Remote Live View, etc.
Nikolai
Registered Users Posts: 19,035 Major grins
Last Sunday I had my first ever chance to shoot with remote live view function on Canon 5D2.
Setup pics are here: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=134714
While shooting I stumbled upon a few weird effects to which I currently have no clear understanding/explanation. All are related to using PW mini vs PW transmitter.
By any chance with have PW representative here on dgrin? :scratch
EDIT: FWIW, I contacted PW and sent them link to this thread.
Setup pics are here: http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=134714
While shooting I stumbled upon a few weird effects to which I currently have no clear understanding/explanation. All are related to using PW mini vs PW transmitter.
- With PW transmitter in the shoe, Remote Live View shooting is pretty much useless, since you can't see a damn thing
- With Mini in the shoe camera picks up the live view nicely, ie it both shows the live preview picture and follows my manual setting when taking actual picture (iso100, 1/200s, f/8 - I shot close hence increased DOF)
- With Mini in the shoe and in Remote Live View, camera takes extra time to trigger, even when focus is set to Manual (as are the rest of the settings). I didn't have that effect when shooting with the RLV off, triggering either from the camera or from the laptop.
- Finally, there was a totally weird sync problem when shooting with Mini. I don't know if it was a later firmware or else. Upper half of the frame was consistently a 3/4 stop (or so) darker, but without typical obvious border visible at speeds higher than x/sync.
- Also, there were a quite occasions when shooting with Mini when it simply didn't trigger the lights. It happened several times during my workshop, and we thought its battery dying. I replaced the battery, but behaviour did not cease to exist. I have a hunch it has something to do with focusing (lack of confirmation), but I'm not 100% positive about it.
By any chance with have PW representative here on dgrin? :scratch
EDIT: FWIW, I contacted PW and sent them link to this thread.
"May the f/stop be with you!"
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Comments
Thanks for the tip. I've got the latest firmware.
My original questions/concerns are in bold, their replies folow
1. "With PW transmitter in the shoe, Remote Live View shooting is pretty much useless, since you can't see a damn thing"
I assume by "transmitter" you mean a Plus II. We've done some testing and have noted that while in Live View mode, a 5D Mark II will not trigger any flash (or PocketWizard) unless it detects a Speedlite in its hot shoe. A MiniTT1 or FlexTT5 will work because they appear to the camera as a Speedlite. This is new information to us and I appreciate you bringing it to our attention. Unfortunately there isn't any fix aside from asking Canon to change their camera's behavior.
2. "With Mini in the shoe and in Remote Live View, camera takes extra time to trigger, even when focus is set to Manual (as are the rest of the settings). I didn't have that effect when shooting with the RLV off, triggering either from the camera or from the laptop."
This happens because the camera is lowering its reflex mirror and trying to measure a preflash. Our ControlTL radios appear to the camera as an ETTL flash, so the camera behaves as if one is attached. You can see the same behavior if you put a Speedlite in the camera's shoe. If you want to reduce the delay you can enable Basic Trigger Mode via the PocketWizard Utility. Keep in mind that ETTL will not function with Basic Trigger Mode enabled.
3. "Finally, there was a totally weird sync problem when shooting with Mini. I don't know if it was a later firmware or else. Upper half of the frame was consistently a 3/4 stop (or so) darker, but without typical obvious border visible at speeds higher than x/sync."
Were you shooting at higher-than-X-sync speeds for these exposures? From your images it looks like you're using Alien Bees. The behavior you're describing is normal when using HyperSync with some camera/flash combinations. You can adjust the HyperSync offset via the PocketWizard Utility to try and correct for some of this.
4. "Also, there were a quite occasions when shooting with Mini when it simply didn't trigger the lights. It happened several times during my workshop, and we thought its battery dying. I replaced the battery, but behaviour did not cease to exist. I have a hunch it has something to do with focusing (lack of confirmation), but I'm not 100% positive about it."
What PocketWizards were you using as receiving radios? Make sure they're at least a few feet off the ground, and if you're using FlexTT5s, position the antenna in its outmost position. You can read more about improving range on our website:
http://www.pocketwizard.com/inspirations/technology/range/
I still have't tried live view with the PW's yet. Getting ready for an overseas trip, if I remeber to, I will do some testing in my brief downtimes.