[tomO2013]

Saw this announcement today with Pentax support and compatability:

Cactus V6 II | Wireless HSS Flash Transceiver

This could be a game changer for those of us looking to use off camera HSS with other brands of flash.

[Nuno Almeida]

Great, compatible with the V6?

[phat_bog]

Great, compatible with the V6?

the V6 is retrocompatible with the V5, so i maybe they will put out an update for the V6.

But if it is possbile, i don't think they V6 will be able to trigger HSS.

[RAART]

if works as advertised, than this is amazing news!

[beholder3]

nearly $200 for the minimum pair for a single off camra flash for a fully manual flash setting solution?
I thought the manual fiddling around with flashes the DIY strobist way was meant to be cheap.
A hefty $100 surcharge per flash doesnt feel like it.
Non HSS manual triggers usually cost less than $6 per piece.

Limited use case in many ways, but for a niche who tolerates the approach and is willing to pay the hefty price probably okish.

Any addition to options is good.

[elho_cid]

I have 3 units of V6, it is a relaible tool. This looks even better. Wow.

[SnapperDaddy]

The Metz Mecablitz 52 AF-1 isn' t listed as compatible, alas. Cactus knows that the 52's control protocol isn't compatible with the V6, we'll see what the company reports of efforts to tame that protocol for the V6-II.

[mcgregni]

What will determine the economics of this for many of us will be the compatibility or not of existing V6's to act in RX mode and receive a trigger signal from a transmitting V6II when the max sync is exceeded. The question is, does the RX unit have to also be a MkII version to receive this HSS trigger signal ?

I'm assuming that a V6II plus RF60 combo will just work .... So that's one flash sorted for radio HSS. But what about others? I mix my RF60 and Pentax 540 flashes now for HSS, but of course the Pentax requires the P-TTL wireless signal to fire it's HSS burst. A simple radio trigger signal, even though generated from a V6II beyond max Sync' speed, does not constitute a wireless P-TTL signal .... So I would not expect a Pentax /Metz/Sigma etc to emit their HSS bursts with just this radio trigger signal .... In any case, this also requires P-TTL metering, which obviously the Cactus doesn't supply j.

So I'm not clear yet exactly which flashes a Cactus radio HSS solution will actually work with, apart from the RF60 .....

[beholder3]

The Metz Mecablitz 52 AF-1 isn' t listed as compatible

Can you link a list to a compatibility statement per flash? I do not see any.

[SnapperDaddy]

Can you link a list to a compatibility statement per flash? I do not see any.

Cactus V6 II Wireless HSS Flash Transceiver| CACTUS

Scroll down to the text, Flash model profiles pre-installed in V6 II:, where you shall find:

Pentax system models:
- Metz 36AF-5, 44AF-1, 50AF-1, 58AF-2; - Pentax AF 360FGZ, AF 540FGZ;

---------- Post added 06-29-16 at 04:01 AM ----------

The wording in the page Cactus V6 II Wireless HSS Flash Transceiver| CACTUS could be clearer. If I read it correctly, Pentax cameras can use flashes for other systems, but flashes for Pentax cameras flashes only work on Pentax cameras. The footnote referenced in the text

The Cactus V6 II is the World’s First wireless flash trigger that supports cross-brand high-speed sync (HSS) and can control power output and zoom angle of Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic and Pentax system flashes all at the same time.1

reads

1 With the exception of Pentax system flashes due to special timing requirements so it must be paired with a Pentax camera in order to support HSS.

That isn't a serious limitation for me, as I'm using a Pentax camera, but. . . clear writing is to be desired.

---------- Post added 06-29-16 at 04:14 AM ----------

I find this in a forum discussion at Compatibility matrix V6, V6 II, RF60 - Cactus Community:

The V6 II supports HSS for Canon, Nikon, Olympus and Pentax flashes. Metz 52 is supported for any of above flash system.
Ray Chan

Marketing Specialist, Customer Service

Before we draw any conclusions, we need to allow Cactus to edit the Web site content and the forum content to make them consistent.

[beholder3]

The question is, does the RX unit have to also be a MkII version to receive this HSS trigger signal ?

Yes, you need a full new set of transceivers, the old Cactus v6 offer no HSS. They want to make a little more money:

Cactus V6 II does not support Normal HSS with Cactus V6;
Cactus V6 II does not work with any other flash trigger model including Cactus V4, V2s or V2;

Cactus V6 II Wireless HSS Flash Transceiver| CACTUS

Scroll down to the text, Flash model profiles pre-installed in V6 II:, where you shall find:

Thank you for the information. That is a rather limited list of flashes working out of the box. I wonder how they selected the few. It's not only some older models missing, but also the newer ones from Metz.

[mcgregni]

Hmmm, so considering that an RF60 has an internal V6, does that not sort of imply that the current breed of RF60 flashes will not work in HSS sympathy mode when receiving a radio trigger signal from a V6II ... ?

[beholder3]

The manual gives away:

1. 7.1.3: Non-x-TTL flashes, such as older strobist flashes even if they have automatic metering can not be remotely power controlled. See 7.1.3
2. 7.1.3: For studio flashes to work with high-speedsync, they have to maintain a flash durationof 1/100 second or longer.
3. 18.2: The Cactus V6 II in TX mode can work in pairs with V6 to support remote power control and flash triggering within the x-sync shutter speed.

[mcgregni]

I will really have to find out if the new V6II will trigger a current RF60 beyond the max sync speed, and that the RF60 will provide the correct amount of continuous output in HSS sympathy mode .... that would be a crucial deal-breaker for me at this point.


If the V6II cannot be paired to a MkI version and work beyond the max sync speed, then as the RF60 works via an internal V6 unit that suggests that it won't work ....


I will explore this elsewhere and report back anything I find out. But if someone already knows please share

[UncleVanya]

Unless i misread this then this doesn't support the newer Pentax flashes AF540FGZII and AF360FGZII only the older models.