i maybe in the same boat finally. at a recent wedding, i was getting frustated with my setup (PWII on camera and 580exII/PWII with assistant). assistant was 10' away from me behind B&G and the flash would not fire. i totally looked unpro. so i settled for a direct flash/slow shutter in the dark alley outside the reception venue...at first i was thinking batterys but there was no way it was the batteries...this wasnt the first time it happened either
I've got RP's, and when they work, they're great. Problem is, they often dont work. When putting the slave into that plastic holder, you have to be careful you don't scrunch up the rubber foam thing, or it covers the sensor, the batteries are constantly dead.. if it's not one thing, it's another. I'm done with mine.. they just aren't reliable enough. I just use a 580II.. oddly enough, even in bright sunlight, they've been working more reliably than the RP's. I've had both gen 1 and 2.. gen 1 was a PITA having to tape the fiber cable.. made a mess of the front.. Gen 2 is better than the first, but I'm sick of having problems.. I'm done fighting with them. If I have to, I use the old pocket wizards and do manual flash.
I have been using the PW and the 580II with no problems - the only catch is that I usually mount the PW with the caddy to the lightstand. I just ordered 2 more PW PlusII and another 580II - this has me a bit nervous!
Only had my Px's for 2 weddings, I'm using Eneloops so less battery problems. I have the PX recievers permentantly on the flashes via the bracket thing so I shouldn't have any foam scruntching problem.
A problem I did have was that the PX transmitter although from the latest batch had ancient (their words) firmware loaded and could only do A:B ratio. A:B:C or any application of 'C' mode didn't work or was horribly inconsistent. I've sent it back though it's rather a hassle from the UK. I ended up using manual rather than the C mode for background room lighting in the hall (my usual) and the PX's were perfect for that.
I've owned every trigger RP ever put out. The px does everything that the canon IR system does on its own including manual hss etc. The px will also trigger the JRx. I've shot receptions where I have fired monolites with JRX recievers and 580 with PX recievers from my px transmitter on camera. Usually though I have the speedlites with assistant set to 1 channel and the monos over the dance floor set to another.
The Jrx transmitter is great if you have alien bees or wl. The analog switch for controlling the output of 3 groups is really great. On the PX transmitter the output control is sort of buried in the menus and annoying to get to and change but still much better than lowering your light stands to adjust output. With a little practice you can get used to changing A PX with the analog dials for ABC groups would be perfect.
Our Pocket Wizards have actually been rather flawless. As long as we keep a 430EXII on the remote lights they fire every time at any distance we have ever needed.
I would actually recommend them highly from our experience if we hadn't managed to break a Flex TT5 twice in the last two months. First time, the top metal hot shoe bent and they replaced it and returned it within 3 days. Second time, the bottom plastic flash mount broke and they are expected to have it back to us in 3 days again.
If not for the great customer service, these last two instances might have been enought for us to jump ship. The funny thing is that the lady I talked to in their customer service actually said "Maybe you should refrain from shooting vertically". (My guess is that the weight of a 580EXII on top of the TT5 is more stress than they anticipated?)
minnigphoto wrote:
The funny thing is that the lady I talked to in their customer service actually said "Maybe you should refrain from shooting vertically". (My guess is that the weight of a 580EXII on top of the TT5 is more stress than they anticipated?)
Heck for the price, perhaps they should include a flash bracket and a TTL cable between the TT5 and your 580 to make sure it doesn't get tweeked
I have a VERY long-winded review that I'm putting the finishing touches on as I shoot this week. I'll be posting it on my blog and cross posting it here.
Tony Hoffer wrote:
I have a VERY long-winded review that I'm putting the finishing touches on as I shoot this week. I'll be posting it on my blog and cross posting it here.
Let's hope it's not as long winded as that neverending mp3 file!!!!
kidding, it was great! Oh and after reading all the Barry White comments I was expecting a REALLY REALLY deep voice... so when I heard you by comparison you did kinda sound like a 14 year old girl.
P.S. Isn't it sickening to think that you could make a statement like "We usually come home with 900-1200 images... which is significantly less than the average in the industry"
What is wrong with us peoples!?!?!? It's like 900 is the new 36
I saw these in action this past weekend. Considering the fact that he just got them last week, he pretty much did anything he wanted to on Saturday. Based on what I saw from some quick LCD chimping, I want them now. Then again, I'm pretty much convinced that Tony could shoot a wedding with a Polaroid and a flashlight.
(My guess is that the weight of a 580EXII on top of the TT5 is more stress than they anticipated?)
