ebay wireless trigger

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fleaz

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the one i have currently is a pt-04 under the brand name phottix. it doesn't seem to work outdoors. it works perfectly indoors. any way to go about solving this problem?

if not, i'm planning to go for GI's cactus v4.
 
If you can get hold of any v4's! They seem to be like rocking horse poop :D
 
I spent ages looking into wireless triggers around the time of the new Cactus V4 triggers entering the market. Some good reviews some bad, U-tube vid of misfires, possible sync speed problems etc. In the end I went for the CTR-301 set (Yongnuo) off Ebay. I couldn't be happier with them (note also the CTR-301 P receiver also has a PC socket now if you need it). They sync 100% at 1/250", I've tested indoor and outdoor up to about 30ft with 100% trigger success and even from indoor to outdoor over the same distance with 100% success, I'm sure the range is furhter than this but I've not had need to try it. The only small downside is the use of CR2 battery in the receiver rather than AAA, but I'm fine with that. The thing that swung it for me as a Nikon SB600 user is that the CTR-301 has a properly compatible hotshoe with a wider insulator area that does not allow contact with the other pins of the Speedlight and there being a hole in the hotshoe for the Speedlight locking pin to locate in so that the Speedlight is locked to the receiver as Nikon intended, so perfectly safe and sound. I can only offer my personal findings, but I'm totally satisfied. :clap:
 
Yes, very true about being a small stand aswell. Although with the big Canon flash (and the Nikon) you might have to turn the head around 180° so it is not leaning forward too far to over balance. My SB600 is fine at any position, but worth remembering.
 
With any of these triggers, you do get what you pay for in terms of reliability, whether it's the old V2's, new V4's, or any of the remakes: There's always gonna be a decent chance of things going kaput.

Story: I've had a set of PT-04's that have survived well; A week after getting them I decided to go shoot some skate photography with my mate. Well I get in to the locale, set up my flash, get off a good burst of shots, and then.. paphuut. It totally stops working. Why? I shall never know, but it was pretty much out of action. Gladly for me, I was just testing them out on a D80 body, and so whipped up the CLS in no time at all. When I got back and tried them out again they worked perfectly, never had a problem before or since.

The reliability would not be an issue if it didn't happen to be most likely to occur at moments and situations where it would take too long/be too much effort to make them work, and that's when your images start suffering for it; gladly in this case I had a reliable backup with me, but you can never be so sure.
 
Sounds like it could have been an interference problem for it not to have happened again ever :shrug:

I think, as with anything, if you need kit for a pro/important application then you should purchase kit accordingly, or have backup just in case. Anything can and will go wrong when you least want it to. In this case, it's a cheap flash trigger, so either have a spare trans and receiver set (less than £20 delivered) or cables, or optical (if appropriate conditions) in your bag.

CLS is great, and I use it too, but it is not always possible.
 
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