CyberSync Review..

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Archive 2008 · CyberSync Review..

Paul Buff
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p.3 #1 · CyberSync Review..

dfresh wrote:
Sorry for the obvious question as I completely missed it- but type of batteries power the non-AC receivers?

Two AA batteries - Alkaline (supplied) or NiMH rechargeable. Life = 200 hours. CSRB has one hour timer and shuts off after one hour of non-use so batteries typically last for 50 four-hours sessions.

Jul 18, 2008 at 08:11 PM

davidjames
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p.3 #2 · CyberSync Review..

The upcoming CSR+ and Cyber Commander will make WL do things not ever possible with any system.

how do i find out info about cyber commander?

uh if that answer is going to cause problems you can pm me?

Jul 20, 2008 at 04:02 AM

rbethem
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p.3 #3 · CyberSync Review..

Most of these range numbers all seem to be in a relatively straight line without obstructions. Very impressive, however, how strong are they indoors between rooms, for example? I'm thinking of real estate or architectural photos where you're lighting the main living room but may have an additional strobe in a dining room down the hall and another one in the kitchen which probably would have a wall or two between them and the transmitter on camera.
Thanks in advance to anyone who could "shed some light" on this situation.
Rick

Jul 20, 2008 at 04:37 AM

Paul Buff
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p.3 #4 · CyberSync Review..

You should get 150' OK though these walls.

David, there is a whole long CyberSync/Cyber Commander/Einstein thread at the top of our forum. I can't post a link to it for ethical reasons.

Jul 20, 2008 at 06:22 AM

rbethem
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p.3 #5 · CyberSync Review..

Paul, thanks for your quick response. I, for one, really appreciate your participation on this board. It's rare in deed to be able to communicate directly with someone in your position. I sense that there would be many that agree. Thanks again.

Jul 20, 2008 at 02:40 PM

choiboyogg
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p.3 #6 · CyberSync Review..

i got mine on fri.
here are some shots
btw: they work great. the range is def shorter than the pw but we were already expecting that. i was able to walk down about 7 regular 1800 sq ft suburban houses and get flash. this was high noon.

i was curious in the early posts as well.
here it is on my 1ds2.
i love the new small size.
doesnt poke me in the eye.
and it fits well on the flashes

This image is copyrighted by the owner

Edited on Jul 22, 2008 at 04:20 AM

Jul 22, 2008 at 04:19 AM

choiboyogg
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p.3 #7 · CyberSync Review..

rbethem wrote:
Most of these range numbers all seem to be in a relatively straight line without obstructions. Very impressive, however, how strong are they indoors between rooms, for example? I'm thinking of real estate or architectural photos where you're lighting the main living room but may have an additional strobe in a dining room down the hall and another one in the kitchen which probably would have a wall or two between them and the transmitter on camera.
Thanks in advance to anyone who could "shed some light" on this situation.
Rick

i live in a 1900 sq ft home, single story.
left flash on one side of the house.
flashed it once in each room
went off each time.
until i got to the garage on the other end.
didnt go off both times i was in there
according to the wife.
this was with me holding the transmitter only in my hands

Edited on Jul 22, 2008 at 04:24 AM

Jul 22, 2008 at 04:24 AM

Fred Gallico
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p.3 #8 · CyberSync Review..

How secure is the transmitter in the camera hotshoe? My main concern is the lack of a lock down ring or a locking feature of some sort. I understand this was probably to save manufacturing costs but even some of the cheap ebay triggers have a tightening ring on them.

Even if the transmitter fits tightly now, I'm concerned that over time of taking it on and off the camera, the plastic will wear down a bit and that fit will loosen up.

One of the common mis-trigger problems with the cheap triggers is the transmitter not fitting correctly in the camera hotshoe, where the metal contact ball doesn't make a solid contact with the hotshoe....especially when the camera is in the vertical position. I've already read a few reports of the Cyberlinks transmitter ball getting stuck/not making a solid contact because of a molding inconsistency. Press down on the CST and it fires...let up and it doesn't.

A lock down ring sure would have been nice. Maybe it's not a realisitic concern but a concern of mine none the less.

Edited by Fred Gallico on Jul 23, 2008 at 09:43 AM GMT

Edited on Jul 23, 2008 at 02:43 PM

Jul 22, 2008 at 06:19 AM

choiboyogg
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p.3 #9 · CyberSync Review..

fred, the trans is very tight.
you are right, i am also concerned that over time it may loosen up.
that will be very irritating.
although it will be annoying if the trans becomes loosen and not fire correctly, but i figure for the price of them, perhaps paul will have a new design out by then.
as long as the cost is low, im ok.
but for the record, lets just hope it works and stays on tight

Jul 22, 2008 at 06:22 AM

AndrewE
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p.3 #10 · CyberSync Review..

after seeing that last photo I was thinking the exact same thing with regards to no lockdown mechanism for the transmitter while in the hot shoe.

Jul 23, 2008 at 02:12 PM

Paul Buff
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p.3 #11 · CyberSync Review..

CST is designed to fit rather tight and is not likely to get loose over time. It weighs so little it's not likely for it to come off unintentionally.

Jul 23, 2008 at 04:13 PM

Carmen Miranda
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p.3 #12 · CyberSync Review..

Not to mention that you could replace a CST twice before you spent what you had to pay for a PW. Heck the CST transmitter is less expensive than some of my PW cords!

Personally I prefer to slide the transmitter off and on without having to lock it down. Makes it much easier to slide off/on a tripod/camera combo when testing lights.

Edited on Jul 23, 2008 at 05:25 PM

Jul 23, 2008 at 05:24 PM

Paul Buff
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p.3 #13 · CyberSync Review..

I agree - that's why I designed it that way. A lock mechanism would have made it bigger and more expensive. The only way you're going to knock it off is to drop your camera. Big difference between the tiny CST and a hotshoe flash or PW - they need a lock. But because of this they can also damage the camera if banged around.

Jul 23, 2008 at 05:41 PM

treebeard
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p.3 #14 · CyberSync Review..

Wow. These look really cool. I am very impressed with what I have heard so far. Look like it's time to give them a try!

Jul 24, 2008 at 12:41 AM

leadZERO
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p.3 #15 · CyberSync Review..

I'm (im)patiently waiting for mine; ordered about 2 weeks ago, so I bet I'm getting close in the queue. I like seeing the designer commenting on the blogs though. Shows customer support.

Thanks for the hard work Paul.

Jul 24, 2008 at 02:55 AM

onetrack
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p.3 #16 · CyberSync Review..

Mine works fine on my D3 & D200 at 1/250 which is the rated sync speed.

The transmitter fits very tight, in fact, it's a little hard to get on. The only other problem that I see is that it's so small, I might lose it.

Jul 25, 2008 at 04:58 PM

rbethem
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p.3 #17 · CyberSync Review..

choiboyogg

Thanks for your report on shooting distance indoors. That was what I was looking for. Sounds like it will be just perfect for my real estate shots. Ordered mine about 10 days ago and looking forward to giving them a try.

Rick

Jul 30, 2008 at 07:32 PM

BryanB
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p.3 #18 · CyberSync Review..

hope this is not a stupid question... i have a Sekonic flashmeter with a built in PW transmitter... if I were to switch... is there a way to maybe connect the flashmeter to the CST in order to trigger the flash for metering purposes?

Jul 31, 2008 at 07:01 PM

choiboyogg
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p.3 #19 · CyberSync Review..

i have the same sekonic 358 with pw trigger.
it does not work.
hopefully paul can make a transmitter for the sekonics

Jul 31, 2008 at 07:20 PM

BryanB
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p.3 #20 · CyberSync Review..

ok..i was thinking that maybe there was some type of adapter that would connect the output port of the sekonic to like a hotshoe adapter so it could trigger the CyberSync transmitter...

Jul 31, 2008 at 07:41 PM

dmward
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p.3 #21 · CyberSync Review..

There is a version of the transmitter nearing delivery status that will have a jack for a sync cord connection to address this according to the PCB website.

I just hold the transmitter and press the test button to fire the lights.

PCB has also stated on their forum and I think here, that there are proprietary technology considerations that make a card for Sekonic etc. unlikely.

Jul 31, 2008 at 10:49 PM

sboerup
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p.3 #22 · CyberSync Review..

choiboyogg wrote:
i have the same sekonic 358 with pw trigger.
it does not work.
hopefully paul can make a transmitter for the sekonics

Don't hold your breath, as that will probably never happen. PW and Sekonic are all distributed by the same group, so it makes sense for all their products to intertwine with each other wherever possible.

They are the only ones that connect with PWs as far as meters go. It's a luxury of the PW system.

Jul 31, 2008 at 11:17 PM

BryanB
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p.3 #23 · CyberSync Review..

too bad... being able to trigger the lights from the meter is a big plus

Aug 01, 2008 at 12:50 AM

Paul Buff
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p.3 #24 · CyberSync Review..

CST with sync jack and pc cord is now shipping as the standard CST.

PW compatibility would require a whole lot of different circuitry and would make many of the Cyber Commander features not possible. Also, we're not interested in encroaching on LPAs market. They've worked hard to secure their niche.

CSRB batteries are two standard AA Alkaline or rechargeable NiMH.

Aug 01, 2008 at 05:36 AM

curtisclegg
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p.3 #25 · CyberSync Review..

Hi Bryan, a simple work-around to not being able to trigger the lights with a flash meter is to use a good ol' fashioned gray card in conjunction with your camera and transmitter. Before long you'll be able to analyze the spike on your histogram to know exactly how to adjust aperture or ISO, and be able to nail the exposure with no more than two test shots.

The *big* caveat is to make sure your body is not blocking the light from one or more of your strobes when you take the test shots!

Aug 02, 2008 at 07:46 PM


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