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Radio triggers, infrared trigger or long cable

Nimitz
Posted 12/09/2008 - 07:29 Link
After my last photosession which went very good, I have decided that I want something more reliable than the K10D "wireless" system using the pop up flash.

I use the FGZ 540 flash. I have to fire it off camera. I want a radio trigger or infared (if it works) or a long cable (at least 3-4 meters).

I have looked on a few radio triggers from ebay (Cactus triggers). Anyone using them on the K10D with a 540 or 360 flash? Or something else.

I want to spend around 100-150 £ in total.

(Nathan you gave me a link for a cord once. Do you know If I can have that cord in 3-4 meters lenght? - I have not beed able to find one yet..)
johnriley
Posted 12/09/2008 - 07:50 Link
In the studio an IR trigger works fine and costs less than £40
Best regards, John
gartmore
Posted 12/09/2008 - 08:34 Link
I use a pretty cheap 16 channel radio trigger from an ebay shop in Hong Kong, about £20 inc. postage. However I found one disadvantage: when using large softboxes, the light sensors on my flash heads are obscured so I now think IR might be an all round better bet for me since the IR sensors are on the back of the heads rather than on the top like the UV sensors. The IR fires all heads simultaneously whilst radio fires one and the other head(s) are fired by the light from the first. Only disadvantage with IR triggers, which are essentially, a manual flashgun is size and weight.
Ken
“We must avoid however, snapping away, shooting quickly and without thought, overloading ourselves with unnecessary images that clutter our memory and diminish the clarity of the whole.” - Henri Cartier-Bresson -
johnriley
Posted 12/09/2008 - 08:41 Link
The IR triggers are fairly bulky, but I wouldn't call them heavy. It's fantastic though to be rid of all those synch cables with the ever present risk of someone walking through one and bringing down a flash head.
Best regards, John
Bellie
Posted 12/09/2008 - 09:39 Link
I was told by an experienced lighting photographer, that a cheap wireless radio trigger works just as well as an expensive one. I use a ebay chinese one, and whilst build quality looks cheap... it works fine with the K10D and studio lights.

Here is one that might do the trick (and probably not as cheap looking as mine). This one is the mains powered version.
Nimitz
Posted 12/09/2008 - 13:00 Link
Thanks all - but I'm not looking for something to fire studio lightning - but only the pentax 540 flash or a 360 pentax flash.

I have asked in a shop here in DK, and they told me that the infrared triggers for studio light would not work on the FGZ540 or 360. I do not know if this is correct, but I have not spend the money to try it out

I want to use the fgz 540 flash with my eazybox hotshoe softbox.
MattMatic
Posted 12/09/2008 - 14:07 Link
The AF360/540 can be used like a "dumb" flash gun - just triggering on the centre pin. Obviously you won't get P-TTL - only "A" and "M" modes on the gun
So there's no real reason why they won't work. The only thing that gets in the way sometimes is where the hotshoe shorts the extra pins on the flash - that doesn't go down too well. If the unit has a plastic shoe mount with only the centre pin and edge - everything should be just fine
Matt
http://www.mattmatic.co.uk
(For gallery, tips and links)
Bellie
Posted 12/09/2008 - 14:08 Link
A wireless trigger will work with this. I found a wireless trigger on ebay that had a hotshoe mount. I bought an adapter for my light stand and fitted the flash trigger and flash to this. Works great with my flash gun now and really handy for off camera flash.

Trigger This should work ok with your Pentax flash.

Mount
Nimitz
Posted 16/10/2008 - 09:02 Link
Just to give some feedback on my research.

Atm. I'm thinking about two options.

1) Buy a set off skyports with an hotshoe/cable adapter. Like the one Don presented in the digital forum.

2) Buy a set of FLashwaves - link - which I have had recomended by other pentaxuser on Dpreview.

Both seems to be around the same price. Just don't know if I can find the Flashwaves in EU.

The Flashwaves have a hotshoe directly on the receiver - why I don't need to add an adapter like the skyports. Hmmmm.....have to pick soon...
nathanever82
Posted 16/10/2008 - 10:04 Link
Hello there,

Right, I think that you should decide what you really need for your work. There are 2 options, wired, and wireless, I'll try and tell you what you can easily get.

Wired.
Rather cheap example from ebay, works perfectly, and even does Pttl -
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=330260820212&ssPageNam...

Pentax original hotshoe triggers.
Adapter F, Adapter FG, and extension cord (1 m 'curled' or 5 meters straight) will cost you £30+30+27 and assure reliability and very good quality.
http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/cameras/flash/accessories/


Wireless
Cheap examples from Ebay are all the ones that have been mentionned before, I bought a pair that works quite well up to 10 metres, and once I changed the supplied batteries with new ones, actually started to be rather reliable. But never completely reliable.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wireless-Flash-Receiver-Trigger-4-Pentax-AF-540-360-FGZ_W0...


Maybe you want to invest a bit more, and get a proper wireless trigger, that will work with any camera, and always provide absolute reliability. But here you are going to spend +/- £200 for the pair. But, they will work with studio flash as well, and you can always buy an extra receiver that will work with the first 2.

http://www.pocketwizard.com/HTML/plus2.asp


If you want to trigger a studio flash system, from the K10, you can either have the 'dumb' flash option, or a wireless trigger, or a small hotshoe cable that connects directly into one of the lights, (which will trigger the second as it goes off) I can't find an image of this, but if you really want i'll go to the shop and try to find brand and name. Cost £30.

Hope this helps,

Nathan
'Between the lights there is always a shadow'

www.nathanservi.com & PPG
amoringello
Posted 17/10/2008 - 00:56 Link
My opinion is to go with anything other than Skyports.

Look up several of my other posts on the subject. In short, they are no better than eBay triggers but at ten times the cost. Support from Elinchrom is atrocious! Quality for their equipment (remotes and lights) is sub-par.

Others seem to have better luck with the remotes, so I don't know if they ever had to deal with the support side.
Nimitz
Posted 17/10/2008 - 07:09 Link
amoringello wrote:
My opinion is to go with anything other than Skyports.

Look up several of my other posts on the subject. In short, they are no better than eBay triggers but at ten times the cost. Support from Elinchrom is atrocious! Quality for their equipment (remotes and lights) is sub-par.

Others seem to have better luck with the remotes, so I don't know if they ever had to deal with the support side.

What kind of problems did you have? Was it misfires - trigger problems?

From what I have read about the skyports - most people love them.

I'm interested in your pentax opinion. Is the problems Pentax related?
womble
Posted 17/10/2008 - 07:36 Link
If you are just wanting to fire your 360/540 remotely I followed Matt's advice and bought a very cheap AF160 flash from ebay and use that to trigger my 360 in dumb slave mode. I found that using the internal flash on the K10D was hit or miss as the "preflash" often set off the main flash which then didn't have time to recharge.

Cheers Kris.
Kris Lockyear
It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head. Henri Cartier-Bresson
Lots of film bodies, a couple of digital ones, too many lenses (mainly older glass) and a Horseman LE 5x4.

My website
Nimitz
Posted 17/10/2008 - 08:25 Link
womble wrote:
If you are just wanting to fire your 360/540 remotely I followed Matt's advice and bought a very cheap AF160 flash from ebay and use that to trigger my 360 in dumb slave mode. I found that using the internal flash on the K10D was hit or miss as the "preflash" often set off the main flash which then didn't have time to recharge.

Cheers Kris.

Sorry but that is not an option - that won't work outside - and will have many misfires. I have tried that a number of times.

Sometimes you also hide the flash under rocks or so - to avoid it in the shot. You will need line of sight or dark condition to use as a dumb slave outside.

I got an offer last night on some skyports - and I'm interested in Amoringellos reply. Don seems to love his set....I have a chance to try them out before buying them. So that will give me some kind of QC.
womble
Posted 17/10/2008 - 09:11 Link
Nimitz wrote:

Sorry but that is not an option - that won't work outside - and will have many misfires...

Line of sight is true, but not a problem for my specific task (photographing inscriptions on tombstones). Daylight? No problems for me. It has worked every time provided I remember to hold the sensor pointing towards the camera!

Best Kris.
Kris Lockyear
It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera… they are made with the eye, heart and head. Henri Cartier-Bresson
Lots of film bodies, a couple of digital ones, too many lenses (mainly older glass) and a Horseman LE 5x4.

My website

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