Cactus V5 flash radio trigger review

[Class A]

I just posted a full review of the Cactus V5.

If anyone has any questions, please don't hesitate to post them here.

P.S.: I could repost the review here but having it at one location only makes it easier to amend/improve it.

[Dave Humphries]

P.S.: I could repost the review here but having it at one location only makes it easier to amend/improve it.

If I were you I'd keep it in one place for the reason you give.

Thanks for the link; I had a quick look and it looks pretty thorough and informative job, well done.

Although a Cactus isn't something I am personally interested in just now, I'm sure many others are.

[Class A]

If I were you I'd keep it in one place for the reason you give.

Thanks for your understanding.

Thanks for the link; I had a quick look and it looks pretty thorough and informative job, well done.

Thanks a lot.

[Class A]

Pricing information has become available:

The V5 Duo (two transceivers) will be US $59.95 and a single Cactus V5 will be US $34.95.

[bambleweeney]

Good thorough review. Personally I use Yungnuos at the moment (rf-602) which I'm pretty happy with. If I hadn't got those then these look tempting. What's the build quality like, I understand previous Cactus remotes were a bit fragile ?

[Class A]

Good thorough review.

Thanks.

What's the build quality like, I understand previous Cactus remotes were a bit fragile ?

Other testers praised how much the build quality has been improved. My first Cactus triggers were the V4 and I had no issues with their build quality. Maybe the receiver batter cover was a bit flimsy but it didn't cause any trouble for me.

The V5 has a metal female hot shoe and the male hot also has a metal plate. There is no antenna that could break off and overall it seems like a robust unit to me.

[inkista]

Probably should point out, there are RF-603s in the pipe, too. Apparently, transceivers using AAA batteries, with pass-through hotshoes are de rigueur this season in a bargain radio flash trigger. Yongnuo also swapped out the proprietary shutter release port for a 2.5mm minijack. The big advantages the V5s have over the 603s, though, is a locking shoe and a higher sync voltage limit. And Yongnuo didn't move that freaking power switch.

Sadly, the V5s are not compatible with the V2s and V4s, and the RF-603s are not compatible with the RF-601s and RF-602s.

[Class A]

Probably should point out, there are RF-603s in the pipe, too.

Yep, I mention them in the V5 review.

The big advantages the V5s have over the 603s, though, is a locking shoe and a higher sync voltage limit. And Yongnuo didn't move that freaking power switch.

Also, they don't allow "on the fly" channel selection, right? I find that to be quite a nice feature on the V5. With the channel dial you can change the channel and thus the light source(s) while moving around with the camera, e.g., in a room.

Sadly, the V5s are not compatible with the V2s and V4s, and the RF-603s are not compatible with the RF-601s and RF-602s.

That's right. But on a transceiver (both V5 and RF-603) you can put your old transmitter on top. I don't know about the RF-603, but on a V5 that means both transmitter fire, i.e. you can use all your receivers old and new.

[inkista]

Not sure about the channels--this Strobist thread mentions the dip switches are gone. Can't find a decent photo of the underbelly of the beast to see if it's been replaced by a dial, or if it's internally going to do the switching automatically [eyew].

I've heard you can stack a Tx on the 603 as well, but that may simply be theorizing. It's not clear to me if anybody actually has their hands on these things yet. The incompatibility is a little weirder on the Yongnuo side of the fence, since the 601s and 602s are compatible, and all three are 2.4 GHz triggers, iirc. The V5 and V4s being incompatible is mostly expected, since the V4s are 433 MHz, and the V5s are 2.4 GHz.

[Class A]

Not sure about the channels--this Strobist thread mentions the dip switches are gone. Can't find a decent photo of the underbelly of the beast to see if it's been replaced by a dial, or if it's internally going to do the switching automatically [eyew].

Somewhere else (forgot where) I read that the channel selection hasn't been improved over the 602, but, yeah, a bit difficult to get first hand information at this point in time.

[Class A]

The Cactus V5 Duo, Cactus V5 Single, and shutter release cables (e.g., Pentax version) are now available from the Gadget Infinity web store.