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Radio trigger for the Q- any users have experience?


sturkel

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I am considering in using the Q on some events and need advice for basic radio triggers (non TTL) to fire remote strobes.  Similar to the pocket wizard radios.  Anyone have any experience in doing so? 

 

When I was trying out one on an Olympus camera in the past  (using my Nikon radios)  somehow it messed up the camera.

 

This is why I am asking for any experienced users that have had real use on the Q.

 

Thanks for the help.

 

 

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I was hoping to get some input on what might work for remote flash.  No one out there doing this?

Not with a Q - but all the "dumb" remotes i have tried with my M240 have worked perfectly 

these include a PW Multimax, Elinchrom Skyport and a PW Mini TT1 (for Canon, with all the fancy TTL bits turned off in the software so it behaves as a dumb trigger)

anything that is just looking for a short between the edge of the hotshoe and the centre pin should have no issues firing a remote flash.

 

 

I've been looking for information on off-camera flash options this evening, so i would been keen to learn too. If anyone has advice, don't hold back with any information you have on TTL.   :D

 

My advice - forget TTL OCF

for a couple of reasons 

1. Its unlikely you will find a remote TTL solution for a Leica, other manufacturers of TTL remote gear seem to release Canon first, then Nikon, and maybe Sony down the track, if enough people jump up and down about wanting it to work on their A7/A7R/A7S/A7II/A7RII/A7SII   (I am happy to be proven wrong though, if you do find a Leica ETTL OCF system, please let me know)

2. its unreliable.

not the triggering, but the metering.

if you set a manual flash, it just fires at the power you set it at.

if you set an Ettl flash, it fires at the power it thinks you want - change anything in the frame (lighter or darker background, subject bigger or smaller in frame, etc) and it changes what it thinks you want, resulting in uneven exposures, you constantly fight it to get a correct exposure.

 

my advice is get a unit you can set manually (even better if you can adjust the power from the transmitter) and learn the basics from David Hobby's Strobist blog (lighting 101, accessed by the dropdown menu on the right hand side - he goes into way more detail than i could)

 

if you start by learning one set of constants, then a second set, then eventually you make educated guesses at a setup, and are within a stop before you even fire the first frame

i know a pair of  Canon 580EX2 (fired with a set of dumb triggers) at 1/16 power in opposite corners of the room and bounced off the roof will give a nice clean f4 @800 ISO - most of the pics of my kids are shot with that exact setup.

at work with the Canon system, i rarely think anymore , normally dial in the ambient exposure, dial the flash up, and most of the time i am within a stop or two, occasionally setting up 2 lights and having a perfect first frame (doesn't happen all that often though, maybe once a month)

 

its really simple to setup after a while

1. set the ambient exposure, and set the white balance 

2. add flash, with gel to balance ambient WB (if needed) and dial it up or down to taste.

3. add second flash if needed.

4. add third flash if needed.

5. take photos - providing the subject stays about the same distance away from the flash, the exposure shouldn't change much (you lose/gain 2 stops with every halving or doubling of distance between the subject and light source)

Edited by Echo63
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Thanks for the input. . I agree 100 % TTL is OK for some just not for me. I have in the past just used the PC such cords and never had to worry about interface with the camera hot shoe.  When I tried out a Olympus with my PW radio, somehow it destroyed a circuit on the flash logics internal.  Ever since I have been careful what I attach to the hot shoe.  

 

Never had this concern with the PC synch cords.

 

I have a couple of units on order based on input from the Leica store in DC and will take the radio to them and try their  demo camera first for a try. 

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Thanks, I agree with you , but it was a PW that gave me issues with the Olympus.  If could have just been a freak circumstance, Just as an FYI PW has different models for Nikon, Cannon others so there is some difference between the models.  Will know for sure next week.

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yongnuo 600ex-rt with some generic canon radio trigger

 

1.7 at 1/2000th shutter speed - cool :)

 

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Thanks, I agree with you , but it was a PW that gave me issues with the Olympus.  If could have just been a freak circumstance, Just as an FYI PW has different models for Nikon, Cannon others so there is some difference between the models.  Will know for sure next week.

there is a bunch of different versions - sounds like you had one of the nikon Control TL range (either a TT1 Mini or TT5 Flex, which have worked fine for me with my M)

 

there is also the "dumb triggers" Multimax, Plus2, Plus3, X etc - which only have the centre pin and outer contact - no fancy ETTL or HSS stuff (although the multimax does have some cool tricks up its sleeve, remote wake, relay mode to extend range, delay programming so you can fire a bunch of cameras and have them sync to one set of lights)

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Cactus V6.

I am working with PW, Yongnuos, Phottix and the ones from Profoto, Hensel and Multiblitz, too.

 

But the Cactus V6 gives me the opportunity to work for example with delay together with a studio flash and if I want to trigger a ttl speedlight from Canon, Nikon, Metz, etc. together with a Q I can manual control the flash power via radio with the V6. The V6 includes a lot of profiles and is even able to "learn" to control older ttl speed lights.

 

With other words you can use your Q together with a Nikon SB, a Canon EX and a Metz, etc. at the same time and you have manual control for alle these flashes via radio and trigger the studio flashes, too, you can control up to four groups, etc..

 

At the moment one of the best radio triggers in my opinion.

 

http://www.cactus-image.com/special/Cactus_v6_wireless_flash_transceiver/index.html

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Did you actually try the Cactus V6 on the Q?

 

Why should I write it otherwise? :-)

 

Me working with the Cactus V6 and one of my studio flashes.

 

 

 

 

 

On the Mono triggering and controlling the power output manually via radio using a Canon 430 EX.

 

 

 

The V6 doesn't care about the camera being used.

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Well this was exciting, I placed an order for a kit with 3  radios, plus two flash units all with radios built in.  All for $500 great offer.  Thanks for sharing this,  I'll post some work once I get to use them.

 

Interesting I had not heard of them before,  this is one of the values of being part of a forum like this.

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Why should I write it otherwise? :-)

 

Me working with the Cactus V6 and one of my studio flashes.

 

attachicon.gifcactus_.jpg

 

attachicon.gifQ_V6_.jpg

 

On the Mono triggering and controlling the power output manually via radio using a Canon 430 EX.

 

attachicon.gifmono_.jpg

 

The V6 doesn't care about the camera being used.

Thanks for confirming! I'm getting the Cactus V6.

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i cannot get my leica q to fire remote flash with the pocket wizard plus x triggers.  I am using a lumopro flash which fires when loaded directly to to leica q but will not work when using the plus x triggers.  Has anyone else had this problem or successfully used these triggers for off camera flash?

how have you got it all connected ? 

 

I assume the PW are both on the same channel ?

 

the flash is connected to the PW 3.5 mini phone sync port ? 

if you are using the 3.5-3.5 cable, try using the 3.5-PC socket instead (assuming your Lumopro is one of the versions with both ports)

 

is there a "silent mode" on the Q (i don't have one, only an M) that turns the flash off, or do you have the flash set to not fire somehow ?

 

do you have the On Camera PW in the hotshoe properly ? 

 

if you press the test button on the camera PW, does the flash PW show it received the signal ? does the flash fire ? 

 

 

sorry for the wall of questions, but i am trying to figure out where the problem could be.

Edited by Echo63
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