Arsenitim wrote:
Unfortunately - I can't predict if I'll have time before New Year for the review

Please ask me specific questions - and I'll answer here.


I've two specific questions, both having to do with the special features of the multimax.

One question I have is the banking option. Both multimax and skyport can trigger 4 different banks/subchannels. But a closer look to the buttons/switches of the two (from the images I've seen) it seems there's a difference in flexibility. It looks like on the multimax you can select to trigger any cominations of banks (so just bank A or C, but also A+C or A+B or whatever and that the reciever also can be assigned to any number of banks. It looks like the Skyport is more limited: a receiver belongs to one bank only and the transmitter can either trigger a specific bank or "all".

Is that correct?

If so, I'm not completely is how relevant that difference is in practice. In the multimax scenerio, I envision to place a fair amount (let's say three of four) small strobes distributed in a larger space, each assigned to a different bank and perhaps one or two providing some diffuse fill light, assigned either to a separate bank or to all banks. I phantasize I could then by simply changing the trigger banks on the transmitter select a host of different light setups. The skyports seem to be much more limited in this respect. However, as I no multimaxes, I never tried this in practice.

Question two: the multimaxes have several delay and strobing features. i;ve some creative stuff in mind that could benefit from that. As such the Skyports don't have these features. But the Skyport family has also a USB transmitter _+ software for use with laptop/computer. Elinchrom mentions also a "strobing function" for this setup. But I've not seen any further specifications.

Any insight is welcome,

Joost

Thanks for answering my q's. Very much appreciated!

horstenj,

You are right. PW is WAY more flexible in group firing. Skyport can fire either one selected group or all at once. PW MultiMax can trigger any combination of five groups (incl. one local). Moreover, of you stack 2nd PW sender into local output port of the 1st one, and set it to another channel - you will get 4+5=9 groups. And even more, bu adding more senders.

Skyport triggers, stacked that way will be much less flefible.

---------------------------
Yes - unifersal skyport set won't give any delay options or anything else, than just triggering.
With USB controller - you can set any delay in milliseconds, but I'm not sure - if it reauires RS modules or works with Universals also.
I don't have neither RX nor USB - I only have one unifersal set.

PW - can use any delay - if the Camera unit is MultiMax (flash units may be any PW, even old ones).
You may set delay in "2nd curtain mode" in "shutter speed" values like 1/X
or in advanced mode - in milliseconds.

kennmon

What PW model do you use?

Maybe "short distance" issue relates to european multimaxes only, but I swear - MMax mode requires a few feet and classic - a couple feet between units for reliable work in mu case.

Manual says "at least 12 inches" and troubleshooting part of manual says about "few feet".

Hotshoe construction is a matter of taste. I like 580EX hotshoe. It sits good itself, and the ring is wide enough to hold it with fingers when tightening.
PW sits filmsy and the ring diameter is quite small - not comfortabla to use it.



In fact - I don't care. I care more about reliable triggering Just wanted to see 580EX like hotshow in a similarly priced unit.

All build quality except hotshoe - is just great. Built like a tank.

A little update again:
What is suspitious about Skyports - is that they are new. So this is 1st generation of EL radio triggers. Well.. they are great, but noone knows - will future units offer reverse-compatibility.

with PW I'm pretty much sure - any new PW will still support any older one. That is great.

Joost,

It's true that the Universal Skyport doesn't have the same flexibility as the Multi Max (understandable at the price). But the Skyport USB/RX does and then some. It is also much more intutitive in this mode than the Multi Max, unfortunately it only works with RX units. We looked at the MultiMax's for just the basic group functionality, but the menu with all the other stuff was just to bloody confusing. No doubt the flexibility of the MM and the RX SP is indispensible, but probably only to a highly specialized breed of photographers like sports or arena.

We do have a USB/RX set, but found that the Universal Skyport's basic Individual Group or All functionality is all we ever really need or use in the studio anyway. With the ability to single out 4 individual channels, I can meter my key, fill, hair or background light individually and then switch over to ALL and fire away. We dont need a A+B channel to meter the fill and key together since the kickers don't adversely affect the reading anyway. The only complaint I have with the Skyport in this regard is the small switch. On the other hand it was the small size and the Group/All feature that pretty much relegated our PW's to camera triggers only. And we've been drinking the PW Kool Aid a long time.

The Skyports are far from perfect but in our humble studio they are now THE hand's on favorite. Still I can't say good bye to the PW's quite yet, but they are getting dustier by the day. They say old habits die hard.

Good luck.


Good

Arsenitim wrote:

Yes - unifersal skyport set won't give any delay options or anything else, than just triggering.
With USB controller - you can set any delay in milliseconds, but I'm not sure - if it reauires RS modules or works with Universals also.
I don't have neither RX nor USB - I only have one unifersal set.

PW - can use any delay - if the Camera unit is MultiMax (flash units may be any PW, even old ones).
You may set delay in "2nd curtain mode" in "shutter speed" values like 1/X
or in advanced mode - in milliseconds.


Are you saying that the delay functions are controlled by the transmitter unit? And one only needs a multimax on the camera and the rest can by normal PWs? This is contradicting what I heard before (I do understand the grouping function needs multimax receivers, not normal PWs).

Joost

Carmen Miranda wrote:

[...]
No doubt the flexibility of the MM and the RX SP is indispensible, but probably only to a highly specialized breed of photographers like sports or arena.

We do have a USB/RX set, but found that the Universal Skyport's basic Individual Group or All functionality is all we ever really need or use in the studio anyway. With the ability to single out 4 individual channels, I can meter my key, fill, hair or background light individually and then switch over to ALL and fire away. We dont need a A+B channel to meter the fill and key together since the kickers don't adversely affect the reading anyway. [...]


Carmen,

thanks for ypur answer.

I can imagine what you say, especially in the studio. For my question I had a shoot on location in mind, using a fair set of smaller strobes distributed over the space, such my set of Vivitars 285HV (that apparently cannot be triggered by the current Skyport units, I have read in this thread that other versions are coming).. For studio use I have set of non-Elinchroms, so both multimaxes and Skyports will do equally well I assume).

Joost

horstenj

Yes - delay is controlled with transmitter unit. You can use 2nd curtain and "remotes" delay having MM on camera only.
That is common confusion - many sellers say, that all units must be MM. That is wrong. Receiver can be any PW.

More exactly - MMax can generate delay being receiver also (if you want different delays for different receivers). You can even set one "common" delay on sender and make all receivers add their individual delays to that.

There are also more advanced Port1+Port2 delays, remotes+local delays combinations, that apply to both transmitter and receiver and are not all possible with non-MM units.


I recommend getting PDF manual for MM and check "delays"-related sections.

flashzebra.com sells a special cable to use 285hv with the skyports. for the DIY'ers, basically, the trigger duration for the skyport is very short that it can't trigger the 285hv's. to fix this, you can short the terminals with a 22nf capacitor and this will delay the duration enough to trigger the 285hv. hope this helps.

b.t.w:

Capacitor does not have to be exactly 22nF. I've used 1st one I picked from my "garbage can" and it worked.

Just in case anyone is interested...

I just got some Skyports to use with my Interfit Stellar lights. I really wanted these things to work because I love the size but unfortunately they didn't...

I had the problem with them turning themselves off, just once or twice, but more importantly I could only get them to actually fire on about one shot in ten. I tried multiple lights & cables but the results were consistent. It didn't matter whether I used them on the camera or just via the test button - they just wont trigger the lights (or just occasionally).

Maybe the Stellars have the same problem as the 285hv and don't like the short trigger duration. Whatever the reason, mine have to go back unfortunately.

My cheap & nasty ebay triggers work 85% of the time, by comparison.

Please keep us posted on this. I also have Interfit Stellar lights and was hoping to get the Universal Skyports.. so I need to know what happens.
Thanks.

Mufutau

kaper wrote:
Just in case anyone is interested...

I just got some Skyports to use with my Interfit Stellar lights. I really wanted these things to work because I love the size but unfortunately they didn't...

I had the problem with them turning themselves off, just once or twice, but more importantly I could only get them to actually fire on about one shot in ten. I tried multiple lights & cables but the results were consistent. It didn't matter whether I used them on the camera or just via the test button - they just wont trigger the lights (or just occasionally).

Maybe the Stellars have the same problem as the 285hv and don't like the short trigger duration. Whatever the reason, mine have to go back unfortunately.

My cheap & nasty ebay triggers work 85% of the time, by comparison.

I spent a couple of hours trying to get the stellars & skyports to work.

If I power everything off and back on they will always fire on the first shot, then fail on the next one. After that they alternate for a while - fire, mis-fire, fire, mis-fire, etc. It doesn't matter how long you delay between test fires, it alternates. After a few minutes of this either the receiver powers itself off or it starts only working about 1 shot in 10. If I power everything off again the cycle resets.

These tests were done both by firing the camera and via the test button on the transmitter - the results are the same either way.

Maybe I have a bad set of skyports, but these are unusable for me. I'm returning them today and buying some pocket wizards. I hate the price & the (relative) size of the PW's but so far trying to save money hasn't paid off at all...

Kevin

May be Mr. Lon at www.flashzebra.com can do something in a way of modifying the plug for this like he did for the Skyports to work with Vivitar 285HV, this problem look like the same symptoms. I will forward him this thread to see..

Mufutau

kaper wrote:
I spent a couple of hours trying to get the stellars & skyports to work.

If I power everything off and back on they will always fire on the first shot, then fail on the next one. After that they alternate for a while - fire, mis-fire, fire, mis-fire, etc. It doesn't matter how long you delay between test fires, it alternates. After a few minutes of this either the receiver powers itself off or it starts only working about 1 shot in 10. If I power everything off again the cycle resets.

These tests were done both by firing the camera and via the test button on the transmitter - the results are the same either way.

Maybe I have a bad set of skyports, but these are unusable for me. I'm returning them today and buying some pocket wizards. I hate the price & the (relative) size of the PW's but so far trying to save money hasn't paid off at all...

Kevin

Kevin,

I've got a Interfit EX-200 and the Skyports work flawlessly with it. I also have an older retired Interfit Combo unit, a predecessor to the Stellars. I checked it out and neither my Skyports or PW II's will work with it. The PC port on the strobe works with a PC cable so I'm not sure what's going on, unless the older Interfits need a higher trigger voltage than the remotes deliver. Don't know if this helps, but you might check it out with Interfit before you spend more on the PW's.

Good luck.

Do you have any idea off the top of your head where to find the 4 pack at ~$150 each? I am looking for 4 PW's and the best I have found so far is around $165ea.

Michael




I Love my PWs... and if you shop around, you can get a 4 pack for around $150US per unit, which is not a lot more than the skyport. I have a full set of rechargable NiMH AA batteries, and another set in reserve, so I'm not worried about running out of power in the field even after several days of use.
Hope this all helps!

njw

Hi Carmen,
What is the size of the pc sync plug used on that Interfit EX-200?
Thanks.

Mufutau

Carmen Miranda wrote:
Kevin,

I've got a Interfit EX-200 and the Skyports work flawlessly with it. I also have an older retired Interfit Combo unit, a predecessor to the Stellars. I checked it out and neither my Skyports or PW II's will work with it. The PC port on the strobe works with a PC cable so I'm not sure what's going on, unless the older Interfits need a higher trigger voltage than the remotes deliver. Don't know if this helps, but you might check it out with Interfit before you spend more on the PW's.

Good luck.

mufutau wrote:
Hi Carmen,
What is the size of the pc sync plug used on that Interfit EX-200?


You learn something new everyday.

It is a 1/4" "phone" jack.
But that's not what I learned. What I did find out might help Kevin isolate his problem though.

When I checked the port to confirm that was indeed a phone jack, I decided to test the remotes with it again too. No go. So my trusty associate explains that he had to use a multi-PC adaptor with the standard PC cable to get them to work with the Skyport or PW's. (nobody tells me anything anymore :eyes Anyway, it seems that the problem lies with the spare mini-phone to phone plug adaptor supplied with the Skyports (only Miniphone cable came with the PW's).
How or why I don't know, but with a straight Phone-PC connector even the Interfit Combo works, I suspect the Stellars would as well. We don't have a phone-mini cable around but using a Multi PC adaptor did not break continuity, so there is definitely something going on with the adaptor connection. I tested with the PW II's, same deal. It gripes me to buy more cables, especially for strobes we don't use that much anyway, but we may have to get a 1/4" Phone - Mini mono cable and see if that works better than our Rube Goldberg solution.

Kevin,
I wouldn't wait for me to confirm this solution since we are not in any particular hurry and you'll need the same cable for Skyport or PW, which ever you settle on with your Stellars.

Good luck.

Kevin,

I just picked up a 1/4" phone to 1/8" Miniphone Mono cable for $5 at Radio Shack (sure beats $20 from Paramount or PW ).

Viola. Problemo solved.

Apparently the Interfits don't match up with the Phone adaptor that come with the Skyports for some reason. BTW, my PW II's now work with the Interfit's using the new cable too.

Good luck.

Thanks Carmen for finding this problem and the solution.
Can you let me know the part number of the cable you got from Radio Shack, and probably a picture of the kit will be nice.
I may now go ahead and buy the Skyports for my Interfit Stellars.
Thank you very much.

Mufutau

Carmen Miranda wrote:
Kevin,

I just picked up a 1/4" phone to 1/8" Miniphone Mono cable for $5 at Radio Shack (sure beats $20 from Paramount or PW ).

Viola. Problemo solved.

Apparently the Interfits don't match up with the Phone adaptor that come with the Skyports for some reason. BTW, my PW II's now work with the Interfit's using the new cable too.

Good luck.