Wireless triggers that support Canon wireless function?

mhuk

mhuk

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Which wireless triggers support Canon flash wireless functions? I'm looking for some new wireless trigger/ receivers and would like a trigger than will allow me to remotely use Canon wireless functions e.g. set power, zoom etc. on each flash group.

From what I've read (and even with google it's not easy) Phottix Odin is a yes but Pixel King is a no? Can anyone tell me which ones support wireless control of Canon flashes?

I use a Canon 5D2 with a 430EXII and a 580EXII (and some older flashes that I know will be manual only- some Vivitar 283s and a 486).

Thanks :-)
 
For control of Canon flashes using all their functionality, the best bet in the UK is the Pocketwizard flex range. Not cheap, but they do what it says on the box.
 
You mean wireless radio triggers?

PW Mini/Flex works well has a lot of cool features. Phottix Odin very good. Pixel have a bit of a chequered rep but some people seems to be happy with them now. Or there's Radio Popper's quirky piggy-back system.
 
Yes, wireless radio, not IR.

Thanks for the replies & suggestions I'll take a look. @HoppyUK - I may be wrong but I couldn't see any Pixel triggers that allow the flash to be controlled from the camera flash menu?
 
I have the PW flex, to get that level of control you still need a 580ex on top, without it you lose a few of the features, even using the capabilities of a 5d2 to control the flash.
 
mhuk said:
Yes, wireless radio, not IR.

Thanks for the replies & suggestions I'll take a look. @HoppyUK - I may be wrong but I couldn't see any Pixel triggers that allow the flash to be controlled from the camera flash menu?
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I don't know about Pixel. I can't keep up with all their different models and what they do, or what they're supposed to do, with what, and sometimes do and sometimes don't.

FWIW, if money is no object, get a suite of the new Canon 600EX-RT guns. PW Flex/Mini does things that the native Canon system does not, such as HyperSync, optimised high speed sync, and optimised second curtain sync. Handy if you need those features.

Then there's the Odins that just replicate the Canon functions via radio, adding remote second-curtain sync. They are easy to use and work reliably.

Personally, I use Phottix Stratos that are basically manual triggers, but have E-TTL pass-through and maintain max x-sync speed (which most cheaper manual triggers do not, quite).

Al Brum said:
I have the PW flex, to get that level of control you still need a 580ex on top, without it you lose a few of the features, even using the capabilities of a 5d2 to control the flash.
Click to expand...

AC3 zone controller?
 
HoppyUK said:
AC3 zone controller?
Click to expand...

Sorry, no idea what that is. I was referring to the fact that to get total functionality from 580's or lower spec with PW's flex tt5 you need a master flash sitting on the transmitter.
 
it gives you control over 3 different zones either in ettl or manual and to change 1/3 f-stop increments of power control + - 3 stops range in ettl and manual
 
I have the pixel Kings

They are very reliable, I’ve only had them a cupla months – ask me in a year’s time. :)

I use a Canon 5D2 with a 430EXII and a 580EXII
Click to expand...
With those flashguns you can control following from the back of your camera:

Choose ettl or manual
HSS, 1st , 2nd Curtain
Adjust Flash exposure compensation - the 5Dmk11 only shows -2 - +2 FEC, the 7D is -3 to +3
FEL lock on cam body as normal
Flash head zoom.
Manual Power levels over 3 groups

I think there are a cupla 3rd flashguns that have the camera control above.
One Metz and the Nissin i866 mk2

Pixel kings cost me £180 for 1 TX + 2 RX.
 
Putting a 580exII (or a 550ex) on top of the camera seems an expensive way to do it and I'd rather spend that amount of money on a pair of Quantuums.

Thanks for the info Mitch38 :-) - I'd read the spec on Pixel's site but still missed that. Sounds like I need to read up on the specs of the Pixel Kings and the Phottix Odins and see if the extra money for the Odins is worth it (to me). Don't you just love photography :-)
 
I agree, it is an expensive option and I don't use it myself - also because it makes the camera heavy and unbalanced.
The PW's are very good but I do feel that the cheaper competition is just as good.
 
I have a 580ex 1 as well as 580 ex2

You loss some control from the back of the cam with non series 2 flashguns

manual power setting
ZOOM

I like to use 2 flashes mainly in ettl with the pixel kings.

When In manual with 3 or 4 flashes
I use the rRF602s and the pixel kings in manual.
Using the RF602 as a shutter release it fires all the flashes.
 
Do you mean you use the Pixel King as the TX and use the RF602s as RXs?

Hmm.. that adds extra possibilities as I have some (some! - 6 or 7) old Vivitar flashes.
 
Do you mean you use the Pixel King as the TX and use the RF602s as RXs?
Click to expand...

I have the pixel king TX on the hotshoe, this controls the 2 exii flashguns
with pixel king RXs - I'm In manual flash.

I have a RF602RX plugged into the shutter release port of my 7D with a special cable
(£5)
and 2 further Rf602 RXs in my 580EX flashes, I have to set the power on these on the flash..

I use the RF602TX to fire the camera - which fires the Pixel King TX that triggers the the PK RXs and the RF 602 RXs simultaneosly.

I'm not sure how clear that is :)
 
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:-)

I have a RF602RX plugged into the shutter release port of my 7D with a special cable
Click to expand...

Does the RF602TX also act as remote trigger (in the sense of remote firing of the camera) and when you press the button it's that which triggers the RF602RXs and the chain of events? I've probably written that badly but I think I understand you :-)
 
Does the RF602TX also act as remote trigger (in the sense of remote firing of the camera) and when you press the button it's that which triggers the RF602RXs and the chain of events? I've probably written that badly but I think I understand you :-)
Click to expand...
Yes I was using it to fire flashes to take flash meter readings.
Kind of as dirt cheap alternative to the sekonic PW module.
Then I twigged it would fire any 602 RXs. :-)
 
@ mhuk - Pixel Kings transmit the camera's flash control menu for zoom, and the lens setting, if in Auto Zoom. But it is global, not by group. That is because the Kings use the camera's interface, which works that way. The Odins do their own thing. After powering up, the Kings are not normally touched - it's all in-camera.

An Excellent review:
http://flashhavoc.com/pixel-king-ettl-triggers/

My Pixel King summary:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B77OmmGIg0gMOTdhMmRiZTQtYzEwYy00MDM5LWI4NDEtNTRiODY0MTYyZmU2

My Pixel King review:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B77OmmGIg0gMZGJjMzFlNGQtNTEyOC00NjY4LThjYjktZmVlNDgxMDA5YjEw

@ Mitch38 - I like what you say, except the bit about the YongNuo RF602RX.

I had previously tested them with Kings, along with several others, and found that only the Pixel Opas Pro trigger worked with the Kings. But perhaps... So I have just retested - and the King does not trigger the RF602RX. I didn't expect it to as there are frequency, ID and coding issues.

What you are doing, using the RF602TX/RX pair as a trigger is fine, and I did that for many King tests. But there is a sync issue caused by the shutter signal to shutter open delay, which could fire the RF602-mounted flashes too soon, with the King-mounted fkashes firing in sync with the camera. Risky at short shutter speeds. It may not matter for taking a meter reading.
 
Thanks for the links Clive.

When you say
3 separate groups when using manual power setting
Click to expand...
in your review, does that mean power settings are can be set on a group basis or a global basis?
 
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What you are doing, using the RF602TX/RX pair as a trigger is fine, and I did that for many King tests. But there is a sync issue caused by the shutter signal to shutter open delay, which could fire the RF602-mounted flashes too soon, with the King-mounted fkashes firing in sync with the camera. Risky at short shutter speeds. It may not matter for taking a meter reading.
Click to expand...

Thx for the info SeedyBee :)
I suspected as much TBH. I will still use the trigger but not to fire lights.

I noticed something strange about the Kings. When the TX is on my camera hotshoe even when the TX is turned off, it enforces my camera sync speed.

No big deal, but strange :)
 
mhuk said:
When you say in your review, does that mean power settings are can be set on a group basis or a global basis?
Click to expand...

Group A, B and C individually. The settings are made with the camera's flash control menus - Wireless set. / A:B C / slider for each.
 
SeedyBee said:
Group A, B and C individually. The settings are made with the camera's flash control menus - Wireless set. / A:B C / slider for each.
Click to expand...

And each group can contain 1 or multiple flashes.

So, for instance, if you were rich:

Group A, main light shooting at std exposure.

Group B, 1 stop under - fill light and hair light

Group C, 1 stop over - 2 lights, lighting a white background.

The ratios aren't perfect, but you see what I mean.
 
Hi, Phil V - a matter of idle semantics: can a "group" contain just one member? :-)
 
Thanks for that Clive :-)

I was confused when you said
Pixel Kings transmit the camera's flash control menu for zoom, and the lens setting, if in Auto Zoom. But it is global, not by group.
Click to expand...
as I inferred that to me the Pixel Kings couldn't be used to control the flashes using the camera interface other than globally, which is kind of useless.
 
@ mhuk - The Kings have no way to set values for remote flash in themselves. They make use of what Canon provides. The Flash Control / External Flash / Zoom menu is a global setting; there is no group capability.

If the menu is set to Auto, then the camera's zoom calculations will be applied, including the user setting on the lens. If a fixed focal length is set, that will be applied to all ETTL flashes regardless of the group they are in, or the lens setting.

The Kings apply the menu setting, even after you have manually set a zoom on-flash! Canon does not change settings in that case.

Kind of useless for OCF, as you say. I have just posted more about the zoom in the POTN lighting forum. The problem is that Canon does not provide a means of setting individual flash zooms from the camera, so what compromise would work?
 
To clarify further, the Canon camera's flash control menus have only one facility for setting values by group. That is when using Manual levels, you go to the Wireless Set. page and turn on A:B or A:B C. You then are presented with two or three sliders to set a manual power level for each group.

On the King TX itself, you can turn communication on or off for each of the three groups. That's it! The Odin trigger has more capability in this regard as it provides its own settings interface.
 
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Al Brum said:
I have the PW flex, to get that level of control you still need a 580ex on top, without it you lose a few of the features, even using the capabilities of a 5d2 to control the flash.
Click to expand...

What level of control are you talking about?
You can't directly control the flash from the camera menu system but the flex system takes over and the AC3 let's you control the zones etc.
 
Just looked into the ac3, night be getting one...
 
Much cheaper and lighter than another flash though....
Worth the money if it means not having to mess about with individual lights whilst a bride and groom are waiting to join their friends at the bar...
 
Very true, I think the AC3 also allows you to use the speedcycler feature, not much use for bride and groom shots :) but it allows you to cycle through flashes in sequence through zones so if you're doing sports photography and rattling off 8fps two, three flashes would keep up and recycle in time :)
 
SeedyBee said:
Hi, Phil V - a matter of idle semantics: can a "group" contain just one member? :-)
Click to expand...

As Canon refer to them as groups, no matter how many flashes are assigned, it would have clouded the issue to write anything else.
 
Phil V said:
As Canon refer to them as groups, no matter how many flashes are assigned, it would have clouded the issue to write anything else.
Click to expand...

Which is why I used "group", thinking that it implied the possibility of multiples.
 
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