I ordered the PW FlexTT5 and MiniTT1 the very day they were announced, but only just got them yesterday (I'm in Canada and LP Design told me that they had a really hard time getting Canadian approval for the units and the long wait was frustrating as heck. But I've finally got myself three FlexTT5's and two MiniTT1's.

I think I've got them set up fine for use with my Canon 5D Mark II's, although I really haven't played much with the ETTL features. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the ControlTL channels ONLY work when using ETTL and simply won't work at all if the flash units are in manual mode. So I've got my C1 configured for ETTL and C2 set to use a Standard Rx channel for when the flash is in manual mode. That way I'm also able to trigger the flashes with my Sekonic 358 meter (which has the PW radio module installed). In C1 mode I've got it set to "Use ControlTL for Rx Channel" and my Sekonic meter won't trigger the flashes. (I guess that makes sense, as when you're in ETTL mode you don't need a handheld meter to measure the flashes.) In C2 mode I've turned that off and I'm using the same Standard Rx channel as I use in my regular PW units (a mix of the original and II models) and my Sekonic meter.

As I said, I really don't have a lot of experience using ETTL as most of my flash use up to now has been with studio units in manual mode. But I tried a few shots with the camera in P and M modes and it seems to be working fine.

In terms of setting up the units, the help shows a "Replicate" button to be used to make the same settings on other units, but I can't seem to find it on my software. Anyone?

I also have a Canon G9 and I thought I'd try the PW's with that. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong or not, but I just can't make it work. The test fire button does work but when I take a photo with the G9 the flash(es) are not triggered. I've reset the PW's to default. I've tried all the settings I could think of, including setting the camera model to Canon G9 on the Misc tab. But without success. The best I can get is the flash firing (seems inconsistently) but with the images being significantly under exposed. I've left the HyerSync Offset at the default of -170, but since I'm using shutter speeds of 1/60th, I don't think this is the issue.

Has anyone been successful in getting these new PW's working well with the G9? I'm hoping there is an easy way to get them to work with BOTH the 5D Mark II and the G9 so I don't have to do any major reconfiguring if I change cameras.

Thanks for any suggestions...


Oh heck, the plot thickens... I just tested again with my 5DII and things are NOT fine! In the C2 (regular Rx channel, not ControlTL, with the flash in manual mode) setting, using my 50mm f1.4 lens (if that makes a difference) and a shutter speed of 1/125th, if I shot at f9 (or larger) all was well. However if I shot at f10 or smaller, I would get a band of black at the bottom of the (horizontal) frame. Like sync speed was off. (But since when does changing aperture affect sync speed?) Using a regular PW transmitter on the camera, with the same FlexTT5 on the remote flash, all was well no matter what the aperture.

I switched back to ETTL mode and my C1 setting with the MiniTT1 on the camera. Now at f11 all was well but at f8 or larger, I'd get a black band at the TOP!! (The camera was in manual mode... 1/125th of a second, but the flash was in ETTL mode and I was using a ControlTL channel.)

All these months of impatient waiting, thinking that at least the bugs would be worked out by the time my units arrive, appear to have been for nothing. SIGH

I have mini TT1 with Canon 1DII and Rebel Xsi, work very well with Profoto Pro-7 pack and PW plus, never worked with eTTL actually, all I need is manual mode.

The one bit of advice I could offer is to ensure that you have the latest version of the firmware.PW has been made quite a few firmware updates.

I am on the sidelines with these devices hoping they can work as well as the PW2+. I am looking forward to reading more about your results.

Jerry

bugaglo wrote:
I have mini TT1 with Canon 1DII and Rebel Xsi, work very well with Profoto Pro-7 pack and PW plus, never worked with eTTL actually, all I need is manual mode.

So you're using the MiniTT1 on the camera with a regular PW (not the FlexTT5) on your flash? For me that works fine also.

jerrykur wrote:
The one bit of advice I could offer is to ensure that you have the latest version of the firmware.PW has been made quite a few firmware updates.


That was the first thing I checked. Everything is up-to-date. SIGH

Apparently this is a current limitation/problem experienced only with the 5D Mark II. From the manual addendum:

5D Mark II Aperture. Due to special trigger timing considerations for this camera, some lenses will experience frame clipping (hard lines or dark frames in the image caused by the shutter getting “caught” by the flash) at mid to narrower aperture settings.
Larger maximum aperture lenses like f:1.4 or f:1.2 models are most affected and may start to see flash clipping as early as f:5.6.
Lenses with a widest aperture of f:3.5 to f:5.6 may not experience clipping until stopped down to f:22 or narrower. If there is no flash on top of the ControlTL transmitter in the shoe of the 5D Mark II, results will be somewhat better (~1 f-stop narrower will work). This aperture issue does not affect any other camera we have tested. Please test each of your lenses across the full range of f-stops to be sure you understand the limitations.

I'm just going to have to experiment some more to see what those limitations mean to me in actual use. And I've yet to get this working with my Canon G9 (but that's a pretty minor issue for me).

The G9 is not yet supported for ETTL use. It'll work in basic trigger mode only.

There will be a beta firmware update this week (today/tomorow?) to address the large portion of 5DMKII problems.

K_Strecker wrote:
The G9 is not yet supported for ETTL use. It'll work in basic trigger mode only.

There will be a beta firmware update this week (today/tomorow?) to address the large portion of 5DMKII problems.



Are you connected with LP Design?

The Canon G9 is listed on the last tab in the utility so (silly me) I thought it was supported.

Do you know anything about the missing "Replicate" button that is mentioned in the docs? It's supposed to make configuring multiple units a lot easier.

That's good news about beta firmware... is this going to be an open beta or only available to a select few?

No connection, I've just had great success with my Mini and Flexes and want others to have the same. Pocket Wizard has a facebook page on which they announced the pending release of the beta firmware.

It is odd that the G series cameras are listed, but not fully supported yet. Could just be a pre-emptive addition for future support. Who knows.

Are you on Mac or PC? I've always had the replicate show up when plugging in a Flex after saving the settings of the unit before it.

Later today I'll upload a screenshot of my settings with which I've had the best luck.

I'm on a PC... and I'm using the latest versions of the utility software and firmware. No replicate button.

And with the 5D II, something strange seems to be going on. Yesterday when I tired ETTL mode with a ControlTL channel, at f8 or larger I got a black band at the TOP of every horizontal image. Today trying the same thing (but with three flashes instead of just one) I don't get any band no matter what aperture I use. I don't have time now but I will also retest the manual mode.

I'll be keeping my eyes open for the new firmware, but I won't be joining Facebook any time soon (like not in this lifetime).

Cheers!