Originally posted by filorp I don't see any reason why I should use manual mode with the trigger that cost £150
I didn't say you should be using manual mode.
I said, with the firmware you are using (V1.1.013), you don't get anything else but manual control.
P-TTL (or i-TTL for Nikon) is available, if you change the firmware. Unless you change the firmware, you won't get anything else but manual control. As I said before, for Pentax you need PEN.A.001.
With "manual control", I mean remote control over flash power levels using manual settings on the on-camera trigger.
Originally posted by filorp and on the field keep turning everything on and off every time the camera or flash goes to sleep.
In my experience there is no need to restart the triggers if the camera turns off metering mode. I'm not sure what happens if the camera turns itself off.
I don't allow my flashes to go to sleep because otherwise I'd have to wake them up manually, as they cannot be woken up via radio.
Originally posted by filorp Probably one or both of my units are broken - or I have compatibility issue.
That is a possibility.
Note that your particular flash model is not directly supported. There is a good chance that it will work with another Metz flash profile and I know for a fact that someone else got your flash model to work with the V6II using the flash profile I suggested to you. However, I do not know what Metz flash firmware version they were running.
I do know, though, that Metz once did a round of firmware updates in which they removed functionality from their flashes, causing the V6 to no longer work with them. It is possible that your flash model became incompatible with a firmware update. It is rather unlikely, in my opinion, but difficult to say unless you find someone who can confirm that the Metz firmware version you are running should be compatible.
Have you tried asking at the Cactus community forum?
Originally posted by filorp Your advice is like the one to the broken bike owner: if you cannot ride the bike you can always wheel it.
No, that has not been my advice.
The V6II supports P-TTL, you just have to change the firmware to PEN.A.001.
Originally posted by filorp Can you tell me why after half an hour of setting everything up (I mean the triggering system only) Am getting only barely half the power of my flash with both systems nikon and pentax, where is advertised cross branding.
I don't know what is going on at your end, but it sounds like you are expecting correct exposures from a firmware version that requires you to set the correct exposure yourself.
Are you saying you are setting the manual levels to full power (1/1) at the transmitter and you are not getting full power from the flash? Or are you experiencing "underexposure" because the manual levels happen to be set too low?
Originally posted by filorp What you mean manual control?
I mean the only kind of control that V1.1.011 supports.
It does not support any automatic control (except for on-camera flash pass-through).
Originally posted by filorp There are three modes: pass through (selected via pressing/holding the menu button),
That only applies to a flash that you mount on the on-camera V6II trigger.
It does
not apply to off-camera flashes.
Originally posted by filorp manual selecting power output on the triggering unit attached to the camera,
Yes, that's the standard manual control approach.
Originally posted by filorp manual control when u set the power at the flash just like with cactus v4 or similar - which one do you refer to as "manual control".
No, I didn't mean that. That would not give you remote control over power levels.
Originally posted by filorp and here you are wrong... its not pass through strict sense at least not with cactus, cactus unit translates signals through I would call it virtual pass through - check it its a fact.
Believe me, I know the gear better than you do due to my beta-testing contributions and long-term usage. I'm also generally curious when it comes to technology and when I ask Cactus a technical question, they often answer with a great level of detail.
So take it from me: The V6II does not add any exposure control magic of its own.
Originally posted by filorp not true only sony is different the only difference is that canon is shortest and nikon the longest they all have same wide dimension 18.5 mm since 70ties belonge to the same standard so they should fit snug,
OK, I would have thought that one of Nikon or Canon uses a wider shoe. If none of the supported systems uses a wider shoe, we need to ask Cactus why the male hot-shoe connector isn't wider, as it would help to stop the slight rotational play the V6II has on a Pentax hot-shoe (unless clamped down).
Originally posted by filorp the problem is lack of the locking bolt for pentax.
It's a manifestation of the multi-brand support. There is a locking pin but it hasn't been designed to align with the Pentax position for the locking pin.
Again, a functioning trigger shouldn't give you problems despite the locking pin not engaging, provided you tighten the locking ring quite well.
Originally posted by filorp yes, and it doesn't make any difference compared to auto detect,
It should make a huge difference because the auto detect won't work with a Metz model.
Are you sure you used the correct settings for your flash model?
If the Metz model is "for Pentax" (has Pentax dedication) then setting "Pentax" as the flash system on the receiver and choosing the Metz flash profile I mentioned earlier should make a difference.
However, we still don't know what your exact problems are. If the problem is caused by expecting automatic exposure control from V1.1.013 then no configuration can fix that.
Originally posted by filorp in both cases there is huge underexposure using manual selection of power at the trigger unit as well as pass-through.
The fact that this happens with the Nikon setup as well supports the idea that there is at least not a camera compatibility issue. Are you using the same Metz flash model when testing with the Nikon camera? Note that you'd still have to set the flash system on the receiver to match the system dedication of your flash (e.g., "Pentax", if it is a Metz "for Pentax" flash).
Originally posted by filorp waiting for the new gold plated cable to arrive.
Is this sarcasm?
If so, it is misplaced.
There are USB cables that are purely meant for charging. This type of cable doesn't support firmware updates.
You surely don't need a "gold plated" cable; any standard USB cable with a mini B plug that supports data transfer will work.
Originally posted by filorp ..or maybe since you are in some kind of way related to cactus your units are from different/better sort
I'm flattered that you think I'm getting special treatment.
But I guess, according to you, everyone else who hasn't got issues with their V6II units also gets the "good" units and must be in some special way related to Cactus as well. Or are everyone else's units working for other reasons?
Why don't you try and get your end sorted before you allege preferential treatment of others?
It is possible that your gear is defective or incompatible somehow, but for now we haven't even established whether you have the right expectations as to how it should work.