Getting off camera with skyports

[singlespeed]

I have an SB600 and an SB900, which I have been experimenting with CLS for off camera in TTL and manual, but just in the living room so nobody could see me looking very confused

A couple of nights ago, I took some bravery pills and headed out for the first public run and ended up with

and

The 900 was at the rear of the car, strapped to the light stand for a halogen work light. The 600 was sat on the floor on its little stand near the front wheel.

I was using a 10-20mm lens so the flashes were probably too wide to pick up the control signals from the camera, so invariably one or the other wouldn't fire. I shot nearly 40 pics, with only 10 trigering both flashes. So I think I found one of the limitations of CLS and maybe a need for some skyports but have been getting confused on the best way to connect things up, with the 600 not having a PC connection and the 900 having a pc connection.


Now heres the question. What bits and pieces will I need to connect up the two flashes onto a pair of stands with brollies

Obviously, I need-
1 transmitter and 2 receivers
2 light stands
2 brollies
2 brolly holders with hot shoe adaptor

But what else?

Cheers, Neil.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

have a look at Colinsfoto on Ebay, you need a 1/4" phono jack to pc cable (same as the one for a Pocket Wizard) plus a hotshoe with a pc port on the side for the SB-600, plus another cable for the 900.

Interestingly, I was having a play with CLS last week with my new SU-800 and managed over 50ft with no misfires.....

 

[Dal]

Can’t remember where I read it but I’ve heard that if you point the IR sensors for each flashgun at the car then the flashgun can pick up the signal from the camera much easier. Give that a try before going ahead and buying radio triggers.

 

[singlespeed]

have a look at Colinsfoto on Ebay, you need a 1/4" phono jack to pc cable (same as the one for a Pocket Wizard) plus a hotshoe with a pc port on the side for the SB-600, plus another cable for the 900.

Interestingly, I was having a play with CLS last week with my new SU-800 and managed over 50ft with no misfires.....

Cheers Flash

So for the 900, its skyport receiver - 1/4" phono to pc cable- SB900

And the 600 it's skyport receiver - 1/4" phono to pc cable - hotshoe adaptor SB600.


I haven't had a problem with the flash positioned to the left of the camera as the receiver is then facing the camera. Its always been the one to the right, where the receiver is facing away and out of the recomended angle for CLS layout... or when hidden from view slightly. At night, the flash could be trigered at the bottom of our garden which is 40m long, but it was very hit and miss at this range :shake: probably like ebay triggers

 

[singlespeed]

Can’t remember where I read it but I’ve heard that if you point the IR sensors for each flashgun at the car then the flashgun can pick up the signal from the camera much easier. Give that a try before going ahead and buying radio triggers.

I like the idea, but wouldn't that leave the flash firing towards the camera? I suppose it could be shielded or bounced a bit, so worth a try.

Thanks
Neil.

 

[Flash In The Pan]

Cheers Flash

So for the 900, its skyport receiver - 1/4" phono to pc cable- SB900

And the 600 it's skyport receiver - 1/4" phono to pc cable - hotshoe adaptor SB600.


I haven't had a problem with the flash positioned to the left of the camera as the receiver is then facing the camera. Its always been the one to the right, where the receiver is facing away and out of the recomended angle for CLS layout...

Turn the head on the r/h flash round 180° and turn the lightstand and flash round 180° too, so that the front of the flash is pointing away from the subject, that way the receiver will be on the camera side

 

[singlespeed]

Turn the head on the r/h flash round 180° and turn the lightstand and flash round 180° too, so that the front of the flash is pointing away from the subject, that way the receiver will be on the camera side

The blokes a bloomin genious.

It never occured to me that the head swivelled that far round as it only goes 90deg in one direction and Ive JUST discovered its 180 in the other.


So just the stands and brollies to get for now

 

[Dal]

Turn the head on the r/h flash round 180° and turn the lightstand and flash round 180° too, so that the front of the flash is pointing away from the subject, that way the receiver will be on the camera side

as Flash said.

Its all about fiddling about, twist the head of the flash gun round to aim the receiver at the camera, should work fine then.

Try pointing the receiver of each flash at the car though, this would then let you hide the flashguns if it works.

 

[singlespeed]

as Flash said.

Its all about fiddling about, twist the head of the flash gun round to aim the receiver at the camera, should work fine then.

Try pointing the receiver of each flash at the car though, this would then let you hide the flashguns if it works.

Cheers Dal

I'll give it a go as in theory, is should work fairly well. I was convinced I was limitted to 90' of rotation and never tried going further.



I'm realy glad I asked the original question now, as I now know what I need if I ever go for skyports. But more importantly, I probably don't need them, even though I want them So thats a forum donation coming on.

 

[singlespeed]

£10.00 donated to this fine place
Confirmation number: 08P68788EL506654V

 

[Flash In The Pan]

The blokes a bloomin genious.

It never occured to me that the head swivelled that far round as it only goes 90deg in one direction and Ive JUST discovered its 180 in the other.


So just the stands and brollies to get for now

Stands...7dayshop, £10.99 each, delivered

But check Jessops.com first and see if your local branch has any of the Portaflash LS 2 stands at £4.47 each, collect only - they were £35 each originally :nuts:

 

[Dal]

Cheers Dal

I'll give it a go as in theory, is should work fairly well. I was convinced I was limitted to 90' of rotation and never tried going further.

Well when I use my flashgun in the house of camera more often than not, the receiver is pointing away from the camera and the flash fires so I can only assume that the IR is bouncing off a wall in the room, and surely the same would happen bouncing it off the car.

 

[singlespeed]

Stands...7dayshop, £10.99 each, delivered

But check Jessops.com first and see if your local branch has any of the Portaflash LS 2 stands at £4.47 each, collect only - they were £35 each originally :nuts:

Way down south in Edinburgh is the closest that are showing stock, so probably not worth the time, diesel and the inevitable speeding ticket to pick them up :bonk:

Cheers anyway.