Happy Thanksgiving to all ! Could someone kindly recommend an affordable remote flash trigger for my 580 EX II? I'm just a hobbyIst so I don't need anything too heavy duty.
Thanks.

I assume you can't use the built in sensor (flash behind a light modifier??)
I have been firing my 580EX II with my other flash...as long as they are "visible" to each other. I have also used super long (10meter) TTL cable....only $50

BUT...if you need real remote triggers then I think you will have to spend much more.

I did see some no name triggers from China on ebay but didn't buy them so can't comment...they were really cheap...like $30 or $40

have a look at the yongnuo triggers,they are cheap and reliable

michael kilner wrote:
have a look at the yongnuo triggers,they are cheap and reliable

agreed.
their new etttl triggers work nicely and cost <$100 for a set, and their basic non-ettl rf-602 (now rf-603) are a good cheap solution as well.

If I hadn't committed to Pixel King for Canon, I would have went this route, cheaper and TTL.
http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-YN-622C-Wireless-Trigger-Camera/dp/B0094CXNPY
Price: $86.47
I don't think they work for Nikon though. But one thing I really like about these is the TTL pass thru active hotshoe, to use a flash on it, mounted on camera, for key or catch light. Something my Pixels don't have. I'm seriously thinking of selling the two Pixel sets I have and buying some of these. Plus from what I read, they do ratios.

I have two sets of the yongnuo RF-602, and they work well for speed lights and studio strobes. I can trigger lights from across the house through walls (not sure why i would ever need to do that for a photo, but its fun!)

I have a colleague that got 2 sets of the RF-603, and I was not impressed. Everything about the 603 is cheaper, and he had issues with pins receding, poor connections causing reliability issues, and just general frustration.

The 602 uses a proprietary threaded connector on the trigger, which is cheap, but makes a solid connection. The 603 uses the cheapest PC connection with the cheapest PC cable they could find, and we were constantly struggling with bad connections that could not be isolated to the cable or the triggers. I suspect if one were to buy decent PC cables with the threaded connectors, they would be much better, but then you start to negate the idea of a cheap trigger system by spending nearly as much on cables as the triggers!

Bottom line for me is RF-602 is great out of the box, but RF-603 not so much. I haven't looked lately, but I believe the 602 is no longer available. If I were shopping today, I would re-buy the 602s, but would not buy the 603s.

Paul

I use Elinchrome. Small and do their job. Also not expensive.

Yongnuo RF 603's are very good for studio strobes. I use them always. However, with my 580EX II setup I either use the built -in Line -of-sight mode or Phottix Strato II set. The Phottix transmits TTL to the on-camera flash and then will conversely transmit to another 580 Off-camera Flash. Phottix has a good price on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Strato-Wireless-Trigger-Set-Canon/dp/B0056MPVZ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353627010&sr=8-1&keywords=phottix+strato+II


Allan

Trip it with the built-in sensor or use a slave sensor attached via mini phone cable.

http://flashzebra.com/products/0274/index.shtml

Thanks everyone for the great information. I had looked a bit at the Yongnuo units and have one of their remote shutter triggers. Christmas is only a month away .......

novicesnapper wrote:
If I hadn't committed to Pixel King for Canon, I would have went this route, cheaper and TTL.
http://www.amazon.com/Yongnuo-YN-622C-Wireless-Trigger-Camera/dp/B0094CXNPY
Price: $86.47
I don't think they work for Nikon though. But one thing I really like about these is the TTL pass thru active hotshoe, to use a flash on it, mounted on camera, for key or catch light. Something my Pixels don't have. I'm seriously thinking of selling the two Pixel sets I have and buying some of these. Plus from what I read, they do ratios.

Don't dump your older pixel kings just yet ... The new Pixel King II's are backwards compatible with your receivers, giving you full remote Ettl. Looks like all you will need is the new transmitter.
Check this out ..... http://www.lightingrumours.com/pixel-king-ii-will-be-backwards-compatible-3165#more-3165

Allynb wrote:
Yongnuo RF 603's are very good for studio strobes. I use them always. However, with my 580EX II setup I either use the built -in Line -of-sight mode or Phottix Strato II set. The Phottix transmits TTL to the on-camera flash and then will conversely transmit to another 580 Off-camera Flash. Phottix has a good price on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Strato-Wireless-Trigger-Set-Canon/dp/B0056MPVZ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353627010&sr=8-1&keywords=phottix+strato+II


Allan

+1 for Phottix Strato II - not expensive but very reliable

I'll add another recomendation for the Yongnuo RF-603's. They are manual only, use AA batteries, $30 a pair and are reliable.

I just got my Yongnuo YN-622C for my Canon 580EX II. It works like a champ. It costs $87 from Amazon.
Love the fact that it works with E-TTL and you can control the flash directly from your camera LCD such as FEC, Zoom, ....