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Mine (caution there are many different versions discussed here) should. It comes with a miniplug adapter that I think will fit right into an AB. I use it on a Speedotron pack with a phone to HH adapter
Posted 70 months ago.
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Do they come with PC sync cable, for receiver-to-SB-24 connection?
Thank you!
Posted 70 months ago.
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The recievers (from gadgetinfinity) only have a hotshoe mount, no synch cord.
Posted 70 months ago.
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xorg, the gadgetinfinity triggers do have a sync port on them. you'd have to buy the cord separately. if you scroll up you can see Roger Valdez's receiver with the pc sync to hotshoe adaptor.
Posted 70 months ago.
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I got mine the other day, having no luck syncing my handle grip flash though. Possibly dodgy PC cord though. Can anyone tell me if the little LED on the reciever fires when you press the test button on the transmitter even if nothing is plugged in either end?
(Reciever also doubles as a portable TASER I have noticed...)
Posted 69 months ago.
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I've got the 16 channel model from magic_trigger. Yes the light on the receiver goes on without anything connected when the transmitter test button is pressed.
Hope this helps.
Posted 69 months ago.
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Here's one more data point. alligator.smugmug.com/photos/102950112-M.jpg
I have several 4 channel (PT-01) receivers (the ones with both a hot shoe and a PC connector). They seem to work just fine, even close together, on my two SB26s and my SB800. I do see some random firing problems if I get one of the receivers closer than about 10 inches to the other two, but two of my receivers operate OK even when touching each other. I'm using a Nikon D80 hot shoe to trigger the transmitter.
The triggers work just fine either using the hot shoe or the PC cord.
I haven't detected any sync problems and they will fire reliably well above my D80 max sync speed (naturally the bottom part of the image is dark above 1/200 sec, but the flashes fire at the proper time).
I thought I detected a range/reliability problem but it turned out to be a weak factory battery in the transmitter. It may have been old or perhaps when I packed the trigger in my camera case the test button was inadvertently pressed for a long period of time, depleting the battery. I'm going to glue on a little raised ring or something to guard the switch so that it's harder to accidentally actuate. Removing the battery requires removing a tiny screw, so that is not a good solution.
Overall, I'd say these units are performing very well and I have no complaints except one. The first vendor I dealt with implied they shipped from the USA. They sent a shipping Email and I got worried after 10 days. In truth, the units shipped from China and took almost three weeks. Had I known that, I would not have been concerned. The second (different) vendor shipped got the units to me in about 10 days.
Bob
alligator.smugmug.com/photos/102950112-M.jpg
Posted 69 months ago.
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got mine today and out of the box, one of the slaves kept firing repeatedly. changed the channel on them all and worked flawlessly.
they're great. i'll use CLS in a pinch, but will definitely use these triggers when time allows. it's kinda fun. the transmitter comes in a box as if i got 'em at a flea market or dollar store.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Washing Machines. At least for me.
I've noticed that at a certain point during my washing machine's spin cycle one of my receivers starts popping the flash.
It could just be coincidence, but I reckon it generates the the required frequency.
Anybody confirm?
Posted 68 months ago.
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and though they are plastic, they can take a beating. Mine have fallen of a fully extended light stand (with the flash) attached, onto concrete. the back popped off, battery flew out, but they keep working.
Posted 68 months ago.
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I just received these (Gadget Infinity) for my 30D, 430ex flash setup. I ordered two additional receivers.
- shipping was prompt. It was by regular mail so no additional border taxes were incurred (I am in Canada)
- documentation fairly clear though not written with the best English
Complaints so far:
- First receiver I tried was DOA.
- Second and third receivers are fine but they fire continuously if within a foot of the 30D (as others have reported).
- As reported earlier, the build quality is not great. I was worried that in the jamming of the batteries I would snap something critical off.
If I encounter anything else unique when I actually start shooting I will report.
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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Airchinapilot edited this topic 68 months ago.
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Here's what worked with a 20d + 580ex + Gadget Infinity 4 channel:
- PC cord from camera to transmitter, using provided cord
- hooked recevier to canon off-camera cord then cord to flash
sync at 1/200 and slower worked.. this above setup seems to have stopped the random flash firings.
Posted 68 months ago.
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more testing.. I was able to get 1/250 sync with my canon setup.. looks like the problem is the receiver. I hooked up the transmitter to the cameras shoe. The receiver on a cord away from the flash. It worked.
I know this was mentioned in the past, thought I'd confirm it.
Posted 68 months ago.
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I have searched for an hour now and can't find any thing on here however! I have an olympus e-300 and I am using a Olympus FL-36 flash and after trying to get my slaves to work with my flash I am about to give up. The plastic is off the bats... and the chanels are all set to the same one! they system is working, I press test and both the transmitter and reciver blink their lights... however my flash dose not fire! the camera is set to to manuel and all surffaces are clean! I think it may be because of how the pins are on the fl-36 dose any one know how I can fix this? or if I can use them with my flash at all? I assumed that they would work but if i have to go out and buy older flashes that will kinda suck! should I have to what would you recomend? and why? I have heard that the vivatar auto thyristor 550 or some thing like that are good for off camera use and are like 15 bucks on e-bay I need help please!
Posted 68 months ago.
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Got my pair and I works for a couple of days, then stopped working all together. changed sync cord and still not working. Now I have taken the steps to open up the unit - wow, talk about really really bad soldering job!!! I would recommend anyone who purchased these units to open up the receiver and resolder the connections. Upon opening mine, one connection is completely broken off the female sync cord plug and another one is ready to come off any second. After the resoldering, it is 100% working again.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Aha .. Gadget Infinity said they would replace my receiver but perhaps I will just forgo the shipping BS and do my own rework like you Frank.
Posted 68 months ago.
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just found out that their is a more powerfull reciver for the fl-36 flash by olympus... I recived an e-mail from gadget infinity stating that the voltage was to low on the ones sent to me and that is why the flash would not fire! from what he said. I have to send it back to him or I can keep it but I am waiting to see if the new one will fire other flashes.... if not I am sore out of luck and have to buy different flashes! darn....... this may expalin why some peoples flashes will not fire!
Posted 68 months ago.
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I had my friend crack open the faulty receiver I received and -- indeed -- the soldering job was messy. After a couple tries my bud managed to resolder it. It works fine now.
Posted 68 months ago.
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I just ordered this, I want it, now! Will be fun to try off camera flash for the first time. :-)
Posted 68 months ago.
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Update: the one my bud soldered stopped working. I think I pulled the insides apart when I put in the PC cord and then pulled it out - also pulling the crappily installed PC port on the receiver part way out. :( I think with these you're going to have to order in gross.
Also, seems to work unreliably with my Vivitar 285HV. Will fire every second or maybe every third or fourth time. Anyone else have this and encountered a problem?
Posted 68 months ago.
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Well, this thread has been a resource to me over the last months. I originally only had a Canon 420EX (which is useless for off shoe since there's no manual setting) but have recently purchased a 580EX. I knew there were problems with the 430.. but didn't think (or see) that the 580 was the same.
Needless to say, I ended up buying 3 full sets of GI triggers (I figured the extra transmitters would come in handy if I was using multi-bodies down the road) and quickly ran into the intermitant firing issue.
SO... I started playing around. Reading that it was due to some interference or transmission by the flash, I tried to figure out how to shield the receiver components. This is what I came up with...
I took some aluminum foil... and folded a section over twice so it was 3 layers. Then I took electrical tape and overlapped one side completely covering it. Then I turned it over and sealed the other side. (this is nothing new to those that have made a duct tape wallet).
Then I took some scissors and trimmed it up being careful to leave a bit of tape around the edges (we don't want short circuits!!)
I then took a piece and folded it a couple times and put it into the gap near the top inside between the cable adapter and the battery negative terminal.
I then cut another piece to slide underneith the circuit board. I cut the corner out of the foil to make room for the light and switches.
Then I cut another one to go over top of the battery and down between the second circuit board and the dip switches. I cut a hole out of the center where the battery touches the cover... otherwise you won't get it closed.
YOU MUST be careful not to cover the bronze coloured wire which I guess would be the antenna. Try to keep the tape-covered-foil away from there.
This has removed ALL random firing during my 15 minutes of testing. Thinking about it now, I was always in front of the receiver, so I'm not sure if range is cut down when shooting from behind.
One thing I DID notice... was that I could only sync at 1/100 with my 30D-580EX combo. I'm new here.... so not sure if that's normal... or if I have to work on my settings.
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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SeeTTL edited this topic 67 months ago.
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RAitch, can you give us a photo of the insides with your tape insulation method?
Posted 68 months ago.
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I finally got to play with mine yesterday & figured out that setting them on top of the wireless internet box wasn't the best spot. After I moved them I didn't really have any problems. Well, aside from tripping them while looking at the heads to "just make sure".....
Posted 68 months ago.
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I sure can Airchinapilot... but I'm at work now and won't be home for a few hours.
I stopped testing last night at about 1:30am so I'll give it another go tonight to see if my "technique" was just flukey... and try to see if positioning is restricted.
When my taped foil barely covered the corner of the antenna... it wouldn't fire at all... so I'm hoping you don't have to be in front of the flash. I guess that's what tilt/swivel heads are for.
Actually, one thing I do remember from last night was I couldn't have the camera much higher than the flash. Probably because of all that shielding I added.
(I hope this solution works for everybody... as I didn't want to have to buy some cable to hang there and a hotshoe adapter... I'm sure some others are the same.)
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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SeeTTL edited this topic 67 months ago.
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Hi everybody! Unfortunately I found the Strobist and this group just few days after I bought my very first strobe, Canon 430ex... I have found so much useful information here and from the original blog :)
But about those Ebay radio triggers, does everyone know are these really Canon EX compatible like they say in the advertisement:
cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180034...
Posted 68 months ago.
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Dustblast,
I highly recommend you consider this version of the wireless triggers:
cgi.ebay.com/Digital-Radio-Slave-Flash-Trigger-16-Channel...
Based on my own experience (shooting w/ 20d and 430ex) and what I've read on these boards, this one works MUCH better with canon gear. above all, get a multi-channel trigger, the more channels the better. I use mine daily with my canon setup, and they're flawless. Good luck and post some pics soon!
Posted 68 months ago.
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Scott - thanks for the very quick answer! I'll check those. And after that have to practice hard before posting anything :)
Posted 68 months ago.
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I'm confused - is it just the 4 channel that has the random firing issue with the 430EX?
I was thinking of getting the 16 channel and a PC Sync to Hotshoe adapter to plug the receiver into the flash.
Posted 68 months ago.
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OK, here it is.
I tested the in-front or behind the flash thing... didn't seem to matter. Mind you, I only seemed to have about a 15 foot range in my basement. I remember when I first got them it managed to go through a wall... this might cut down on range a bit, but it doesn't keep firing my 580EX any more!!
The pieces of tape shown in the image have 3 layers of aluminum foil (just fold it and cut to size) and then the tape is placed to completely cover the foil and overlap itself and the edges. It's then trimmed to size to be careful not to get too close to the foil edges.
TOP ROW
There is a square of foil where I cut the corner out to make room for the power switch and LED. I then taped over the foil and trimmed it around the corners. To feed it under the circuit board, put a slight bend in the tape on the bottom edge and just push it under. Eventually it'll end up like the top right pic.
MIDDLE ROW
I took a piece of foil cut to the width of the box and rolled it up a few times and flattened it out. Leave a bit extra hanging out the top so you can flatten it out over top (show in the middle pic of the bottom row). This flattened roll with fit between the PC wires and the battery terminal.
BOTTOM ROW
This piece is shaped weird, but I wanted it to cover as much as possible. The hole in the middle is for the battery to pop through... otherwise you won't get the lid shut.
The corner that's cut out is so it'll overlap the foil roll in the middle pics... but you'll be able to tuck the rest down over the dip switches.
Start with a square that's as long as the inside of the box, and a bit wider (to allow for the tucked in sides).
Stick the one side in on the battery side, then put the battery in to hold it. Then bend the tape down so the other side will fit betwen the daughter board and the dip switches (shown in the bottom right pic).
Tuck the tape tightly around the battery on all 4 sides.
As shown in the final image, make sure the entire brass antenna is exposed. If you cover this at all (it seems) you won't get a signal transmission.
I also found it better to pack the tape as far away from the antenna as possible... and closer to the battery.
So far, so good..... now maybe somebody can help me with the sync speeds. Should I expect anything faster than 1/100s with a 30D and the 580EX with these? Are my settings off or is that it?
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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SeeTTL edited this topic 68 months ago.
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I was wondering if any tried to use the ebay slaves as a remote camera trigger?
Posted 68 months ago.
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hello,
I have a d50 and i just got a rf-604 w/l kit from ebay. i was able to use it once straight on the camera and it worked just fine.
the second time i tryed it didn't want to work right away... i had to play around with the camera settings for it to work, but i cant remember what i did ...
does anyone know how to get the d50 to reconise the rf-604 as a flash and make it trigger?
do i apsolutely need one of those adaptors they sell on ebay?
thanx
Posted 68 months ago.
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I've got the RF-616 (16 Channel) from magic_trigger and also use it on a D50.
All I did was set the camera to Manual, attach the transmitter to the hot shoe and fire away. No problems syncing up to 1/500th.
The only modification I have made is adding 5 inches of wire to the antenna. This brings it to 1/4 wavelength at the operating frequency of 433 Mhz. It has improved reliability significantly.
I can post a detailed description of this mod if you'd like.
Doug
Posted 68 months ago.
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Doug, interesting. Is the Magic Trigger antenna anything like the Gadget Infinity one shown in the pics of mine above? Is it attached in 2 places or a linear antenna in one?
Did you just solder it on and run it straight out... or in a loop?
I'd like more information if you have it... I was wondering if this was possible myself.
Also, what kind (gauge) of wire did you use?
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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SeeTTL edited this topic 68 months ago.
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RAitch... I actually made the mod to the transmitter, not the receiver.
The antenna in the transmitter is a 1-1/2 inch unterminated trace on the circuit board. Conviently there was a solder pad at the unterminated end. That's where I attached the 5 inch piece of insulated wire...26 or 28 guage. Then I looped it enough to stay in the case.
My receiver does have an antenna similar to yours. Although the short wire is attached to the circuit board in two places, I suspect that only one end goes to active componets. I'll open mine tomorrow to confirm this. I may try adding antenna length here and do some tests.
I'll also post some pics of the transmitter mod.
Posted 68 months ago.
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I just wrap aluminum foil on the receivers attached to my 430ex. The random firing stopped.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Question. with the antenna being a trace on the circuitboard on the both the xmitter and receiver --- shouldn't both the xmitter and receiver boards be positioned VERTICAL for best reception?
Me b mech engineer -- not antenna.
Posted 68 months ago.
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light work
Very interesting - I also have the Magic Trigger ones, and can sync up to 1/500 but it's intermittent at that speed (sometimes it syncs, sometimes it doesn't.) At speeds below that, it's perfect.
I'd like to try your antenna mod - can you post a pic of the circuit board and point out the antenna?
Posted 68 months ago.
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All I can say is Pocket Wizard plus II
Posted 68 months ago.
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>>All I can say is Pocket Wizard plus II<<
Well I know how to say "Ferrari", but I drive a Honda. LOL
My cheap triggers have not malfunctioned yet and since I'm not buying baby's shoes with the money I make from my photography, I'm going to stick with them until they no longer do a flawless job.
Bob
Posted 68 months ago.
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The word is not "cheap" -- it is "value packed". ;-)
Posted 68 months ago.
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Bob Sam - In theory both antennas should be in the same plane...either vertical or horizontal. Since the transmitter mounts on the hot shoe with the antenna horizontal, the receiver should be horizontal. If we are going to be that precise then we also must be sure that the antenna is properly impedance matched, which it probably isn't and that there is a proper "ground plane" on the circuit board to radiate against. I can't imagine that the manufacturer has gone to that level of precision.
Scott Hargis - I'll post some pics later this evening. I am going to make an assumption that the same performance can probably be obtained by a similar antenna on the receiver. I don't mean both...one or the other. The transmitter was easier.
ainsworthphoto - Could not agree with you more. But this is a hobby for me. If I was making my living at this, it would definitely be Pocket Wizards!
Posted 68 months ago.
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light work - am I reading what you are saying correctly? I'm gathering the random popping is due more to environmental radiation affecting the transmitter than the receivers. And this interference is expressed by random signals beng discharged. So by lengthening the antenna you are making the radio waves much more stable. Is that correct?
i do much better with crayons than e.e. stuff.....
Posted 68 months ago.
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scuddy - This was not intended to address random flashes. I was having misfire problems. Have not had a misfire since I did this.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Scott Hargis - I added 2 photos to the pool showing the antenna modification for the magic_trigger transmitter.
One note of caution: Use a low wattage soldering iron as the componets are pretty heat sensitive...as are the PC board traces.
Posted 68 months ago.
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light work - Does this mod increase the range at all? Mine fire intermittently at "across the room" range.
Thanks for posting the images.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Dave77459 - That's the problem that I was trying to solve. I could not reliably trigger the flash in the same room. Now I can from two rooms away.
Posted 68 months ago.
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light work -
Thanks! Just to clarify - you said this should be done on either the transmitter OR the receiver, but not both, right?
The receiver's antenna, I assume, is that little 1.5" wire that's loose at one end.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Scott - There's no reason why it could not be done to both. I did the transmitter because it was easier. Had this not given me the results I was looking for I would have tried the receiver too. I initially was planning on an external, flexible antenna on both - similar to the PWs. I may work on that when I have absolutely nothing else to do.
BTW, Re: your battery comment on the transmitter photo. I have 2 sets of these and I did put a "copper top" battery in the other. With the antenna mod I don't see any performance difference.
Posted 68 months ago.
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not sure if people read my reply before, but it doesn't seem to have been answered so i'll ask again.
I'm going to purchase a 430EX in the next few weeks
and was looking at wireless.
my options currently are:
4 channel wireless, and try the foil thing, and try my luck OR
16 channel wireless, which (correct me if i'm wrong) appears to not have the same issues, but with a hotshoe to PC Sync adapter
Posted 68 months ago.
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I can't see why the 16 channel would work any differently... I'm pretty sure the interference would be on all channels.
It looks like you'll either have to wrap the receiver with foil... or put wrapped foil on the inside like me... or run the length of PC cord to a shoe adapter on the flash.
If you don't have the flash already, why not go for a Nikon or Vivitar? Or do you want it for on camera as well?
About the syncing speeds... I'm wondering if it's something I'm doing wrong. Do you have to have HSS on the flash or something? If I go any faster than 1/100 when I'm looking right at the flash, the flash looks dead... no light... yet when I watched the flash outside of the viewfinder I see it going off.
I'm hoping it's just something I'm doing wrong because I'm new to this "manual flash" thing.
Any help would be great!!
BTW, has anybody else tried the taped foil solution that I posted? I'd be interested to hear what people think... if it stopped the intermittent flashes of the 430EX as well.
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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SeeTTL edited this topic 68 months ago.
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I definitely want it for on Camera as well, If i buy a second flash maybe i'll look into something else.
I'm somewhat sceptical about the foil thing, only because there hasn't been more people saying it worked, and because some people have said that they've bought these units and had no problems, which leads me to believe it could be a coincidence that the foil 'stopped' the flashing.
the companies have a no return policy. I guess i'll try my luck with the 4 channel, see what happens, I have some Nikon friends that might take it off my hands if it didn't work for me.
Posted 68 months ago.
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I don't think it's coincidence... it was firing like crazy... then I put the foil in and it stopped completely. I took it out to take those pics above and tested it and it screwed up again. Once the foil was back in, it stopped again.
I think the 3 layers helps a lot. I tried with 1 layer originally and it still screwed up. In fact, maybe my recommendation would be use 5 layers... why not? ;)
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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SeeTTL edited this topic 68 months ago.
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light work:
I tried to solder on some speaker wire last night for an antenna. It seemed to really work at first adding much more range to it... this was just using the test button.
Then when I bent the wire, it wouldn't work. Well, I could bend it once, but that was it.
So, I decided that maybe I could drill a hole through the case and just leave the wire coming out the top. So I put it on my camera (Canon 30D) and then it stopped working.
When I took it off the camera body, it was working again.
(I was soldering in the next room past the OEM distance)
Is there somehow interference from the camera as well? It seems when it's connected to the hot shoe that it won't trigger from the same distance now.
Is it maybe the speaker wire that's causing the problems?
(BTW, no auto-fires with the 580EX again last night during the tests... my foil trick seems to really work for that)
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Posted 68 months ago.
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I turned everything to channel 2 (I don't know if was technically channel 2, I just moved the 2 slider from the position it was shipped.) Just because. No real reason. I set everything up and my 580 was going bananas. None of the units were closer than 3' from each other or anything electrical. So, finally getting tired of the flash popping (1/128 power but still annoying. and the cat was ready to kill it. really. he was going to go for blood.) I moved both sliders opposite from their position when shipped. I'll call that channel 4. After that I had no random pops and synch'd to 1/200. I didn't try any faster because I didn't think to try...but for the twenty minutes I was trying to get pictures of the cat none of them popped without the trigger from the camera.
Just food for thought. Maybe certain environments work better with certain channels. ? I dunno....maybe I'll get flamed...
Posted 68 months ago.
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scuddy -
I find that different environments definately affect the settings needed. Maybe once every couple of weeks or so I find myself setting up someplace and getting some random firings. I just arbitrarily pick a different channel (I have the 16-channel Magic Trigger units) and problem is solved. I leave 'em on that setting until the next time the issue comes up.
Posted 68 months ago.
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RAitch - I also used speaker wire...but only one of the strands. As I remember it was 24-26 guage. Actually any light guage wire would work...better if it's stranded...more flexible.
I can't imagine that you are getting from the camera...but all electronic devices are capable of generating RF interference.
Does the device stop working completely when it's on the camera?
Posted 68 months ago.
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I see from looking on the web that some Radio Slaves work to a distance of 150 meters. What range do the one's from Gadget Infinity work at ?
Posted 68 months ago.
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Light work: Ya, I'm using a 5" string of a single side of speaker wire. Not sure of the gauge, but pretty typical size.
It pretty much stops completely when on the shoe mount. I can trigger with the test button clear across the room by itself... but as soon as it's on the camera, it won't work even if I'm within 2 feet.
Time to whip out my other ones... god I hate troubleshooting stuff like this.
Retired: So far, they're fine for indoor studio work... but the range on them I think is far from 150 meters.
I think (from what I've seen) it's more like 15 feet... seems like more with the antenna mod
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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SeeTTL edited this topic 68 months ago.
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done the deed and ordered my triggers from gadgetinfinity. Had a little bit of a hickup with ebay, but the guy sorted it out pretty quick for me which is a good sign.
Just been thinking with all the free publicity he is getting on here, maybe he should give a strobist discount :)
triggers will be despatched on Monday so hopefull will be here in a week-10 days.
Posted 68 months ago.
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FWIW, my GI triggers were shipped on a Friday and arrived the following Friday... just 7 days from Hong Kong to KS, US. (They beat the flash unit I bought on eBay. I'm sitting here with a stand, bracket, umbrella, radio triggers... and no stinking flash!)
Posted 68 months ago.
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I found the shipping fast to CAN as well.... and they were VERY easy to work with.
UPDATE: Something's wrong with my trigger with the antenna mod. It works fine off camera, but won't work AT ALL when attached to the 30D.
If I use another un-modded trigger, it seems to work fine. Go figure.
ALSO: I found that the important parts to shield with foil are at the top and the back (sliding taped foil under the circuit board). When I took the wrap off the top of the battery and switches... there was no effect.
My 580EX is working great now... not at huge distance... but working great (no misfires).
I also found out that I can sync up to 1/250. 1/120 and some settings in between produce some half lit images.... but that was just my lighting ignorance and not knowing to sync the speeds to certain shutter speeds.
I can work with 1/100 and 1/250.... SWEET!!
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Posted 68 months ago.
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Ok. Guys. Here it is. I have ADHD. I cannot read through 3 pages of this stuff.
I just ordered 1 trigger, and 2 receivers from gadgetinfinity
I use an d70 & d100 nikon, and a sb-28dx
Is there anything special I need to know, or will this setup work straight out of the box?
Anybody who replies to this and enables my complacency will be my new best friend.
Posted 68 months ago.
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I'm thinking everything should be fine out of the box... there are just some weird issues with some Canon flashes (430EX & 580EX).
I think you're good.
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Posted 68 months ago.
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Richard - Her's a couple of troubleshooting tips:
When the transmitter is on the camera will the test button fire the flash?
If your camera has a PC sync, connect transmitter to camera with mini to PC cable...I think you probably got one with the wireless. Try that with transmitter on adn off camera.
On the bottom of the transmitter is a small metal "button". Between the square plastic that sits on the Hot Shoe and the locking ring is a metal contact. These are the two contacts that allow the camera to fire the transmitter. Take a short piece of wire and short these two. You have to depress the small spring loaded button a little when holding a wire on it.
If I think of anything else I'll post it...
Doug
Posted 68 months ago.
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This is really inconsistent.
When the trigger is on the shoe... it will not fire with the test button no matter what I do... at all... even at inches away.
If I attach the supplied adapter wire while it's on the shoe, it'll fire from close range (similar to that of an unmodded antenna).
The direction of the wire is very important here. I have the wire soldered on and perpendicular straight up from the circuit board (like a car antenna) with the cover off. Like this, it works better with the wire parallel to the ground (portrait mode) to the right.
Also, when sometimes it would fire every time... it is very inconsistent and would sometimes not work in places and positions that it once worked before.
If I take it off of the shoe but still connected by wire, the range is WAY better... and much better than an OOB trigger. While I could get the OOB trigger to work at the same distance (across 2 rooms) I had to have it at the right height and position... where the modded antenna would fire EVERY time from the distance in any position (except on the shoe).
If I roll the wire up to put inside, it won't fire the trigger AT ALL. It has to be pretty much straight up in the air.
I tried shorting out the side pins with a paper clip... but it looked like it would still work when connected to the camera with the adapter wire. Same when disconnected... but there was a few times when it wouldn't fire. I don't know if that was me though.
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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SeeTTL edited this topic 68 months ago.
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RAitch: have you tested the voltage on the trigger battery?
Posted 68 months ago.
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ya, they're all 12V or there about... and receivers are all 3V or close.
I think I'm good... the only thing that doesn't work is the antenna mod. I can use them within a room no problem with a normal transmitter and a shielded receiver.
The random flashing is solved with my tape trick... so I'm happy. I'm trying to get my hands on some Nikon/Vivitar flashes.... until then, I have to use the 580EX.
For the money, these triggers are really cool!! I'm sure they work as advertised with other flashes... and solving the Canon random firing seems to be easily managed.
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Posted 68 months ago.
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Hello all,
I've been watching this thread for a while now. Here are some of my findings:
1. Like RAith mentioned, the antenna mod (speaker cable - read previous posts) does NOT work properly when the transmitter is on the camera's hot shoe. It also did not work if the Antenna was curled inside the transmitter.
It DOES work wonderfully if you make a small hole on the transmitter so the antenna is extended out . It works perfectly in 3 possible ways:
1. Using the test button (not practical in any way of course except for testing the range
2. Connecting the transmitter to a flash and then putting the flash on the camera as you normally would (to the hot shoe). This way the transmitter gets the order to send the signal from the flash and not from the camera's hot shoe. Of course this means that you have to always use a flash on the camera.
3. Connecting the transmitter directly to the camera's PC sync socket (if it has one) and not on the camera's hot shoe. This leaves the transmitter hanging about which can be annoying but you can fix this by attaching a plastic "dummy" hot shoe (no connections whatsoever) on the the camera's real hot shoe and then putting the transmitter there (again, you would have to connect the transmitter directly to the camera's PC sync socket).
So, it is my understanding that the antenna mod somehow messes up the hot shoe connection of the transmitter with the camera. I've tested this on a Nikon F100 & SB-28 flash, so it is not a Canon related problem. The range DID increase with the antenna mod so it might be worth it.
2. Use ONLY alkaline 1.5V batteries on the receivers. This DOES affect performance compared to the 1.2V NI-MH rechargeable ones which should be avoided.
3. Some of the receivers may come Dead on Arrival. It is better to ask your seller to check them before sending them to you.
That's it so far, I'll get back with more info on the range after I have completed some tests.
Take care,
Theo.
Posted 68 months ago.
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The antenna modification that I made to the transmitter works perfectly with my D50...on or off the hot shoe. Since installing it I have not had one misfire. I modified two transmitters and have the same performance with both.
I going to try to do some distance tests today and will post the results.
See my photos for examples of the modification.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Hello light work,
I am glad that the mod works fine with your D50 and thankful for posting it. Maybe RAitch and I are doing something else wrong.
I noticed that my version of the transmitter is slightly different than yours. I have the 8 channel version code named RF-608 (inscribed on the top of the transmitter. I have uploaded a photo where it shows an extra solder pad (pointed by the red arrow). I have no idea what this is for...
Posted 68 months ago.
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To anyone who buys these. Toss the batteries that come with them.
I got the PT-04 and when I turned them on they did not work. Fist step was to check the batteries. All dead.
Since they shipped with cheap alkalines (leakers) they need to be replaced with lithiums anyways. After changing batteries they checked out to 1/400. I'm using a Vivitar 285 and an RB67 (yes film).
Posted 68 months ago.
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strobo75: I don't see the photo. I noticed there's another solder point just after the first corner... was wondering what that was for myself.
You must also have different receivers. I have the Gadget Infinity 4 channel sets and the transmitter uses a 12V and the receivers I think were 3V.
I'm not using NiMh... but good point to others that use rechargeables. Great for flash units... but other devices aren't so flexible with voltage.
Glad to see you're having the same problem... well... I'm not glad... but it's nice to see it's not just me.
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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SeeTTL edited this topic 68 months ago.
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v_callaway...
Not all of them ship dead. I read that too and asked GI when I ordered if they were new batteries. They told me that they'd just be test batteries.. so I ended up buying some more just in case.
When they showed up, they ALL (3 sets) reported full voltage.
From memory, I thought the receiver batteries shipped were lithiums.
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Posted 68 months ago.
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Richard,
Thanks for pointing out that the photo was not visible, It should be ok now.
I went this evening to a hill nearby and made some range tests. The results show that the antenna mod really does a great job (despite the problems mentioned regarding the hot shoe connection). The setup was 2 Nikon SB-28 flashes connected via a PC cable to 2 receivers. The flashes were simply placed on the road and I started walking away from them firing with an unmoded and with a moded transmitter using the test button. The unmoded transmitter stopped firing the flashes when I got about 20 meters away from them. The moded transmitter (with the antenna extended outside the transmitter via a small hole) continued to fire the flashes FAULTLESSLY up to 150 meters!!! I was really impressed with this result especially considering that the flashes were laid at ground level. Maybe the range could be even more but at about 150 meters a pack of dogs actually attacked one of my flashes and before I got there, they had managed to snatch away the pc sync cable!!! After this unfortunate event and being quite happy with a range of 150 m I left for home. This test was done outside in an empty space so the range could be different indoors.
In any case, the antenna mod rocks! Not only did it increase the range but it also increased the reliability of the triggers since there was not even one misfire (or lack of fire). So, kudos to light work for the mod and to all you guys and gals for posting all your discoveries here.
Take care,
Theo.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Strobo75 - Glad to see a real world test at some distance. Something I have not done yet.
I see that extra pad in your pic and I don't know what it's for either. I've got the magic_trigger version RF-616.
I am still quite perplexed as to why operation on the hot shoe is affected. It basicically does the. same thing as pushing the test button by shorting the two metal contacts on the bottom of the transmitter. Are you using Canon also?
I may buy another set just so I can tear them completely apart and really see what makes them tick. Maybe I'll tackle a receiver first which should eliminate the hot shoe issue you guys are having.
As always I'll post my findings.
Doug
Posted 68 months ago.
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Am I right in assuming that I could hook one of the receivers to an SB-24 via a male to male pc cord? If so, does a male to male pc cord exist that is not ridiculously long for this purpose? All I find is at least 5 feet.
Posted 68 months ago.
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I got a one foot length from Midwest Photo. I think it's listed in the Strobist section.
mpex.com
Posted 68 months ago.
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I have only been able to find the short male to male pc sync cords on ebay.
Posted 68 months ago.
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light work, how much do they charge for shipping? It extremely unusual that they don't tell you until after you pay for it. Also, am I reading it right? Is there an at least $6 minimum purchase to ship?
Posted 68 months ago.
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Yeah, it's great mpex has everything in stock and is supporting the strobist site, but that website is not very user friendly.
I've heard people mentioning that they called directly and got great service.
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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AlwaysJanuary (Randy) edited this topic 68 months ago.
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BTW, here's the listing on ebay that I got mine from. I was a little nervous that I had not heard from the seller since I paid for the auction on Friday, but upon emailing him I got a quick reply that my order is already in the mail.
1 foot male to male PC Sync cords.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Was getting a couple extra random fires (rarely) in the basement while shooting my wife tonight. Wondering if it has something to do with the wireless router down there.
I also took the front shielding off considering it didn't seem to help/hinder my tests upstairs.
Still not perfect... but at least I'm not tied to a TTL/PC cable.
Strobo... you sure laid the smack down on the solder. Are you sure it's connected? ; )
Looks like you're going out the side of the transmitter... and then bending it straight up? Looks like phone wire.
150m... wow!! Now we're getting closer to PWs!! ; )
I'm really confused why the hot shoe is causing problems too... weird.
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Posted 68 months ago.
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Some initial reactions (just to add to the pile):
I just got mine today, I'm in San Francisco and they were shipped Friday-- so not so bad on the airmail timeframe. I ordered the transmitter kit (1 xmit + 1 receiver) and an extra receiver. The xmit/receiver came with a short (12 in?) PC to miniphone, which is excellent because it fits with my kit.
Left on channel 00 (both switches off), the shoe mounted reciever on my SB-600 was randomly firing (two flashes every couple of minutes), and the AlienBee was flashing a lot randomly. I tried extending the AB cable (25') with no reduction in flashing.
I swtiched to channel 11 (both switches on) and the random flashes went away. They've been sitting, on, for the last 20 minutes with no random flashes.
My camera was set to what it had been last, which was 1/320th (I can sync to 1/500th with CLS). At 1/320th, standing within 5 or 10 feet of the flashes worked fine. I walked outside to see how far I could go (lots of windows, some obstructions). Once I was 30 feet away, the flashes were still firing, but weren't sync'd. I was unable to sync faster than 1/200th that far away.
This is all with the included "tester" batteries, which will be replaced tommorow-ish. Glad to be free of cables/optical sync.
Posted 68 months ago.
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light work: I used Nikon SB-28 speedlights. I also tried the transmitter with the mod on an NIkon FE camera's hot shoe which is pretty much bare bone on electronics and the hot shoe problem insisted so I don't think it is a matter of camera interference.
RAitch: "Shooting" your wife in the basement? That won't work with wives mate, you have a to use a wooden stick and a hammer -:) And yes, I know I will not win any soldering awards any time soon but it did work -:) I've added another photo that shows the mod when the transmitter case is closed (this is the 2nd transmitter I moded - I opted for black colour wire so that it blends better with the transmitter). The wire goes out of the transmitter and then upwards. I used speaker wire.
I noticed that firing the moded transmitter in the same room with a TV produced some static to it (to the TV). The same did not occur with the unmoded transmitter. I wonder what other appliances the moded transmitter could affect...
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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strobo75 edited this topic 68 months ago.
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hey, i see you all been very busy. Me and a partner have been searching a lot too, more for a remedy to get a minolta flash working with the PL-04 recievers...
For the canon i need a good cable but i can't find any nice ones.
Can anyone post a min. 18"inch cord with pc sync plug(s), if possible with a canon hot shoe attached.
Could you also send it to m email, i don't check these forums very much
jeremyvanbedijk@gmail.com
Posted 68 months ago.
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For my review of the 4-channel model made by Shanghai Jinbei Photographic Equipment Co., Ltd.., (often sold on eBay as GT-301B) please visit this page.
Posted 68 months ago.
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how many "bars" with and without the mods. :-)
Originally posted 68 months ago.
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Bob Sam edited this topic 68 months ago.
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I know must of you are pleased to use the inexpensive hot-shoe flashes, but these remotes also work smashingly with my JTL 160WS studio flashes (cheap ones), and once I used fresh batteries and set my D200 flash mode to manual, everything was golden. I can't wait to take some portraits now...
Posted 68 months ago.
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Just took delivery of my wireless triggers from gadgetinfinity. I was very surprised how quick they got here (were despatched from HK on monday), no hick ups whatsoever. I ordered a trigger and receiver set as well as a second receiver for my second flash. The package arrived just before I went to work, so I didn't have a chance to test them properly, but that will come this weekend no doubt :)
First observation, these things are very tiny, smaller than I expected them to be, but that is only a positve thing as they won't take up much space in my bag.
I did slip them on my flash heads to see if they worked (550ex and vivitar 636AF). My wife just shook her head and rolled her eyes before getting back to her toast and tea, grumbling something about boys and toys. They worked flawlessly out of the box, with the included batteries (which were full as a quick check revealed). So far I didn't notice any misfiring due to close proximity (both flashes were lying side by side on the desk), a couple of feet away or accross the room.
Pretty happy with these babies and I'm looking forward to trying them this weekend.
Also a very big thank you to Dave for creating strobist, man this has been an eye opener. The past year I have been thinking about getting a "proper" set of strobes, when I had it in my camera bag all these years.
Posted 68 months ago.
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Strobo75... why was your garage door opening and closing constantly the other night?
lol
So, are these things worth it or not? Sounds like a crap shoot if your gonna get a good set or a dog... so much for overseas Quality controll huh? I wanna go wireless just because I hate fumbeling with all of it, not that it doesnt work, my strobists wires are great, its just that I dont wanna have to deal with it no more..but then again, these ebay triggers seem like they are just as bad! what are the best ones on ebay now?
Posted 68 months ago.
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I bought 3 sets and they are all fine. The problems listed here are mostly as they interact with the Canon 430EX and 580EX.... which we are partially solving through trial and error (electrical tape and foil).
Worth it? Probably every penny worth. If you don't have the mentioned flashes and your batteries are strong... there's nothing wrong with these bad boys... go buy some.
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Posted 68 months ago.
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Wow, that's quite a looong thread! OK, I got a set from gadget infinity and received them in 6 days (Hong Kong to SW Virginia) ~$50.00 for a transmitter and two receivers. I noticed that their is a note on the product page that states that you have to let them know if you are using a Sima or Olympus flash, so I emailed them to let them know that. Upon arrival I tried them with my EF-500 DG Super and no fire! Test button lights the "sync" light on the receiver, but no flash! I tried using this with an old quantaray flash, and my AB800, both worked! So I emailed gadget infinity and they noted that the flash needed to be in either manual (tried that), TTL (hmmm, that doesn't make sense, but I'll try later), or optical slave mode. Well optical slave mode works (I tried it only using the Sigma so it wasn't triggered as an optical slave by the other flashes) So far they seem to work great, only a couple of weird misfires and after sorting out the above issue with the Sigma I think they are well worth the $50.
Just out of curiosity why don't more Canon users use the Sigma? Features between the 550EX and 580EX (plus some neither has) and a ~$239 price tag...
Posted 68 months ago.
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I just received a set from gadget infinity. I opted for the 16 channel, non-hotshoe type. I had to invest in some small pc sync cords for these, but I think it's worth it as it's much cheaper in the long run powering with AAA batteries than those ones the hotshoe type take. I got one transmitter/receiver package and two additional receivers. Cost me about $60US once all was said and done and I received them in 1 week from Hong Kong(not bad!). I haven't done any extensive testing yet, but I did power them up and connect them to a couple of my flashes. Hitting the test button they seem to fire correctly, even when I put them so close that they were touching. I had heard of random firing when they're too close. This doesn't seem to be a problem with the 16 channel non-hotshoe type. I'll do some more tests when I get a chance, but so far for the money these seem great. No more people stumbling over my sync cords and tearing my setups down!
BTW, as for the canon sigma question, I opted for a 420EX a few years back because I heard the sigmas weren't built too well. Anyways, that 420EX died about a month ago, so I guess I should have gotten the sigma. Now I think for about 200 bucks I can get 3 older nikon flashes and a set of ebay wireless triggers :-)
Posted 68 months ago.
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I think it's the same reason why people buy Sony and Apple... you feel safe with a company and name and support their products.
That and a lot of stores carry the big names... but often don't carry the "no name" 3rd party stuff... which seems a little weird.
I just bought a 580 (for $350 I think)... never tried a Sigma lens or flash... not sure why... I think it's the comfort that everything is the same name and will be guaranteed to work together since the components are designed by the same company. That being said, that doesn't mean a Sigma won't perform... it's just perception I think.
Do you buy MS Office... or download OpenOffice for free and get even more cool options? It's surprising how many people still hand over "cash" for Office.
Sometimes what we do doesn't make sense! ;)
Richard Houtby Photographic Art
Posted 68 months ago.
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I'm sorry, but I'm new to this, and three pages is just too much for one n00b to take. :o)
I have a quick question:
Can I use a cheap eBay radio trigger on both my Nikon SB-24 and - at a later date - a studio flash system? I use a Canon 350D if that makes a difference (and I have a hotshoe sync adapter).
Thanks. ;o)
Posted 67 months ago.
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MADMANDEN - the 4 channel triggers have a pc socket in the side to hook up my studio lights to. Much like plugging in the cord to the camera (5d). I've heard better, less troubling reviews of the 16 channel triggers though. Less interference and less random popping with Canon strobes.
Posted 67 months ago.
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madmanden
Mine works on both my SB24 and Speedotron Brownline. Have not given it a "work out," but it seems to fire OK.
I have the 4-channel with the 1/4" phone plug (not the receiver with the hot shoe).
Posted 67 months ago.
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Thanks! I guess I'll have to get a radio trigger pretty soon then...
Posted 67 months ago.
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Ok - my Ebay set arrived here in Finland in amazing 5 days - very quick service I could say! The model I bought was this 16 channel version
cgi.ebay.com/Digital-Radio-Slave-Flash-Trigger-16-Channel...
like Scott kindly advised earlier. I have Canon 430EX so I immediately ran to a local shop to buy Hama hot shoe adapter too.
My first tests without any additional mods (like long cables) shows that it's working quite good: no random firing, but it sometimes misses a shot, and the sync is not always right (half of the image is black). Luckily there is that little screen behind camera...
So I haven't tested different channel settings or anything other yet, but generally I think: I'm gonna like this set up!
Here is one of my first off-camera flash shots:
www.flickr.com/photos/23349437@N00/299394897/
Originally posted 67 months ago.
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dustblast edited this topic 67 months ago.
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dustblast: If you're missing half the shot, you're probably using too fast a shutter speed. Faster shutter speeds involve the use of two shutters, one which opens while the other closes. Between the two of them, they expose the sensor for the indicated amount of time, but not all at once -- and the flash is essentially instantaneous.
Unless you've got a feature on your flash called "high speed sync" turned on, you're not going to get the flash to work at high shutter speeds, with or without the ebay slaves. (And note well: the ebay slaves don't support that feature on Canon flashes)
Posted 67 months ago.
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