[Pentaxor]

Yep.. Forgot that with the 'transciever' design you can mount flash onto he V5 used as the trigger... Not a feature of the V4's I'm using... Pretty cool that one

does the transceiver mounted on the camera still be able to perform HSS mode on the flash mounted on it?

[Class A]

does the transceiver mounted on the camera still be able to perform HSS mode on the flash mounted on it?

No, the V5 do not have "TTL-pass through" contacts.

You would have to mount the HSS flash on the hot-shoe directly and trigger the V5 with the PC-sync port.

[Pentaxor]

No, the V5 do not have "TTL-pass through" contacts.

You would have to mount the HSS flash on the hot-shoe directly and trigger the V5 with the PC-sync port.

thanks. then it's a bummer as far as HSS use is still concerned. although useful for other means like fill-flash.

[NicoleAu]

I've just ordered a set of these and am wondering what the popular choice of light meter to use with these is? I'm hoping to find one that is relatively inexpensive.

[Class A]

I've just ordered a set of these and am wondering what the popular choice of light meter to use with these is?

You need a special flash meter.

With a DSLR, light meters are not nearly as important as they used to be, though. Just do a test shot and use the histogram to judge how much you need to adjust the f-ratio or ISO.

I guess if you wanted to achieve precise light level ratios from multiple light sources, a light meter could still be useful, but I personally would set the levels using visual feedback.

[NicoleAu]

Thanks Class A. When I get them I'll experiment and see how I go. After that I'll decide whether I need to splash out on one or not. I plan on using the units for portraiture outdoors.

[Class A]

Thanks Class A.

No worries, Nicole.

I plan on using the units for portraiture outdoors.

Outdoors, a simple reflector can be an essential tool. It has the advantage that it is a big light source.

If you use flash, some light modifier -- such as an umbrella -- will be much more important than a light meter. Bouncing a flash off a large reflector (while keeping the reflector relatively close to the subject) will have a very similar effect. If you don't somehow increase the area the artificial light is coming from, your images will likely have that unnatural, harsh flash light look.

Have you already checked out the Strobist 101 pages? Very useful info to be found over there.

Cambridge in Colour have a short tutorial on "Portrait Lighting". They also ran a "School of Portraiture" which you might also find useful since it discusses outdoor portraits.

[NicoleAu]

I have ordered a shoot through umbrella with stand and flash holder, it should arrive around the same time as the triggers. One of the reasons I'm choosing to use the flash, rather than reflectors is that I have no-one to hold reflectors for me.

I'm reading Neil Van Niekerks On camera flash at the moment and will probably get his off camera book as well.

One of the main reasons I'm interested in using flash for portraits is to try doing those dramatically lit outdoor night portraits. I love them and would love to learn how to do them myself.

Thanks for those links, I'll check them out

[philbaum]

Thanks Class A. When I get them I'll experiment and see how I go. After that I'll decide whether I need to splash out on one or not. I plan on using the units for portraiture outdoors.

I just did this scene tonight with 3 flashes, a Metz48, a Yongnuo560, a Yongnuo460 all in manual mode. I've been doing these little scenes to learn how to use and set up the flashes. In this case, i used one flash to light my face, and put 2 more in the tunnel to light it up, its quite large.

Setting up the flashes went pretty quickly, the biggest problem i've been having is getting all the radio triggers to work. If i don't go out with fresh batteries each time, I'll have problems and have to troubleshoot. Once i have fresh batteries, they work every time - unless they are practically sitting on one another.

You don't need a flash meter, imo, but more usefully, get a quality 8-battery charger like the maha powerex which individually will charge each battery to its maximum. plus it will top off any batteries that just down a little. Also, this charger will charge a mix of both NIMH AA and AAA at the same time. From now on, i'm not leaving any batteries in the triggers till next time, but recharging them all and putting them in a bag for use. My flashes are working fine and don't need any replacement batteries at the worksite. Its the triggers that failing to work with AAA unless they are fully charged. I understand these rf triggers have a range of 100 meters. maybe that explains why they are so demanding. Other than the battery issue, they work fine

[NicoleAu]

Can't view the photo unfortunately

Thanks for the tips, do you use eneloops??

[philbaum]

Can't view the photo unfortunately

Thanks for the tips, do you use eneloops??

Try again, i worked on the link at the flickr end. But in any case, yes, i'm using mostly eneloops, plus a few other NiMH that i had left over. I've seen one other report of large battery drain with the V5's that the poster believed was associated with the receiver mode. If i'm doing something wrong, i hope someone will speak up. They do seem to have really good range.

[NicoleAu]

Nice shot, loads of atmosphere. I quite like it's creepiness!

[philbaum]

Nice shot, loads of atmosphere. I quite like it's creepiness!

Thanks Nicole, appreciate the feedback.

While basically using my flash and trigger together, handholding it for intervalometer shots, i hit it on a table and dropped it onto a concrete sidewalk. . The Yongnuo 460II, worth all of $45 survived fine. The Cactus trigger ejected its battery tray and now can't be latched when its reinstalled. I managed to disassemble it without too much difficulty, There is 2 small screws on the bottom, remove then and gently slide and lift out the top cover. Then remove 2 screws from the main circuit board. I can't fix or see anything wrong with the latch, its just not latching. It occurs to me that i can just use some tape to hold the battery tray in and don't need the latch. I'll just remove the spring from the latch so i'm not fighting it - i think. anyway, $30+ to replace it.

My new battery charger and making sure everything is working before taking it to the field ensured no battery problems this time. all 3 triggers working fine (until i dropped the one :-))

Hey at least the Cactus isn't some $200 model that i have to send back somewhere to get it fixed.

best wishes,

[NicoleAu]

Yep that's true, it's the bonus with cheaper items if they work well.

Do you have a larger version of your avatar pic? I'd love to see it, the small version looks intriguing.

[TOUGEFC]

The V5's are pretty robust, during a shoot last month, one v5 (plus af540fgz and umbrella) went completely underwater (not my fault by the way) and the V5 survived and still works flawlessly.

Pic from shoot-