Pocket Wizard Confusion!!

Zerodog

So I know I want some pocket wizards. Here is the use. Nikon cameras and flashes. Then at some point PCB Einsteins.

1. Trigger off camera flash and adjust them remotely
2. Trigger remote camera wake up and auto focus
3. Compatible with Auto FP or high speed sync
4. TTL would be nice

I know these things do this. But I am lost as to which devices will be needed to accomplish this. Will the new 3 do all of this? Is there a reason the 3 is cheaper because it doesn't do some of these things. :scratch

Dan7312

PW has two kinds of tiggers, regular and ControlTL.

ControlTL is needed if you want TTL. Only Mini and Flex support ControlTL, so those are the kind you will want for ETTL.

The Mini is just transmit only, a little cheaper and smaller.

All the other PW's are just regular triggers that fire the flash but don't control it. Some include intervalomers and stuff like that.

Some do flash sequencing too (including the Mini/Flex). You use flash sequencing if you shoot faster than the flash can recycle. What is does is sequnece though the flashes on each shot. So, for example flash1 fires the first time you press the shutter button, flash2 the next time and so on.

BTW if you decide to go the Mini/Flex route then you really should get the AC-3 too. With that you can control the flashes in Manual mode too and from your camera.

Mini/Flex is compatible with all the PW regular triggers too. They have some support for Einsteins, but it's not something I've ever used. I've only used them with Canon cam/flash.

Zerodog wrote: »

So I know I want some pocket wizards. Here is the use. Nikon cameras and flashes. Then at some point PCB Einsteins.

1. Trigger off camera flash and adjust them remotely
2. Trigger remote camera wake up and auto focus
3. Compatible with Auto FP or high speed sync
4. TTL would be nice

I know these things do this. But I am lost as to which devices will be needed to accomplish this. Will the new 3 do all of this? Is there a reason the 3 is cheaper because it doesn't do some of these things.

Dan7312

Mini/Flex also support HSS and Hypersync. Hypersync is a PW feature that lets the shutter speed be faster than it normal sync speed without requiring HSS. So more light. I think also some of the PW triggers support Hypersync on Einsteins too (not used them), but check with PW support. They are actually pretty good.

Mini/Flex support remote triggering, and I think some of the other PW trigger do too (not used them)

Don't know about waking up a sleeping camera, but the Flex connects with a trigger cable, so it works like any trigger cable and I guess would wake up a sleeping camera. Sleeping flashes I think are the issue though.

Zerodog wrote: »

So I know I want some pocket wizards. Here is the use. Nikon cameras and flashes. Then at some point PCB Einsteins.

1. Trigger off camera flash and adjust them remotely
2. Trigger remote camera wake up and auto focus
3. Compatible with Auto FP or high speed sync
4. TTL would be nice

I know these things do this. But I am lost as to which devices will be needed to accomplish this. Will the new 3 do all of this? Is there a reason the 3 is cheaper because it doesn't do some of these things.

Sam

The flex5 will interface with the Alien Bees. All you need is the Alien Bee adapter to connect your pocket wizard to the Alien Bees and the Alien Bees controller for the camera, then you have full remote control of the Alien Bees.

Sam

Molotov Everything

I was looking in to ordering a PW setup this week as well and I had a bit of a question with the AC-3 zone controller.
Right now for remote triggering I'm using Nikon's built in optical system triggered with the pop up flash, which has its limitations.
From what I'm reading on PW's website, it seems like there's basically no way to independently control flashes (in TTL or manual) through the normal in-camera flash control menu. The only ways to achieve independent control with PWs is to get the AC-3 controller or to physically walk around to each flash and adjust the levels on the flash's controls. Is this correct or am I missing something?

I believe the setup you need for TTL and high speed sync is a miniTT1 on the camera, a flexTT5 on each flash, and then I guess this AC-3 is optional.

Edit: I just started reading about Phottix Odin triggers today. They don't offer it for Nikon yet, but the cannon version seems to do everything the PW flexes do for less money. Might be an alternative worth considering.

Dan7312

I use Canon and yes that is the case, to control the A, B, and C flash groups from the camera you need the AC-3 controller. I've had the mini/flex since before the AC-3 was available and now that I have I would not even consider using Mini/ Flex with out the AC-3. I assume it's the same for Nikon.

Molotov Everything wrote: »

From what I'm reading on PW's website, it seems like there's basically no way to independently control flashes (in TTL or manual) through the normal in-camera flash control menu. The only ways to achieve independent control with PWs is to get the AC-3 controller or to physically walk around to each flash and adjust the levels on the flash's controls. Is this correct or am I missing something?

Zerodog

Thanks guys. So it appears, the new 3 doesn't really apply to my needs. Unless it is my dedicated camera trigger. Because according to the demo video, it will wake up and focus a camera just like the button on your camera. But for remote flash triggering and control, the flextt5 with the AC3 sounds like the setup to have.

Zerodog

Just watched this great video. Covers a good portion of what I wanted to do. And it turns out you do not need the AC3 with Nikon flashes. Pretty much used just as I use the Nikon CLS now.
http://www.pocketwizard.com/inspirations/tutorials/sb900/

ziggy53

Zerodog wrote: »

Just watched this great video. Covers a good portion of what I wanted to do. And it turns out you do not need the AC3 with Nikon flashes. Pretty much used just as I use the Nikon CLS now.
http://www.pocketwizard.com/inspirations/tutorials/sb900/

Thanks for posting the link. Mark always does a wonderful job in his tutorials. clap

Icebear

Zerodog wrote: »

Just watched this great video. Covers a good portion of what I wanted to do. And it turns out you do not need the AC3 with Nikon flashes. Pretty much used just as I use the Nikon CLS now.
http://www.pocketwizard.com/inspirations/tutorials/sb900/

You DO need an SB900 or SU800. An SB800 will NOT work. The AC3 is so intuitive that even if I did have an SB900, I think I'd opt to use the AC3 instead. It is so small, unobtrusive and fast. I use the Mini, four Flexes and an AC3. I have a total of five Nikon flashes that I can use simultaneously (using a synch cord for one.)

fjcvisual

Icebear wrote: »

You DO need an SB900 or SU800. An SB800 will NOT work. The AC3 is so intuitive that even if I did have an SB900, I think I'd opt to use the AC3 instead. It is so small, unobtrusive and fast. I use the Mini, four Flexes and an AC3. I have a total of five Nikon flashes that I can use simultaneously (using a synch cord for one.)

What he said. I do have an SB900 and always use the AC3. All of the things he did in the video can be done from the AC3 in a fraction of the time.