Cactus V6 II HSS compatibility with my current speedlite?

elpolodiablo · 08-26-2016, 03:10 PM

Hi guys, I've been interested in the V6 II for some time due to its ability to remotely control power output and remote HSS possibilities, and really wanted a set to replace my 4x V5. But looking through the supported Pentax compatible speedlite models it would look like I am out of luck, I got 5 different flashes(I know...) Metz 48AF-1 / Sigma 500 DG Super / Sigma 530 DG Super / Pentax AF360FGZ II / Pentax AF540FGZ(v1), only the original Pentax 540 is officially supported.

My question is, would my flashes work with V6 II? Specifically remote power control and remote HSS. My V5 set works fine for shutter speed below 1/180th but I am really looking forward to breaking that barrier.

fwbigd · 08-26-2016, 06:10 PM

Both of your Pentax Flashes (AF360FGZ II AND AF540GGZ I) are fully supported in the Cactus V6ii menu. The beauty of the V6ii is that it has an AUTO PENTAX mode for flashes that are not fully supported in the menu. I have a Metz AF52-1 that is not supported in the menu. To use it all I do is simply set the flash to AUTO PENTAX, and the Cactus V6ii allow me to fire the flash in HSS up to 1/8000 of a second. Also, you can adjust the power of the flash in 1/10 powers. The only thing it will no do in the AUTO mode is zoom the flash head.

Another beauty of the V6ii is that you can fire studio strobes in HSS by mounting a second trigger in the hot shoe of the V6ii as long as you set the flash system to Nikon. I have no idea why it works when set to Nikon but it works.

dfp771 · 08-26-2016, 10:09 PM

I also have two Cactus V6 iis and I've used these to control my Metz 52-AF1. Regardless of the Mode of the Metz flash (Manual, TTL, TTL HSS) I can control both Zoom and power level from the Cactus V6 II in Tx mode on my Pentax K-1. The Cactus V6 II TX is set to Pentax camera, Pentax flash. The Cactus V6 II Rx is set to Pentax flash, auto. And I can shoot up to 1/8000 second with the Cactus's in normal/HSS mode. The Cactus TX is also set to TTL THROUGH mode. FYI.

Class A · 08-27-2016, 04:48 AM

Originally posted by fwbigd

Another beauty of the V6ii is that you can fire studio strobes in HSS by mounting a second trigger in the hot shoe of the V6ii as long as you set the flash system to Nikon.

The need to choose "Nikon" was a bug. If you update your V6 II firmware, you will be able to select "Manual" as well.
I would highly recommend a firmware update as in particular the first version (V1.1.001) was rather buggy.

mcgregni · 08-27-2016, 06:46 AM

It's good to hear that these new triggers are working well as intended, giving radio HSS and zoom to a range of compatible flashes. As I understand it, in principle, it is the flash units Pentax 'TTL Dedication' that should determine its compatibility to work these functions, plus the remote power level control.

For HSS, I'd be interested to know about the settings configurations .... For P-TTL optical wireless working you don't need to set HS Sync mode on the slave flashes, only on the Master/Control flash. Now with radio triggering there's no 'Master' flash, do we need to set the Slave flashes to HS Sync mode ? (they won't be getting the mode instruction from the pre-flash).

In fact, I'm thinking also that the slaves would not need to be set to their Wireless mode at all, as that relates only to P-TTL wireless working (which we're not using in this case with the V6IIs). And finally, is there a need to switch to HSS mode on either the V6II Tx or Rx, or both? Or is it only necessary to set the exposure time to less than the max sync? ....

Sorry, more questions than answers, but hopefully its helpful for discussion .

dfp771 · 08-27-2016, 09:46 AM

Originally posted by mcgregni

It's good to hear that these new triggers are working well as intended, giving radio HSS and zoom to a range of compatible flashes. As I understand it, in principle, it is the flash units Pentax 'TTL Dedication' that should determine its compatibility to work these functions, plus the remote power level control.

For HSS, I'd be interested to know about the settings configurations .... For P-TTL optical wireless working you don't need to set HS Sync mode on the slave flashes, only on the Master/Control flash. Now with radio triggering there's no 'Master' flash, do we need to set the Slave flashes to HS Sync mode ? (they won't be getting the mode instruction from the pre-flash).

In fact, I'm thinking also that the slaves would not need to be set to their Wireless mode at all, as that relates only to P-TTL wireless working (which we're not using in this case with the V6IIs). And finally, is there a need to switch to HSS mode on either the V6II Tx or Rx, or both? Or is it only necessary to set the exposure time to less than the max sync? ....

Sorry, more questions than answers, but hopefully its helpful for discussion .

For the Metz 52 AF-1 it doesn't seem to matter what mode it is in for remote control with the V6 II. It can be in P TTL HSS, P TTL, or M and the V6 II in TX mode on the camera can control zoom, power, and flash trigger remotely with the Metz mounted on the second V6 II in RX mode. It basically acts like it is on the camera. The V6 II TX needs to be set to Normal/HSS mode.

mcgregni · 08-27-2016, 11:00 AM

That's interesting, and seems to be a change for Cactus ... The V6 required slave flashes to be set to P-TTL mode to control power levels. It suggests that the V6II works via different protocols, perhaps more like the Acon P-TTL emulation style?

fwbigd · 08-27-2016, 02:28 PM

Originally posted by Class A

The need to choose "Nikon" was a bug. If you update your V6 II firmware, you will be able to select "Manual" as well.
I would highly recommend a firmware update as in particular the first version (V1.1.001) was rather buggy.

I have the latest firmware V1.1.003 and it still requires that the flash system be set to Nikon to use with my Godox AD360 and Elinchrom studio strobes in the HSS mode. I tried all the modes Canon, Pentax and Manual and none of the work. Only the Nikon Flash mode works.

dfp771 · 08-27-2016, 03:00 PM

Originally posted by fwbigd

I have the latest firmware V1.1.003 and it still requires that the flash system be set to Nikon to use with my Godox AD360 and Elinchrom studio strobes in the HSS mode. I tried all the modes Canon, Pentax and Manual and none of the work. Only the Nikon Flash mode works.

I tried using a single V6 II and mounting the El speed skyport transmitter on top. It would work sometimes when setting the flash mode to Nikon but not reliably. Using two V6 IIs and setting the flash to manual I have no problems using my Elinchrom ELB400 with the external sync socket attached to a V6 II in Rx mode.

Class A · 08-28-2016, 12:55 AM

Originally posted by mcgregni

As I understand it, in principle, it is the flash units Pentax 'TTL Dedication' that should determine its compatibility to work these functions, plus the remote power level control.

In principle, yes, but note that a V6II can work with other flash systems as well.
Most flashes supporting E-TTL (Canon), i-TTL (Nikon), P-TTL (Pentax) and I think some more, will support remote power level and zoom setting control.

Originally posted by mcgregni

For P-TTL optical wireless working you don't need to set HS Sync mode on the slave flashes, only on the Master/Control flash. Now with radio triggering there's no 'Master' flash, do we need to set the Slave flashes to HS Sync mode ?

A system-dedicated flash should be set up as if you were using it on a camera.
My Metz 58 AF-2, for instance, does not require any setup. As soon as I turn on the V6II receiver, the Metz automatically switches into the right (P-TTL HSS) mode.

Manual flashes, or those that only support extra features through proprietary means (e.g., Godox flashes that do not have a Canon/Nikon dedication) require manually engaging their HSS mode, if you want to use them for HSS photography.

Originally posted by mcgregni

In fact, I'm thinking also that the slaves would not need to be set to their Wireless mode at all, as that relates only to P-TTL wireless working (which we're not using in this case with the V6IIs).

Yes, as dfp771 already mentioned, off-camera flashes on V6II receiver units are essentially treated as if they were connected to a camera directly.

Originally posted by mcgregni

And finally, is there a need to switch to HSS mode on either the V6II Tx or Rx, or both?

No, you can take manual control, if you like, but the default are auto modes that use standard-sync or HSS-sync depending on the shutter speed.

Originally posted by mcgregni

That's interesting, and seems to be a change for Cactus ... The V6 required slave flashes to be set to P-TTL mode to control power levels.

The V6 mainly used an analogue interface to communicate with flashes. It was not able to speak the digital language specific to the respective flash systems.

In contrast, the V6II talks to flashes using their native digital protocol. It can thus achieve quite a bit more, such as putting them in the right mode and/or control the zoom setting.

I don't know whether the fact that the Metz 52 AF-1 can be put into any mode (including manual) and still work with a V6II translates to other flash models. I suspect not, but any standard/default mode should work without requiring manual intervention.

mcgregni · 08-28-2016, 01:17 AM

Thanks for the extra information ClassA. I'm still looking forward to getting a V6II, but the price is 90 pounds here in the UK
.. Lets hope it moves down in time.

elpolodiablo · 08-28-2016, 02:54 AM

Thanks all for the input, looks like at least my Pentax and Metz flash would work with V6II out of the box, I think I am going to order a set, let's hope the Sigmas I have also works as they are a bit more powerful.

Class A · 08-28-2016, 03:48 PM

Originally posted by mcgregni

I'm still looking forward to getting a V6II, but the price is 90 pounds here in the UK
.. Lets hope it moves down in time.

Given past price policies, I wouldn't expect the price to come down.

If you ordered the V6II from Cactus directly, it should come to 73 pounds + shipping, provided you won't have to pay customs fees.

Class A · 08-28-2016, 03:51 PM

Originally posted by elpolodiablo

...let's hope the Sigmas I have also works as they are a bit more powerful.

Sadly a number of Sigma models have compatibility issues with triggers. Haven't heard much about them and the V6II yet, but I wouldn't get my hopes up too much, if I were you.

elpolodiablo · 08-29-2016, 04:27 AM

Originally posted by Class A

Sadly a number of Sigma models have compatibility issues with triggers. Haven't heard much about them and the V6II yet, but I wouldn't get my hopes up too much, if I were you.

Sadly I think you might be right, Sigma Flash were fine with older Pentax bodies, but as I transition to K-1 they just becomes dump flash without any advance functions, if remote power control doesn't work with them I might just have to sell them and move on.

08-26-2016, 03:10 PM	#1
elpolodiablo Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,637	Cactus V6 II HSS compatibility with my current speedlite? Hi guys, I've been interested in the V6 II for some time due to its ability to remotely control power output and remote HSS possibilities, and really wanted a set to replace my 4x V5. But looking through the supported Pentax compatible speedlite models it would look like I am out of luck, I got 5 different flashes(I know...) Metz 48AF-1 / Sigma 500 DG Super / Sigma 530 DG Super / Pentax AF360FGZ II / Pentax AF540FGZ(v1), only the original Pentax 540 is officially supported. My question is, would my flashes work with V6 II? Specifically remote power control and remote HSS. My V5 set works fine for shutter speed below 1/180th but I am really looking forward to breaking that barrier.

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08-26-2016, 06:10 PM	#2
fwbigd Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Fort Worth TX Posts: 339	Both of your Pentax Flashes (AF360FGZ II AND AF540GGZ I) are fully supported in the Cactus V6ii menu. The beauty of the V6ii is that it has an AUTO PENTAX mode for flashes that are not fully supported in the menu. I have a Metz AF52-1 that is not supported in the menu. To use it all I do is simply set the flash to AUTO PENTAX, and the Cactus V6ii allow me to fire the flash in HSS up to 1/8000 of a second. Also, you can adjust the power of the flash in 1/10 powers. The only thing it will no do in the AUTO mode is zoom the flash head. Another beauty of the V6ii is that you can fire studio strobes in HSS by mounting a second trigger in the hot shoe of the V6ii as long as you set the flash system to Nikon. I have no idea why it works when set to Nikon but it works.

08-26-2016, 10:09 PM	#3
dfp771 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Monterey County, California Photos: Albums Posts: 97	I also have two Cactus V6 iis and I've used these to control my Metz 52-AF1. Regardless of the Mode of the Metz flash (Manual, TTL, TTL HSS) I can control both Zoom and power level from the Cactus V6 II in Tx mode on my Pentax K-1. The Cactus V6 II TX is set to Pentax camera, Pentax flash. The Cactus V6 II Rx is set to Pentax flash, auto. And I can shoot up to 1/8000 second with the Cactus's in normal/HSS mode. The Cactus TX is also set to TTL THROUGH mode. FYI.

08-27-2016, 04:48 AM	#4
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by fwbigd Another beauty of the V6ii is that you can fire studio strobes in HSS by mounting a second trigger in the hot shoe of the V6ii as long as you set the flash system to Nikon. The need to choose "Nikon" was a bug. If you update your V6 II firmware, you will be able to select "Manual" as well. I would highly recommend a firmware update as in particular the first version (V1.1.001) was rather buggy.

08-27-2016, 06:46 AM	#5
mcgregni Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Surrey, England Posts: 2,603	It's good to hear that these new triggers are working well as intended, giving radio HSS and zoom to a range of compatible flashes. As I understand it, in principle, it is the flash units Pentax 'TTL Dedication' that should determine its compatibility to work these functions, plus the remote power level control. For HSS, I'd be interested to know about the settings configurations .... For P-TTL optical wireless working you don't need to set HS Sync mode on the slave flashes, only on the Master/Control flash. Now with radio triggering there's no 'Master' flash, do we need to set the Slave flashes to HS Sync mode ? (they won't be getting the mode instruction from the pre-flash). In fact, I'm thinking also that the slaves would not need to be set to their Wireless mode at all, as that relates only to P-TTL wireless working (which we're not using in this case with the V6IIs). And finally, is there a need to switch to HSS mode on either the V6II Tx or Rx, or both? Or is it only necessary to set the exposure time to less than the max sync? .... Sorry, more questions than answers, but hopefully its helpful for discussion .

08-27-2016, 09:46 AM	#6
dfp771 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Monterey County, California Photos: Albums Posts: 97	Originally posted by mcgregni It's good to hear that these new triggers are working well as intended, giving radio HSS and zoom to a range of compatible flashes. As I understand it, in principle, it is the flash units Pentax 'TTL Dedication' that should determine its compatibility to work these functions, plus the remote power level control. For HSS, I'd be interested to know about the settings configurations .... For P-TTL optical wireless working you don't need to set HS Sync mode on the slave flashes, only on the Master/Control flash. Now with radio triggering there's no 'Master' flash, do we need to set the Slave flashes to HS Sync mode ? (they won't be getting the mode instruction from the pre-flash). In fact, I'm thinking also that the slaves would not need to be set to their Wireless mode at all, as that relates only to P-TTL wireless working (which we're not using in this case with the V6IIs). And finally, is there a need to switch to HSS mode on either the V6II Tx or Rx, or both? Or is it only necessary to set the exposure time to less than the max sync? .... Sorry, more questions than answers, but hopefully its helpful for discussion . For the Metz 52 AF-1 it doesn't seem to matter what mode it is in for remote control with the V6 II. It can be in P TTL HSS, P TTL, or M and the V6 II in TX mode on the camera can control zoom, power, and flash trigger remotely with the Metz mounted on the second V6 II in RX mode. It basically acts like it is on the camera. The V6 II TX needs to be set to Normal/HSS mode.

08-27-2016, 11:00 AM	#7
mcgregni Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Surrey, England Posts: 2,603	That's interesting, and seems to be a change for Cactus ... The V6 required slave flashes to be set to P-TTL mode to control power levels. It suggests that the V6II works via different protocols, perhaps more like the Acon P-TTL emulation style?

08-27-2016, 02:28 PM	#8
fwbigd Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Fort Worth TX Posts: 339	Originally posted by Class A The need to choose "Nikon" was a bug. If you update your V6 II firmware, you will be able to select "Manual" as well. I would highly recommend a firmware update as in particular the first version (V1.1.001) was rather buggy. I have the latest firmware V1.1.003 and it still requires that the flash system be set to Nikon to use with my Godox AD360 and Elinchrom studio strobes in the HSS mode. I tried all the modes Canon, Pentax and Manual and none of the work. Only the Nikon Flash mode works.

08-27-2016, 03:00 PM	#9
dfp771 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Monterey County, California Photos: Albums Posts: 97	Originally posted by fwbigd I have the latest firmware V1.1.003 and it still requires that the flash system be set to Nikon to use with my Godox AD360 and Elinchrom studio strobes in the HSS mode. I tried all the modes Canon, Pentax and Manual and none of the work. Only the Nikon Flash mode works. I tried using a single V6 II and mounting the El speed skyport transmitter on top. It would work sometimes when setting the flash mode to Nikon but not reliably. Using two V6 IIs and setting the flash to manual I have no problems using my Elinchrom ELB400 with the external sync socket attached to a V6 II in Rx mode.

08-28-2016, 12:55 AM	#10
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by mcgregni As I understand it, in principle, it is the flash units Pentax 'TTL Dedication' that should determine its compatibility to work these functions, plus the remote power level control. In principle, yes, but note that a V6II can work with other flash systems as well. Most flashes supporting E-TTL (Canon), i-TTL (Nikon), P-TTL (Pentax) and I think some more, will support remote power level and zoom setting control. Originally posted by mcgregni For P-TTL optical wireless working you don't need to set HS Sync mode on the slave flashes, only on the Master/Control flash. Now with radio triggering there's no 'Master' flash, do we need to set the Slave flashes to HS Sync mode ? A system-dedicated flash should be set up as if you were using it on a camera. My Metz 58 AF-2, for instance, does not require any setup. As soon as I turn on the V6II receiver, the Metz automatically switches into the right (P-TTL HSS) mode. Manual flashes, or those that only support extra features through proprietary means (e.g., Godox flashes that do not have a Canon/Nikon dedication) require manually engaging their HSS mode, if you want to use them for HSS photography. Originally posted by mcgregni In fact, I'm thinking also that the slaves would not need to be set to their Wireless mode at all, as that relates only to P-TTL wireless working (which we're not using in this case with the V6IIs). Yes, as dfp771 already mentioned, off-camera flashes on V6II receiver units are essentially treated as if they were connected to a camera directly. Originally posted by mcgregni And finally, is there a need to switch to HSS mode on either the V6II Tx or Rx, or both? No, you can take manual control, if you like, but the default are auto modes that use standard-sync or HSS-sync depending on the shutter speed. Originally posted by mcgregni That's interesting, and seems to be a change for Cactus ... The V6 required slave flashes to be set to P-TTL mode to control power levels. The V6 mainly used an analogue interface to communicate with flashes. It was not able to speak the digital language specific to the respective flash systems. In contrast, the V6II talks to flashes using their native digital protocol. It can thus achieve quite a bit more, such as putting them in the right mode and/or control the zoom setting. I don't know whether the fact that the Metz 52 AF-1 can be put into any mode (including manual) and still work with a V6II translates to other flash models. I suspect not, but any standard/default mode should work without requiring manual intervention.

08-28-2016, 01:17 AM	#11
mcgregni Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Surrey, England Posts: 2,603	Thanks for the extra information ClassA. I'm still looking forward to getting a V6II, but the price is 90 pounds here in the UK .. Lets hope it moves down in time.

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08-28-2016, 02:54 AM	#12
elpolodiablo Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,637 Original Poster	Thanks all for the input, looks like at least my Pentax and Metz flash would work with V6II out of the box, I think I am going to order a set, let's hope the Sigmas I have also works as they are a bit more powerful.

08-28-2016, 03:48 PM	#13
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by mcgregni I'm still looking forward to getting a V6II, but the price is 90 pounds here in the UK .. Lets hope it moves down in time. Given past price policies, I wouldn't expect the price to come down. If you ordered the V6II from Cactus directly, it should come to 73 pounds + shipping, provided you won't have to pay customs fees.

08-28-2016, 03:51 PM	#14
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by elpolodiablo ...let's hope the Sigmas I have also works as they are a bit more powerful. Sadly a number of Sigma models have compatibility issues with triggers. Haven't heard much about them and the V6II yet, but I wouldn't get my hopes up too much, if I were you.

08-29-2016, 04:27 AM	#15
elpolodiablo Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,637 Original Poster	Originally posted by Class A Sadly a number of Sigma models have compatibility issues with triggers. Haven't heard much about them and the V6II yet, but I wouldn't get my hopes up too much, if I were you. Sadly I think you might be right, Sigma Flash were fine with older Pentax bodies, but as I transition to K-1 they just becomes dump flash without any advance functions, if remote power control doesn't work with them I might just have to sell them and move on.