RadioPoppers - Good, Bad, Indifferent?

Scott_Quier

Well, they've been on the market for a while now and I'm wondering if anyone here has any real-life experience with them. I've found some reviews on the web and they are all gushing about how wonderful they are. That's all well and good, but I would like to know about the down-sides as well.

So, does anyone have anything less than stellar to say about the P1 RadioPoppers?

Edit: It was suggested I include a link to RadioPoppers - link

mmmatt

Scott_Quier wrote:

Well, they've been on the market for a while now and I'm wondering if anyone here has any real-life experience with them. I've found some reviews on the web and they are all gushing about how wonderful they are. That's all well and good, but I would like to know about the down-sides as well.

So, does anyone have anything less than stellar to say about the P1 RadioPoppers?

Here is a review that isn't all fluff

http://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157604870674926/

Matt

davidweaver

oooohhhh......


ahhhhhhh......


Since I'm not married I might be able to get a pair. :-)

ladytx

I purchased the Radio Poppers. I had 1 transmitter and 2 receivers. I shoot with a Sony camera and Sony HVL56-AM flashes. The "fit" of Radio Poppers is a little funky, especially on the Sony. The guy with "A Better Bounce Card" (can't think of his name just now) has a video showing how he attached his Radio Poppers with an elastic band to his Canon that doesn't look bad. Better than tape and velcro. Anyway, I had a lot of trouble with the poppers mis-firing and firing on their own. I used them in my house, outside and at a park in a small town 45 minutes away. Same problem. They would just keep flashing and strobing on their own. I was in touch with Radio Popper and they did not know why they were doing it other than the poppers were receiving stray radio signals. I was in contact with a photographer in Texas who also uses Sony and he said he was having the same problem. Radio Popper explains that they have not tested Sony but the problem, I have found, also is with Canon and Nikon. I returned my Radio Poppers with no problems at all. Customer support is very good. I got Pocket Wizards. I am hoping Radio Popper will continue to explore this product and come up with a way to keep stray signals from setting off the flashes. High sync capability would be very nice.

LensCap

Everyone keeps wanting to borrow mine...

Had a transmitter problem with the first one, after they replaced it no problems at all!!!

gchappel

I have used mine with nikon gear for a couple of weeks. Moderate but not severe use. I have had no problems at all- they work like they should. CLS now works outside in the sun. I can put a fill flash behind me- it works. I can shoot in the sun on the water- it works. High speed sync- it works.
Are they a perfect product- no. They look delicate. They perch on the su800 with velcro- and do not look secure as the transmitter rocks back and forth. They have all kinds of little things sticking out- like the fiberoptic cable and antenna- that looks like it will snag on anything, and be difficult to shove in an already overloaded bag. I have had no problem at all with them yet- but they just look "cobbled." Great idea, I think they will improve the packaging, but the overall product is great.
Gary

Pindy

The one thing making me want PWs first is that I need a way to very reliably, and through walls, trigger the shutter (cameras on magic arms and the like). If Elinchrom or RadioPoppers offered this, I'd quickly invest in one of those.