Help Synching Interfit EX150...

E5telle

E5telle

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Hi there

I recently bought a second hand interfit EX 150 home studio lights and am really enjoying using them. After a few uses however they have stopped triggering with the camera. The test button works fine and they do flash with the camera flash. A new Synch lead and hotshoe has not solved the problem, so I tried an interfit INT 411 remote trigger. This was a hasty purchase and later found the reviews were not the best so tested it several times dialy before a planned shoot and it worked fine evrytime. Anyhow about 3rd into my shoot the remote trigger stopped working. Any ideas anyone? It worked fine with the on the cable and hotshoe originally. Do I need a better trigger or is there another issue?

Many thanks for reading Im at a loss of what to do next.
 
I bought this set up once, returned it within a week. The INT 411 wouldn't work in a room with a window. Where there's too much natural light coming in, somehow the IR signal gets lost. Are you set up in a light room? If so, can you darken it down? That might help with the INT 411 in the short term..
 
I use the YN-602 triggers...you add the cable out and it plugs into the back port...works a treat for me...and also lets me use different lights as well...

STEVIER
 
Great thanks for your reply - will consider options for the same type of trigger. What is bothering me though is why the lights hav stopped working with a cable ans hotshoe adapter when it was fine for the first few uses. Do you have any suggestions at all? Thanks V much.
 
Infra red triggers are old technology best forgotten IMO, radio triggers are definately the way to go - but I'm concerned that your light isn't firing when you use the sync cable now.
There are various possible reasons for this, synch cables have connections that can work loose, and the hotshoe adapters can work loose too, so I think it might be an idea to check that the connections are sound. Assuming that they are, the problem could be with the flash head, in which case you could try connecting the cable to the other flash head.
If you can't get reliable flashes with the sync cable then I suggest that you borrow a radio trigger before actually buying one, just in case the problem is with the lights themselves - unlikely though.
 
Hi thanks for the advice - have tried everything I can think of swapping cables and heads etc.. Its really strange as didnt have a problem first few uses. Can you recomend any radio triggers. Thought of approaching the flash centre to see if they can help to diagnose the problem. Have you used them for anything?, is this something they may help with?
 
For the INT411 problem....you haven't inadvertently switched the sensor off have you? (the small toggling button on the back of the EX150 unit).

Bob
 
E5telle said:
Hi thanks for the advice - have tried everything I can think of swapping cables and heads etc.. Its really strange as didnt have a problem first few uses. Can you recomend any radio triggers. Thought of approaching the flash centre to see if they can help to diagnose the problem. Have you used them for anything?, is this something they may help with?
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TFC sell/service Elinchrom lighting products mainly, you can ask but I think your best bet is just to try a radio trigger as already suggested. For indoor use, where bright ambient light doesn't exist and so maximum shutter speeds aren't needed, any radio trigger should be fine.
 
E5telle said:
Hi Bob Ive tried all the switches on the back which is the toggling button.
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It's marked "Sensor On/Off" (next to the "test" button)....this switches the optical sensor on or off and it must be on to trigger the flash by IR (INT411) or by another flash firing.

Bob
 
E5telle is it the mk1 or the mk2 EX150's you have?

The Mk1's did not have the function to disable the light sensor and early models are flaky with Elinchrom skyport rf triggers so be careful there :)

I have a set of mk1's, the serial numbers are one digit apart, one fires perfectly with my skyports, the other just wont have it yet both work fine on cables or when using the photo cell. :thinking:

Mk 1

EX150-back-panel-thumbnail.jpg


Mk 2

EX150-mk2-head.jpg


afaik there are no reported problems with the mk2's
 
HI...mine are Mark II...sounds silly now but did not think about the MArk I thing....so dont know if YN 602 will work....

STEVIER
 
i have a cheap set of triggers bought from bv electonics on amazon they fire my mk 1 all the times
 
Hi Garry, just to say thanks to your help earlier this year I have had some success with a radio trigger. (DRT 2G) Had a couple of issues, but once I realised the trigger needs to be plugged into the "main" head all seemed mostly fine. Ive retunred to talk photography as this was really helpful last time and wonder if you can help with a new related matter? The light set up has been fine (EX150 MK1) but just this weekend the fill light is intermittently not flashing although the main light is. I wonder if this is a common problem, or is there a fault, or am I doing something wrong? They both flash on test on the light itself. I wondered if this was the range between them, but the lights are only 2-3 metres from each other, perhaps its the AAA batteries getting low? or is it likely a fault hs occurred in the light head? I tried moving it picking it up and down today and it then triggered,but not sure if this is coincidential? Look forward to hearing what you think... Im pleased with my work so far which can be seen at www.photoboxgallery.com/ewphotography
 
I don't know the answer but can guess at it...
1. Interfit are... how do I put it? Not exactly top of the tree when it comes to either quality or design. Maybe it's a quality problem and the sensor isn't working, or isn't working consistently on your slave light, or it isn't sensitive enough.
2. More likely, it isn't seeing the flash from the key light. For some inexplicable reason they stuck the sensor on the back, when really it should be on the top. In many lighting situations, a sensor on the back can only see a flash if the flash from another light is bouncing back from a nearby white wall.
3. Another possible problem is that light from a window or even a bright light in the room may be hitting the sensor, in which case there may be too little difference in intensity when the flash is fired for the sensor to trigger the flash.

You could buy a more sensitive flash sensor and plug it into the sync socket, but while you're about it, it would make sense just to buy a second radio receiver and plug that in instead, it should fix the problem for good.
 
Fabulous thanks for your advice once more! A non photographer friend reccomends I invest in a Bowens set. I bought the interfit second hand from ebay although in very good condition in orginal box and bags etc. On both recent occasions the fill light was closest to a window, so will try clsoing curtains next time and will try another radio receiver. Many thanks!

P.S would love to attend any future sponsored studio sessions you run in the future.

Regards
E5telle
 
E5telle said:
Fabulous thanks for your advice once more! A non photographer friend reccomends I invest in a Bowens set. I bought the interfit second hand from ebay although in very good condition in orginal box and bags etc. On both recent occasions the fill light was closest to a window, so will try clsoing curtains next time and will try another radio receiver. Many thanks!

P.S would love to attend any future sponsored studio sessions you run in the future.

Regards
E5telle
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On both recent occasions the fill light was closest to a window,
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I guessed as much. Try closing the curtains and putting a large piece of white card/paper in front of the window, so that the flash from your first light bounces off of it onto the sensor of the fill light.
A non photographer friend reccomends I invest in a Bowens set.
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Good idea, but if you invest in a Lencarta kit instead you'll spend a lot less of your hard earned and still get a pro quality kit.
P.S would love to attend any future sponsored studio sessions you run in the future.
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There will be one in October and another in November, then that's it for this year. They may run again next year, don't know yet
 
Quick question regards the ex150mk2. Kit I have bought a radio trigger set 1 tx 1 rx, however sometime the other head doesnt fire (the head with sensor switched on but no trigger attached) could I solve this issue by buying a 1 tx and 2 rx set and sticking one on both head? Confused

I am just getting back into this and will be upgrading after Xmas however for now I have to use them and just wondered if this would solve my issue, any info would be grateful
 
cameradaft said:
Quick question regards the ex150mk2. Kit I have bought a radio trigger set 1 tx 1 rx, however sometime the other head doesnt fire (the head with sensor switched on but no trigger attached) could I solve this issue by buying a 1 tx and 2 rx set and sticking one on both head? Confused

I am just getting back into this and will be upgrading after Xmas however for now I have to use them and just wondered if this would solve my issue, any info would be grateful
Click to expand...
Yes, sticking a second receiver to the second head will solve the problem.

You shouldn't have to solve it though, the head should be fitted with a decent sensor and the sensor should be in the right place, i.e. on the top, where it will see the flash - not on the back where it will only see it sometimes:'(

You seriously need to upgrade
 
Hi Gary thank for that, I think the problem is the sensor is on the back.
Will be upgrading soon, but until then I will stick another receiver on the 2nd head thus getting rid of failed firing

Thanks fit your help
Kenny
 
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