Pocket Wizard?

[mark4583]

I know the basics of what these do but what advantage would I gain from just using my D750 with SB-800's in Remote?

[Manfred M]

It allows you to get your flash off the camera and use it with light modifiers (primarily umbrellas) to give you nice, diffuse light.

There are other less expensive options out there, but PocketWizards are the closest thing in radio triggers to being "universal", but they are rather pricey. I shoot them with my SB-600, SB-900 and Paul C Buff Einstein 640 lights. I also use the AC-3 Zone Controller. This allows me to remotely control three groups of lights.

You can get "smart triggers" that communicate with your camera and flash or "dumb triggers" that tell the flash to fire and nothing else. You need one trigger for the camera and one for each flash.

[shreds]

Cheaper ones such as Godox products seem to work well and are so cheap they are a 'disposable' item when they fail or break. Not very eco - friendly, therefore.

I have used P-Ws for a number of years on SB-800 and SB-900 flash guns with no problems. Definitely opens up new worlds going OCF.

Godox do a nice bracket that takes the flashgun head and allows the P-W to be attached horizontally to the back of the softbox or brolly without damage and can be adjusted as to 'projection' into the modifier, as that is obviously critical. It is definitely preferable to some of the strange brackets that place a lot of weight on the base of the flashgun foot and should be avoided.

[Manfred M]

Godox do a nice bracket that takes the flashgun head and allows the P-W to be attached horizontally to the back of the softbox or brolly without damage and can be adjusted as to 'projection' into the modifier, as that is obviously critical. It is definitely preferable to some of the strange brackets that place a lot of weight on the base of the flashgun foot and should be avoided.

Unfortunately Godox supplies a Bowens style speed ring mount, whereas most of my soft boxes and reflectors are Balcar speed rings. For soft boxes, it's relatively easy to get a speed ring mount adapter. Not so for reflectors and the beauty dish, etc..

[inkista]

I know the basics of what these do but what advantage would I gain from just using my D750 with SB-800's in Remote?

Since nobody's mentioned this. Radio triggering, compared with optical triggering, does not require line of sight and has much better range (I once tested my Yongnuo RF-602 cheapies out to 700' / 200m). And, used in very bright ambient conditions without nearby bounce surfaces (say, on location in the sunlight) has much better reliability. Obviously, the tradeoff is radio interference. But there's a reason the SB-5000 does radio.

Keep in mind, too that "PocketWizard" is a brand, not a particular trigger model. PocketWizard triggers run the gamut from TTL with all the bells and whistles down to manual-only. And they're typically more expensive and operate on the 344 MHz band, rather than the 2.4 GHz band most other triggers today use.

If you're just starting out as a hobbyist who doesn't need to use gear that has integrated PW triggering (say, a Sekonic meter), it may be worthwhile to look at the Godox X system. in the system, radio transceivers are built into all the flashes, so you don't have to remember separate triggers, batteries for said triggers, and you don't have to attach them to the foot or sync port of the flash. The larger lights in the system all have built-in receivers. And all the gear works together with TTL (if the light can perform this), HSS, and remote M power level control. From the same trigger. It also works this way across the supported camera brands (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, micro four thirds with Pentax being added), so long as the on-camera transmitter unit is dedicated to the camera brand, and the light's been firmware updated.

There's also a new feature that may make TTL for off-camera flash useful. It basically "TTL locking", where the power level can be set via TTL, but then "locked in" with M mode for consistency or fine tuning. Profoto was the first out the gate with this about four years ago, but everyone's been playing catch-up since then.

Profoto Air, Nissin Air 10s, Cactus V6II, they all do both the cross-brand TTL/HSS support, as well as TTL locking. Just saying. There are more players in the radio flash trigger game than just PocketWizard.

Just me, but, if you're in the US, I'd say head for Adorama and pick up a TT685N (Flashpoint R2 Zoom TTL) for $110, and a $70 R2 Pro II-Nikon transmitter, and see how it works for you. And if you prefer "smart" optical of CLS, the TT685N can do that, too, and will make a great low-cost backup unit.

[shreds]

I only ever use the Nikon RC1 optical system for closeup work, where you can be assured in most circumstances of triggering, as line of sight is easy to configure in these circumstances. Can also use the lower powered flashguns as output will not need to be so strong.

Radio transmitters are so much better especially if you are doing things like back lighting outdoors, where line of sight will be more difficult to achieve/guarantee.

(Saw some secondhand (guaranteed 6 month, PWs) this week at an absolute snip of a price. Even made new Godox look expensive! Shame I don't need any more).

[rpcrowe]

Since nobody's mentioned this. Radio triggering, compared with optical triggering, does not require line of sight and has much better range (I once tested my Yongnuo RF-602 cheapies out to 700' / 200m). And, used in very bright ambient conditions without nearby bounce surfaces (say, on location in the sunlight) has much better reliability. Obviously, the tradeoff is radio interference. But there's a reason the SB-5000 does radio.

Keep in mind, too that "PocketWizard" is a brand, not a particular trigger model. PocketWizard triggers run the gamut from TTL with all the bells and whistles down to manual-only. And they're typically more expensive and operate on the 344 MHz band, rather than the 2.4 GHz band most other triggers today use.

If you're just starting out as a hobbyist who doesn't need to use gear that has integrated PW triggering (say, a Sekonic meter), it may be worthwhile to look at the Godox X system. in the system, radio transceivers are built into all the flashes, so you don't have to remember separate triggers, batteries for said triggers, and you don't have to attach them to the foot or sync port of the flash. The larger lights in the system all have built-in receivers. And all the gear works together with TTL (if the light can perform this), HSS, and remote M power level control. From the same trigger. It also works this way across the supported camera brands (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, micro four thirds with Pentax being added), so long as the on-camera transmitter unit is dedicated to the camera brand, and the light's been firmware updated.

There's also a new feature that may make TTL for off-camera flash useful. It basically "TTL locking", where the power level can be set via TTL, but then "locked in" with M mode for consistency or fine tuning. Profoto was the first out the gate with this about four years ago, but everyone's been playing catch-up since then.

Profoto Air, Nissin Air 10s, Cactus V6II, they all do both the cross-brand TTL/HSS support, as well as TTL locking. Just saying. There are more players in the radio flash trigger game than just PocketWizard.

Just me, but, if you're in the US, I'd say head for Adorama and pick up a TT685N (Flashpoint R2 Zoom TTL) for $110, and a $70 R2 Pro II-Nikon transmitter, and see how it works for you. And if you prefer "smart" optical of CLS, the TT685N can do that, too, and will make a great low-cost backup unit.

I totally agree...

Other things that I like about Godox equipment is that each flash can be a radio controlled master or slave. I like to carry a pair of cameras with different focal length lenses. A pair of Godox 350 flashes do not weigh very much. I an use one on each camera or use one on the camera ad use that one to trigger the second Godox.

"TTL Locking" is a great way to get a basic exposure which you can refine manually.

I have a Godox 360 TTL flash that I can control from either my Canon or my Sony cameras by just using the correct transceiver.

Finally, all of the Godox accessories are unbelievably inexpensive and are reasonably well made...

[inkista]

BTW, re: the Sekonic meter thing, well...

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7WQTRS8

Other relatively recent Godox news would be the upcoming AD200 Pro, V1 roundhead speedlight, and X2T transmitter. Robert Hall has a bunch of youtube video first-looks for the V1 and X2T.

The AD200 Pro looks to be a relatively minor upgrade over the AD200, with the biggest new feature being the color consistency mode. The V1 is the same power and recycling time as the V860II, but has a modeling lamp and can take the same magnetic modifiers as the AD200's round head, and an improved UI for radio master control The X2T transmitter has the basic X1T form factor, but incorporates a lot of UI improvements from both the XPro (group buttons; named C.Fn menus) and the Flashpoint R2 Pro II (bluetooth control; group buttons cycling through the group modes).

Still no news of Pentax versions of the TT685 or V860II, but the V1 and X2T will both have -P versions, according to the Adorama pre-order and in-development listings.

[george013]

Since nobody's mentioned this. Radio triggering, compared with optical triggering, does not require line of sight and has much better range (I once tested my Yongnuo RF-602 cheapies out to 700' / 200m). And, used in very bright ambient conditions without nearby bounce surfaces (say, on location in the sunlight) has much better reliability. Obviously, the tradeoff is radio interference. But there's a reason the SB-5000 does radio.

Keep in mind, too that "PocketWizard" is a brand, not a particular trigger model. PocketWizard triggers run the gamut from TTL with all the bells and whistles down to manual-only. And they're typically more expensive and operate on the 344 MHz band, rather than the 2.4 GHz band most other triggers today use.

If you're just starting out as a hobbyist who doesn't need to use gear that has integrated PW triggering (say, a Sekonic meter), it may be worthwhile to look at the Godox X system. in the system, radio transceivers are built into all the flashes, so you don't have to remember separate triggers, batteries for said triggers, and you don't have to attach them to the foot or sync port of the flash. The larger lights in the system all have built-in receivers. And all the gear works together with TTL (if the light can perform this), HSS, and remote M power level control. From the same trigger. It also works this way across the supported camera brands (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, micro four thirds with Pentax being added), so long as the on-camera transmitter unit is dedicated to the camera brand, and the light's been firmware updated.

There's also a new feature that may make TTL for off-camera flash useful. It basically "TTL locking", where the power level can be set via TTL, but then "locked in" with M mode for consistency or fine tuning. Profoto was the first out the gate with this about four years ago, but everyone's been playing catch-up since then.

Profoto Air, Nissin Air 10s, Cactus V6II, they all do both the cross-brand TTL/HSS support, as well as TTL locking. Just saying. There are more players in the radio flash trigger game than just PocketWizard.

Just me, but, if you're in the US, I'd say head for Adorama and pick up a TT685N (Flashpoint R2 Zoom TTL) for $110, and a $70 R2 Pro II-Nikon transmitter, and see how it works for you. And if you prefer "smart" optical of CLS, the TT685N can do that, too, and will make a great low-cost backup unit.

I'm not a flash user but I remember TTL communications happens by the use of a small flash, adding to the exposure. Sometimes that's not wanted. To use this way of comminication between camera and off-camera flash one could place a darkened glass in front of the on-camera flash. Communication signal passes that glass but not the light or very weak anyway. Often used glasses are from a welder spectacles.
I know TTL metering happens through a pre-flash that's send before the shutter opens. But one has to get rid off the on-camera flash either by disabling it or blocking it.
As said, I'm not a flash user.

George

[george013]

Former post probably out of date. It seems one can disable the popup flash but keep the monitor/commander flash.

George

[Manfred M]

I'm not a flash user but I remember TTL communications happens by the use of a small flash, adding to the exposure. Sometimes that's not wanted. To use this way of comminication between camera and off-camera flash one could place a darkened glass in front of the on-camera flash. Communication signal passes that glass but not the light or very weak anyway. Often used glasses are from a welder spectacles.
I know TTL metering happens through a pre-flash that's send before the shutter opens. But one has to get rid off the on-camera flash either by disabling it or blocking it.
As said, I'm not a flash user.

George

I believe that this technology was used to trigger "dumb" flashes, rather than modern iTTL ones. The users relied on the IR sensitivity of the receiver to fire the remote flash. Welding glass is primarily meant to block out UV wavelengths and reduce the intensity of visible light, so it makes sense that IR wavelengths would get through. The ones I remember from 40+ years ago were the Wein "Peanut" and if I remember correctly, they had a dark red dome. These were somewhat unreliable indoors and just about totally useless outdoors.

When I Googled the product, I see that they are still being sold, but they don't look the same as the ones I saw years ago. Technology does change and I wonder if these new ones are iTTL compatible?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...ve_3_Pack.html

[george013]

I believe that this technology was used to trigger "dumb" flashes, rather than modern iTTL ones. The users relied on the IR sensitivity of the receiver to fire the remote flash. Welding glass is primarily meant to block out UV wavelengths and reduce the intensity of visible light, so it makes sense that IR wavelengths would get through. The ones I remember from 40+ years ago were the Wein "Peanut" and if I remember correctly, they had a dark red dome. These were somewhat unreliable indoors and just about totally useless outdoors.

When I Googled the product, I see that they are still being sold, but they don't look the same as the ones I saw years ago. Technology does change and I wonder if these new ones are iTTL compatible?

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...ve_3_Pack.html

No, it's the camera's commander signal that's given as part of the (pre)flash. As far as I know since the D80(?) the main flash could be disabled in commander mode so leaving solely the pre flash left. But Mark has aD750.

George

[pschlute]

My camera (Pentax K-1) does not have a pop-up flash, but I can use a flash on the hot-shoe together with other flashes off camera in "optical wireless" mode. I have the choice to tell the on-camera flash whether to act as Master (where it will contribute to the flash output), or Controller (where it will send optical trigger signal only and not contribute to flash output). This is in TTL mode.

However I find using radio triggers is much easier.

[Manfred M]

My camera (Pentax K-1) does not have a pop-up flash, but I can use a flash on the hot-shoe together with other flashes off camera in "optical wireless" mode. I have the choice to tell the on-camera flash whether to act as Master (where it will contribute to the flash output), or Controller (where it will send optical trigger signal only and not contribute to flash output). This is in TTL mode.

However I find using radio triggers is much easier.

Not just the Pentax, but that "feature" is also shared with the Nikon D5 (D4, D3, etc) and D850. Canon has similarly "crippled" some of the higher end cameras that they make.

[pschlute]

Not just the Pentax, but that "feature" is also shared with the Nikon D5 (D4, D3, etc) and D850. Canon has similarly "crippled" some of the higher end cameras that they make.

Yes Manfred, I guess their thinking is that if you go for a high end model you won't be satisfied with a pop-up flash. While true in most cases, it does mean that you cannot grab a bit of impromptu fill flash when on a walkabout.

Mind, with the weight of cameras and lenses these days, I think the term lug-about might be more appropriate. I often use a small prime lens from my film days if I am going to be carrying my camera for any length of time on a walkabout

[Manfred M]

No, it's the camera's commander signal that's given as part of the (pre)flash. As far as I know since the D80(?) the main flash could be disabled in commander mode so leaving solely the pre flash left. But Mark has aD750.

George

That is true, but I am responding to what you wrote in #9, which is why I included your posting in the quote box. It's technology that I was introduced to almost 50 years ago and I do understand how it works. As you pointed out in #10, the information is based on something you refer to as "out of date". In terms of what you have written about the Nikon CLS and the ability to not have the "master" flash contribute to the lighting in the scene is also correct.

I think the important point you make is:

I'm not a flash user

Enough said.

[Manfred M]

Yes Manfred, I guess their thinking is that if you go for a high end model you won't be satisfied with a pop-up flash. While true in most cases, it does mean that you cannot grab a bit of impromptu fill flash when on a walkabout.

Mind, with the weight of cameras and lenses these days, I think the term lug-about might be more appropriate. I often use a small prime lens from my film days if I am going to be carrying my camera for any length of time on a walkabout

I did chat about this with some other knowledgeable people and their view is that the reason it has been omitted from some cameras is that it improves the weather proofing of the cameras. Not having a pop up flash is a simple and elegant way of removing an area of water ingress into the camera body.

[george013]

That is true, but I am responding to what you wrote in #9, which is why I included your posting in the quote box. It's technology that I was introduced to almost 50 years ago and I do understand how it works. As you pointed out in #10, the information is based on something you refer to as "out of date". In terms of what you have written about the Nikon CLS and the ability to not have the "master" flash contribute to the lighting in the scene is also correct.

I think the important point you make is:



Enough said.

??????

[Manfred M]

That is true, but I am responding to what you wrote in #9, which is why I included your posting in the quote box. It's technology that I was introduced to almost 50 years ago and I do understand how it works. As you pointed out in #10, the information is based on something you refer to as "out of date". In terms of what you have written about the Nikon CLS and the ability to not have the "master" flash contribute to the lighting in the scene is also correct.

I think the important point you make is:

I'm not a flash user

Enough said.

??????

You continue to share opinions on subjects you have little or no personal knowledge about. You have said so yourself on using flash.

[shreds]

I did chat about this with some other knowledgeable people and their view is that the reason it has been omitted from some cameras is that it improves the weather proofing of the cameras. Not having a pop up flash is a simple and elegant way of removing an area of water ingress into the camera body.

Not only that, but a pop up casts a shadow with any lens and if you are a higher end camera user then will also fully understand the limitations of on camera pop up flash and would find them not only as a source of water ingress, but an inconvenient and annoying 'toy' that is inappropriate for properly lighting a scene for numerous reasons.

Going 'walkabout' still needs thought and planning and using a proper flashgun in a bounce flash mode is an entirely practical solution if not going OCF, although cranking up the ISO on these cameras is also a way of getting that 'grab' shot, albeit at the expense of digital noise. It is much less visible on these cameras than on consumer grade ones. …..

"You pays your money…."