Off Camera Wireless Flash for Studio

**fretlessdavis** · 03-02-2014, 09:22 AM

Wow. Everything is much fancier these days...

I had no issues adjusting flashes manually, I had NO IDEA that this kind of tech existed South of a few g's for a full setup.

bmw · 03-02-2014, 12:53 PM

Originally posted by Class A

Yeah, that's nice stuff.

I like the Cyber Commander. Unfortunately, it cannot be used to control speedlites as well.

I would be okay with just slave mode on any hotshoe flashes I included in lighting. I've been doing that more lately for things like rim, hair and background lights. Simpler is often best.

Quote:

What flashes do you have already?

You may be able to remote control their power with the Cactus V6. Minimum requirement is support for the old analogue TTL protocol or any new (Canon, Nikon, Pentax) digital TTL protocol.

Now that would be cool. I wasn't aware that the Cactus stuff could do that. I have two AF540FGZ's and a couple of Neewer TT560's. If the Cacti can power-control the 540's I could save myself a great deal of trouble. Once set to manual inside Westcott Apollos they are time-consuming to adjust. That's the main reason I'm considering the latest radio-controlled flashes.

Thanks once again! I'm off to read up on these Cactus radios.

AquaDome · 03-02-2014, 01:25 PM

This Cactus product is going to give PocketWizard a run for their money. I already have PocketWizards and don't know how much the Cactus stuff will cost when available, but I might just have to upgrade.
I thought using a PocketWizard on my Mamiya C2 was cheating. Ability to set power level on multiple flashes from the master without spending $500 per flash is definitely cheating.

Class A · 03-02-2014, 02:09 PM

Originally posted by bmw

I would be okay with just slave mode on any hotshoe flashes I included in lighting. I've been doing that more lately for things like rim, hair and background lights. Simpler is often best.

I agree with "simpler is often best" but am not quite sure what you mean by "just slave mode".
What I'm suggesting is manual control of the speedlights, but instead of walking up to them in order to make power adjustments, it should be possible to do that using an on-camera flash in master mode or an on-camera radio trigger. Both RF60 and V6 are up to the job.

Originally posted by bmw

I have two AF540FGZ's and a couple of Neewer TT560's. If the Cacti can power-control the 540's I could save myself a great deal of trouble.

They can.

The AF540GZ is supported with a profile on the V6. Bear in mind that the communication happens via radio signals. No line of sight required.

The Neewer TT560 appears to be a fully manual flash with no TTL support whatsoever. If that is the case -- please correct me if I'm wrong -- then its power cannot be remote-controlled by the V6.

Originally posted by bmw

Once set to manual inside Westcott Apollos they are time-consuming to adjust.

Yes, some light modifier solutions allow good access to a speedlite but with most it is just a pain to always having to partially rip them apart to get to the speedlite.

kenyee · 03-02-2014, 02:52 PM

Originally posted by Class A

The disadvantage compared to the V6, for instance, is that the control is purely analogue, i.e., you turn a dial basically in a trial and error fashion.

The RP JrX are also faster to use...wedding photographers use them a lot because you don't really need 0.1 f/stop accuracy most of the time...I've never had an occasion where it really bothered me.

Originally posted by Class A

I like the Cyber Commander. Unfortunately, it cannot be used to control speedlites as well.

Actually, it can...I built an adapter for it so it works like the RP JrX (so I don't need the RP JrX as much). It is slower to control the power levels though, because you have to fiddle w/ the joystick, etc. but works well enough.

bmw · 03-02-2014, 02:53 PM

Originally posted by Class A

I agree with "simpler is often best" but am not quite sure what you mean by "just slave mode".

Context is missing now, but I was referring to the case where, say, I went with Paul C Buff Einsteins (instead of sticking with all hotshoe flashes). In that case an Einstein would be my main and maybe one for fill and I'd welcome full power control that the Cyber Commander gives. If I added a couple of hotshoe flashes for accent (eg hair, rim) I'd be content to set them into slave mode, fully manual. Those lights generally don't need frequent adjusting and even then it's easy to just quickly move the lightstand around (toward or away to increase/decrease light).

Quote:

The Neewer TT560 appears to be a fully manual flash with no TTL support whatsoever. If that is the case -- please correct me if I'm wrong -- then its power cannot be remote-controlled by the V6.

Quite correct. TT560's are as dumb as a bag of hammers. But super simple and solid (so far).

Quote:

Yes, some light modifier solutions allow good access to a speedlite but with most it is just a pain to always having to partially rip them apart to get to the speedlite.

That's about my only complaint with the Westcott Apollos. Otherwise they are really well paired with hotshoe flashes as they are extremely efficient and yield excellent light.

The new Westcott Rapid Box line solves the rip-it-open-to-adjust-light problem, but they cost twice as much -- not good.

Class A · 03-02-2014, 04:42 PM

Originally posted by kenyee

The RP JrX are also faster to use...

Not trying to diss the RP JrX but I don't believe that.

As I wrote you can set the V6 to make jumps as large as one step for one click of the dial. You can change multiple lights at the same time, or just one at a time. While the analogue controls are direct, they also make it hard to hit a particular level consistently.

Originally posted by kenyee

Actually, it can...I built an adapter for it so it works like the RP JrX (so I don't need the RP JrX as much).

Interesting. I take it your adapter contains quite a bit of electronics.

When I enquired at Paul C. Buff about using their receivers to control the power of speedlights, they told me that they are using a voltage-based system for their power control. This is not compatible with the time-based (quench-type) control that TTL speedlights need. It would be very interesting to hear more about your adapter.

Class A · 03-02-2014, 04:44 PM

Originally posted by bmw

The new Westcott Rapid Box line solves the rip-it-open-to-adjust-light problem, but they cost twice as much -- not good.

Well, thanks to the fact that you can remote control the power of your AF540GZs even when they are inside your Westcott Apollos, as long as you add one V6 per flash, this need not bother you.

bmw · 03-02-2014, 05:09 PM

Originally posted by Class A

Well, thanks to the fact that you can remote control the power of your AF540GZs even when they are inside your Westcott Apollos, as long as you add one V6 per flash, this need not bother you.

Agreed! And I'm looking forward eagerly to hearing pricing and availability now.

kenyee · 03-03-2014, 08:13 PM

Originally posted by Class A

When I enquired at Paul C. Buff about using their receivers to control the power of speedlights, they told me that they are using a voltage-based system for their power control. This is not compatible with the time-based (quench-type) control that TTL speedlights need. It would be very interesting to hear more about your adapter.

It basically makes the the PCB receivers work like RP Jrx Receivers. I did post on their forum asking for guinea pigs but there wasn't much interest in it.

The Cactus V6 don't look bad from the previews. Looks like you still have to tie to their flashes? If they're tying into any of the TTL system, it might not work well w/ Pentax...the RF602's definitely didn't (they're what led me to the RP JrX).
I do like the old Nikon flashes though...just well-built workhorses.

Class A · 03-03-2014, 08:24 PM

Originally posted by kenyee

The Cactus V6 don't look bad from the previews. Looks like you still have to tie to their flashes?

No, the Cactus V6 will work with many other flashes, across all brands.

They have multi-brand contacts and thus can remote-control the power of many other flashes.

Originally posted by kenyee

If they're tying into any of the TTL system, it might not work well w/ Pentax...

It works with Pentax.

I'm remote controlling the power of a Pentax dedicated Metz 58 AF-2 with a V6 in my tests.

Originally posted by kenyee

I do like the old Nikon flashes though...just well-built workhorses.

Many of these will be supported by the V6.

baby007 · 03-04-2014, 05:30 PM

Originally posted by Class A

No, the Cactus V6 will work with many other flashes, across all brands.

They have multi-brand contacts and thus can remote-control the power of many other flashes.

It works with Pentax.

I'm remote controlling the power of a Pentax dedicated Metz 58 AF-2 with a V6 in my tests.

Many of these will be supported by the V6.

Do you know if the v6 will support hss on other flashes like yongnuo, sigma, goddox...
Edit: assuming the flash support HSS, of course

Class A · 03-04-2014, 08:06 PM

Originally posted by baby007

Do you know if the v6 will support hss on other flashes like yongnuo, sigma, goddox...

Only if the respective flash allows you to manually engage HSS.

The V6 won't be able to activate it, but if you can manually activate it, it will work.

bdery · 03-05-2014, 01:56 PM

Originally posted by theraven871

Can anyone tell me what wireless systems are compatible with my camera?

I'd suggest visiting Flash havoc, they make a good summary of the available options.

I personally decided on the new Godox (or Neewer) 850 and their triggers. Look them up at flash havoc, there is also a thread here on the forum.

baby007 · 03-05-2014, 02:47 PM

Originally posted by Class A

Only if the respective flash allows you to manually engage HSS.

The V6 won't be able to activate it, but if you can manually activate it, it will work.

Does that mean no manual HSS on Pentax?

03-04-2014, 05:30 PM	#42
baby007 Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 72	Originally posted by Class A No, the Cactus V6 will work with many other flashes, across all brands. They have multi-brand contacts and thus can remote-control the power of many other flashes. It works with Pentax. I'm remote controlling the power of a Pentax dedicated Metz 58 AF-2 with a V6 in my tests. Many of these will be supported by the V6. Do you know if the v6 will support hss on other flashes like yongnuo, sigma, goddox... Edit: assuming the flash support HSS, of course Last edited by baby007; 03-04-2014 at 05:36 PM.

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03-02-2014, 09:22 AM	#31
fretlessdavis Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Port Angeles, WA Photos: Gallery Posts: 505	Wow. Everything is much fancier these days... I had no issues adjusting flashes manually, I had NO IDEA that this kind of tech existed South of a few g's for a full setup.

03-02-2014, 12:53 PM	#32
bmw Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Mississauga Photos: Albums Posts: 212	Originally posted by Class A Yeah, that's nice stuff. I like the Cyber Commander. Unfortunately, it cannot be used to control speedlites as well. I would be okay with just slave mode on any hotshoe flashes I included in lighting. I've been doing that more lately for things like rim, hair and background lights. Simpler is often best. Quote: What flashes do you have already? You may be able to remote control their power with the Cactus V6. Minimum requirement is support for the old analogue TTL protocol or any new (Canon, Nikon, Pentax) digital TTL protocol. Now that would be cool. I wasn't aware that the Cactus stuff could do that. I have two AF540FGZ's and a couple of Neewer TT560's. If the Cacti can power-control the 540's I could save myself a great deal of trouble. Once set to manual inside Westcott Apollos they are time-consuming to adjust. That's the main reason I'm considering the latest radio-controlled flashes. Thanks once again! I'm off to read up on these Cactus radios.

03-02-2014, 01:25 PM	#33
AquaDome Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: New Carlisle, IN Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,475	This Cactus product is going to give PocketWizard a run for their money. I already have PocketWizards and don't know how much the Cactus stuff will cost when available, but I might just have to upgrade. I thought using a PocketWizard on my Mamiya C2 was cheating. Ability to set power level on multiple flashes from the master without spending $500 per flash is definitely cheating.

03-02-2014, 02:09 PM	#34
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by bmw I would be okay with just slave mode on any hotshoe flashes I included in lighting. I've been doing that more lately for things like rim, hair and background lights. Simpler is often best. I agree with "simpler is often best" but am not quite sure what you mean by "just slave mode". What I'm suggesting is manual control of the speedlights, but instead of walking up to them in order to make power adjustments, it should be possible to do that using an on-camera flash in master mode or an on-camera radio trigger. Both RF60 and V6 are up to the job. Originally posted by bmw I have two AF540FGZ's and a couple of Neewer TT560's. If the Cacti can power-control the 540's I could save myself a great deal of trouble. They can. The AF540GZ is supported with a profile on the V6. Bear in mind that the communication happens via radio signals. No line of sight required. The Neewer TT560 appears to be a fully manual flash with no TTL support whatsoever. If that is the case -- please correct me if I'm wrong -- then its power cannot be remote-controlled by the V6. Originally posted by bmw Once set to manual inside Westcott Apollos they are time-consuming to adjust. Yes, some light modifier solutions allow good access to a speedlite but with most it is just a pain to always having to partially rip them apart to get to the speedlite.

03-02-2014, 02:52 PM	#35
kenyee Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Boston, PRofMA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,026	Originally posted by Class A The disadvantage compared to the V6, for instance, is that the control is purely analogue, i.e., you turn a dial basically in a trial and error fashion. The RP JrX are also faster to use...wedding photographers use them a lot because you don't really need 0.1 f/stop accuracy most of the time...I've never had an occasion where it really bothered me. Originally posted by Class A I like the Cyber Commander. Unfortunately, it cannot be used to control speedlites as well. Actually, it can...I built an adapter for it so it works like the RP JrX (so I don't need the RP JrX as much). It is slower to control the power levels though, because you have to fiddle w/ the joystick, etc. but works well enough.

03-02-2014, 02:53 PM	#36
bmw Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Mississauga Photos: Albums Posts: 212	Originally posted by Class A I agree with "simpler is often best" but am not quite sure what you mean by "just slave mode". Context is missing now, but I was referring to the case where, say, I went with Paul C Buff Einsteins (instead of sticking with all hotshoe flashes). In that case an Einstein would be my main and maybe one for fill and I'd welcome full power control that the Cyber Commander gives. If I added a couple of hotshoe flashes for accent (eg hair, rim) I'd be content to set them into slave mode, fully manual. Those lights generally don't need frequent adjusting and even then it's easy to just quickly move the lightstand around (toward or away to increase/decrease light). Quote: The Neewer TT560 appears to be a fully manual flash with no TTL support whatsoever. If that is the case -- please correct me if I'm wrong -- then its power cannot be remote-controlled by the V6. Quite correct. TT560's are as dumb as a bag of hammers. But super simple and solid (so far). Quote: Yes, some light modifier solutions allow good access to a speedlite but with most it is just a pain to always having to partially rip them apart to get to the speedlite. That's about my only complaint with the Westcott Apollos. Otherwise they are really well paired with hotshoe flashes as they are extremely efficient and yield excellent light. The new Westcott Rapid Box line solves the rip-it-open-to-adjust-light problem, but they cost twice as much -- not good.

03-02-2014, 04:42 PM	#37
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by kenyee The RP JrX are also faster to use... Not trying to diss the RP JrX but I don't believe that. As I wrote you can set the V6 to make jumps as large as one step for one click of the dial. You can change multiple lights at the same time, or just one at a time. While the analogue controls are direct, they also make it hard to hit a particular level consistently. Originally posted by kenyee Actually, it can...I built an adapter for it so it works like the RP JrX (so I don't need the RP JrX as much). Interesting. I take it your adapter contains quite a bit of electronics. When I enquired at Paul C. Buff about using their receivers to control the power of speedlights, they told me that they are using a voltage-based system for their power control. This is not compatible with the time-based (quench-type) control that TTL speedlights need. It would be very interesting to hear more about your adapter.

03-02-2014, 04:44 PM	#38
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by bmw The new Westcott Rapid Box line solves the rip-it-open-to-adjust-light problem, but they cost twice as much -- not good. Well, thanks to the fact that you can remote control the power of your AF540GZs even when they are inside your Westcott Apollos, as long as you add one V6 per flash, this need not bother you.

03-02-2014, 05:09 PM	#39
bmw Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Mississauga Photos: Albums Posts: 212	Originally posted by Class A Well, thanks to the fact that you can remote control the power of your AF540GZs even when they are inside your Westcott Apollos, as long as you add one V6 per flash, this need not bother you. Agreed! And I'm looking forward eagerly to hearing pricing and availability now.

03-03-2014, 08:13 PM	#40
kenyee Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Boston, PRofMA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,026	Originally posted by Class A When I enquired at Paul C. Buff about using their receivers to control the power of speedlights, they told me that they are using a voltage-based system for their power control. This is not compatible with the time-based (quench-type) control that TTL speedlights need. It would be very interesting to hear more about your adapter. It basically makes the the PCB receivers work like RP Jrx Receivers. I did post on their forum asking for guinea pigs but there wasn't much interest in it. The Cactus V6 don't look bad from the previews. Looks like you still have to tie to their flashes? If they're tying into any of the TTL system, it might not work well w/ Pentax...the RF602's definitely didn't (they're what led me to the RP JrX). I do like the old Nikon flashes though...just well-built workhorses.

03-03-2014, 08:24 PM	#41
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by kenyee The Cactus V6 don't look bad from the previews. Looks like you still have to tie to their flashes? No, the Cactus V6 will work with many other flashes, across all brands. They have multi-brand contacts and thus can remote-control the power of many other flashes. Originally posted by kenyee If they're tying into any of the TTL system, it might not work well w/ Pentax... It works with Pentax. I'm remote controlling the power of a Pentax dedicated Metz 58 AF-2 with a V6 in my tests. Originally posted by kenyee I do like the old Nikon flashes though...just well-built workhorses. Many of these will be supported by the V6.

03-04-2014, 08:06 PM	#43
Class A Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251	Originally posted by baby007 Do you know if the v6 will support hss on other flashes like yongnuo, sigma, goddox... Only if the respective flash allows you to manually engage HSS. The V6 won't be able to activate it, but if you can manually activate it, it will work.

03-05-2014, 01:56 PM	#44
bdery Pentaxian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Quebec city, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 9,362	Originally posted by theraven871 Can anyone tell me what wireless systems are compatible with my camera? I'd suggest visiting Flash havoc, they make a good summary of the available options. I personally decided on the new Godox (or Neewer) 850 and their triggers. Look them up at flash havoc, there is also a thread here on the forum.

03-05-2014, 02:47 PM	#45
baby007 Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 72	Originally posted by Class A Only if the respective flash allows you to manually engage HSS. The V6 won't be able to activate it, but if you can manually activate it, it will work. Does that mean no manual HSS on Pentax?