Remote control for flash

[duncan_atack]

<p>Hi guys,<br>

I'm starting to get into playing with a bit of lightpainting and hit a small issue. What I want to do is fire the flash one or many times during a long exposure.<br>

I know I can just press the manual button on the flash and walk around with it, but if I want to be in the shot lit up by that flash I need some sort of remote to fire the flash when I choose from a distance.<br>

I have been looking at all the various flash remotes and triggers on sites like http://www.linkdelight.com/ but its a little confusing for a bit of newbie if any of these will fire the flash when its not connected to the camera.<br>

As an example imagine you use the bulb mode and open the shutter in the dark, and then I make a nice circle of light swinging a LED around in a cirlce on a string. Then before I end the shot I want to jump in the air and fire the the flash once that is sitting on the floor in front of me while I'm in the air so I'm in the shot.<br>

What can I use to fire the flash? I don't need anything expensive, its more of toy so any of the cheapie models would be good :)</p>

<p>As for gear, I have a Canon 60D and a Canon 480ex II flash.<br>

Cheers,<br />Duncan.</p>

[frank_skomial]

<p>E.g. radio remote trigger Phottix Strato has a flash test button. It does not need to be on a camera.<br>

You can hold the Transmitter, and with each press of the test button all remote flashes connected to the Photttix Strato receivers will fire.<br>

Pretty much all radio triggers can operate in a similar way.<br>

Your remote flashes must recycle fast, so you will be able to press very fast sequence.</p>

<p>Some more advanced flashes have a stroboscopic mode, to do it much faster...</p>

[craig_shearman1]

<p>Pocket Wizard has a test button, so yes you can fire the flash from the remote without the flash or the remote being attached to the camera. I used it all the time with my flash meter when setting up strudio strobes.</p>

[mukul_dube]

<p>Three decades ago I used a simple flash extension cord with a rigged up plunger in the connector at one end. The flash-gun had a PC socket, of course. Nowadays most guns don't, and I cannot say if long cords are still made.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>A pair of Pocket Wizards is gross overkill for this simple application, as well as being ridiculously expensive. Most of the cheap radio triggers sold on *Bay have a manual test button, and will do exactly what's needed. I can vouch for the <a href="http://dptnt.com/2009/12/ishoot-wireless-flash-trigger-pt-04-cn-review/">iShoot branded ones </a>as being reliable and effective, and for the trigger transmitter having a test button (as can be seen in the link above).</p>

[tim_hill4]

<p>I have the cactus v5 radio triggers. They will fire the flash without being mounted on the camera. They are about $90.00 a pair in Canada, less in the USA.<br /> Tim</p>

[duncan_atack]

<p>Thanks guys. It will probably only get used once or twice a month so I don't want to spend a fortune! :)<br>

Its just very hard to find out if you can fire the flash manually. You read some of the real cheap ones on amazon or ebay and they need to be attached to camera to even work so they aren't going to cut it.</p>

[rodeo_joe1]

<p>Duncan, as I said, I can vouch that the cheap i-Shoot triggers I've linked to can definitely be fired manually. You can clearly see a little test button on top of the trigger unit, and manual firing is what it's for. It doesn't have to be fitted on top of the camera to work.</p>

[sherman_peabody]

<p>Here's another inexpensive trigger:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002W3IXZW/">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002W3IXZW/</a></p>

<p>This is the CowboyStudio trigger for under $25 on Amazon. I use this one, and can confirm that it works whether mounted on the camera or not. The only shortcoming is a relatively short range - about 30 feet.</p>

 

[duncan_atack]

<p>Hi Sherman,<br>

That CowboyStudio trigger looks good at $25 :) So that one has a test button that I could fire the flash with the transmitter part in my hand rather than on the camera?<br>

30ft/10m should be plenty far enough for my uses too.</p>

 

[sherman_peabody]

<p>Hi Duncan,</p>

<p>Yes, the transmitter has a test button, and it functions on the camera, and off. As long as range isn't an issue, it works quite well. You'll find lots of favorable reviews for it on Amazon. And for that price, it's a low-risk purchase.</p>

<p> </p>