</p>

[william_whaley]

<p>you have to decide. do you want to use TTL flash wirelessly or are you going to go full manual? If this is for a wedding, TTL is probably prefered as there is no time to test and adjust flash power.<br>

if you want to keep TTL metering, you are limited in your wireless options at this point. you have pocket wizards TT1, canons optical system, radio poppers, and thats it. 3 choices.</p>

[grego1]

<p>Mario,</p>

<p>i have ST-E2 and El-Skyport and it's completely different thing to use them... if you want ttl metering and don't want to pay a lot you have only one option - ST-E2. if you don't mind the money there are: new PW with ttl option, quantum flash system and radio poppers (still you have to get ST-E2)... if you don't mind ttl and you're comfy with manual shooting go with el-skyport... i was in the same situation couple of months ago; i wanted ttl and radio together but there was no cheap option so i went with elinchrom system. it offers you reliable shooting for the price 3 times lower than PW (at least in europe - set of 4 PW would be around €1200-1500 and for 3 receivers and a transmitter i paid about €400). of course it's not the same but i'm shooting with them for last 10 months and the only problem i had was after shooting for 6 h, about 500 photos when batteries run out :) really highly recommended product...</p>

<p>regards<br>

greg </p>

[picturesque]

<p>Depends if you want ETTL wireless. If not, I can recommend Cybersyncs. Relatively inexpensive and a solid performer. Triggers every time, which you can't say about the ebay cheapies. Otherwise, Radiopoppers. I've heard too many stories of triggering problems with the Canon system.</p>

[david_prouty]

<p>Pocket Wizard is having too many problems with their TTL units. Best to wait for future debugged units. Cyber Sync units are cheap, relatively, and reliable. The Cyber Commander, when paired with compatible units, is pretty ideal. Full control of power levels, and on/off control.</p>

<p>For basic radio slave control, Cyber Sync looks pretty darned nice at a pretty darned nice price!</p>

[mario_saliba]

<p>Thank you all for your contributions.<br>

I would need ttl becuase in a wedding I would not like to test the flash before shooting. I need to make things easier.<br>

Greg is the ST-E2 reliable when it comes hide a flash around a corner. I am planning to shoot infront of the of the artal to light the main subject and then put a secondary flash behind the artal to light the rest of the church. Between the ST-E2 and the flash I will have the subject and the altar as obstacles. Plus the primary flash needs to be placed on a mounting bracket near the camera.<br>

The new pocket wizards tt1 has the option to add a flash on top of the transmitter.</p>

<p>regards</p>

 

[mario_saliba]

<p>I found the elinchrom el skysport trigger set with 2 transmitters at 197 euros at calumet photo. Seems worth the price if they live up to hard work :)</p>

[grego1]

<p>Mario, <br /> i never tried to shoot this way... logic tells me that you would have a problem with triggering "around a corner"... it might be possible if there was some reflective surface (white wall or something) near the flash or st-e2... Stephen Eastwood (very good photog and one of Canon's "explorers of light") wrote/advised on some forum to take off red cover from st-e2 (piece of plastic that changes visible light into infrared) as it helps when shooting in bright light and helps to extend "workable" distance of st-e2... i tried it and it really helps but i never shoot a single photo with set up similar to yours... i used to use it with flash heads towards the umbrella (cross light) but umbrella was highly reflective (silver) so there was no problem... i tried to shoot with softbox (lastolite eazybox) and it didn't trigger flash until i turned the flash head around and directed ex580's sensor towards me... <br /> if you have enough time to buy el-skyport and test it in lighting conditions similar to the wedding you're going to shoot, then i would say go with it and don't be even thinking of st-e2... only one thing that i don't like on elinchrom system and you should remember of is sync speed - manual says that it should sync up to 1/200s but it differs between my 30D and 5D - it syncs on 1/200s with 30D, but on 5D it's 1/160s and if i go over 1/160s i catch second curtain... other than that it's great.<br /> enjoy with whatever you choose :)<br /> regards,<br /> greg</p>

 

[d_g5]

<p>Okay! Here it is... SKIP THE SKYPORTS!! Save your money on the pocketwizards! Buy the alienbees cybersync system!!!!</p>

[mario_saliba]

<p>hi dg<br>

what is your reason to ignore the skyports ? Do you have pocket wizards ?</p>

 

[mario_saliba]

<p>will the alien bees work with ttl ?</p>

[jim_stewart3]

<p>Personally, for weddings if I needed a system to take to a wedding I would take the pocket wizards (old system not the TTL one unless they resolve the issues). I have used the ebay ones and they are just not reliable. I changed to the cybersync but they have let me down big time on a shoot not triggering more than a few metres. This was due to some unknown localised interference (worked fine away from the location), I would not trust them for a wedding now. I would want to test the radiopoppers. There is no time at weddings for messing about so reliability has got to be key.</p>

[d_g5]

<p>The skyports have a built in battery in the receiver and cannot be changed. Alienbees will not work with radio poppers as they are a manual system that just dumps power. It doesnt connect to a cameras metering system to talk with the camera to give through the lens (TTL) results.</p>

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

<p>I've been very happy with my old Pocket Wizards. COmpletely reliable, but no TTL which is fine with me. I either meter or I use the Guide Number to nail exposures.</p>

[mario_saliba]

<p>what is the exact model of your pocket wizards? I read that the new ttl version of pocket wizards is not relyable but I would also need a complete tutorial to learn how to use them well without ttl :)</p>

 

[steven_koopman]

<p>I just received my new Pocket Wizards a few weeks ago (3 Flex's) and love them. Absolutely no problem with the TTL or full manual.<br>

<br /> Their only issue is radio frequency interference with certain Canon flashes (580EX I & II, 430EX I), which reduces their normal range from hundreds of feet to about 30-40 feet. I confirmed this with a 580EX and a 430EX II both on separate stands, triggering both with a Flex on camera and walking away every 10 feet or so. The 580 stopped responding around the 40 foot mark but I ran out of room for the 430 (I estimate close to 400 feet). This is suitable in most aspects of wedding shoots, but in July they are releasing an RF shield that brings the range back up to hundreds of feet.<br>

<br /> I admit this is an annoyance and an extra thing to buy, but in my opinion they are more than worth it. When in range they are 100% reliable, you have your choice of TTL or manual, hypersync (being able to shoot past x-sync max - usually 1/250th for most cameras), and the ability to have full control over your ratios (TTL) or power settings (manual) if there's a 580EX II on camera with your Pocket Wizard transmitter.<br>

<br /> Also, they're won't become yesterday's technology the day after you buy them. They have a USB port that you connect to your computer and sync with Pocket Wizard's free software. Any firmware upgrades or improvements will be updated when you connect. They've already done this a couple of times (e.g., allow full manual control, update for new cameras like the 5D MkII, etc.). This makes me feel more comfortable investing in this system knowing it won't become immediately redundant.<br>

<br /> Rob Galbraith's site <a href="http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-10040-10085">http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-10040-10085</a> just talked about PW's new ZoneController that goes on top of the transmitter, where you don't even have to have a flash on camera to have full control over three slave groups. Even better, you can combine both TTL and manual, and also turn off a specific group on camera. The ST-E2 cannot provide such robust features as these.<br>

<br /> Think of it during a wedding: you have two crosslights on either side of the dance floor, maybe with a back or silhouette light on a dining table. Each is set separately to Group A, B & C. Maybe you don't like how the one crosslight comes into the shot from your new vantage point and composition. Simply turn off that light from your camera and you're good to go! No walking over to the flash and manually having to turn it off!<br>

<br /> P.S. PW's are great for your "flash around the corner" example. You don't need line of sight in most situations with them.<br>

<br /> Whatever your choice, happy shooting!</p>

[dave_holland]

<p>If you don't want to shoot manual, then radio triggers are out, except for the new pocketwizard devices. As long as you are shooting indoors then the Canon optical triggering will work fine. And you don't need to buy the ST-E2, as any Canon flash master (550 or 580) comes with a built-in optical triggering system. I would get at least one master (550, 580), and a second flash to act as a slave (550, 580, or 430). If you get two 580's, the interface issues will be less marked. Then, most importantly, practice, since you want to have this all down pat before trying to use it at a paid wedding.</p>

[prettygeeky]

<p>If you want full TTL you should look at the new Radio Popper PXs. Like the Pocket Wizards, they are not cheap, but do a quick youtube search on radio popper vs pocketwizards and you'll see right away which one would work best for you.<br>

The video steered me enough way from the new TTL Pocket Wizards.<br>

I just received my Radio Popper PXs and love them. No need to walk over to any speedlights for adjustments. I control all power levels / ratios right from my commander (nikon SU-800) as usual.<br>

Radio Poppers will work for either Nikon or Canon wireless triggering systems.</p>

<p> </p>

[mario_saliba]

<p>Ty Yang, one good feature the pocket wizards have is that you can attach a flash with the hotshoe of the transmitter.<br>

I will not need another reveiver to make another flash mounted with the camera bracket to work.</p>