Pocket Wizard Contol TL firmware updates

Dreadnote

For those of you using the Control TL tt1 and tt5 units and not already aware of it, Pocket Wizard has released new firmware for both the Nikon and Canon units. The upgrade includes a variety of tweaks and bug fixes as well as compatibility with Sekonic RT-32CTL light meter, D800, D800E, D4, SB910, 600EX-RT, ST-E3-RT.

Here are links to the release notes:

Nikon-
http://www.pocketwizard.com/upload/photos/322Nikon_MiniTT1_FlexTT5_Firmware_Release_Notes_3.150_d.pdf

Canon-
http://www.pocketwizard.com/upload/photos/322Canon_MiniTT1_FlexTT5_Firmware_Release_Notes_6.150_d.pdf


On a side note, I've been playing with my new E640 strobe and my pocket wizards and and can report that on full power I can sync all the way to 1/8000. Now I'm gonna drag it outside and see what it will do in the noon day sun.

perroneford

Thanks for the note. Guess I'll have to update my radios today. I am curious about your E640 sync. Do you see any darkening, or does it just "work"? If so, I may have to play with mine more today.

Sam

Quick note for those of you with the Sekonic L358 radio module. Your existing module will not work in ETTL, only in manual mode.

If you want the meter's radio trigger it to work with the Flex5 TTL capabilities, you will need to buy a new meter.

Sam

adbsgicom

The Sekonik webinar indicated that you don't need a firmware upgrade. There is a fixed standard and comtrolTL channel mapping but just adding the module should work. So just a new wireless module not a whole new meter.

Sam

adbsgicom wrote: »

The Sekonik webinar indicated that you don't need a firmware upgrade. There is a fixed standard and comtrolTL channel mapping but just adding the module should work. So just a new wireless module not a whole new meter.

You are of course correct. I mistyped it I meant to type module, not meter.

Sam

adbsgicom

We all need a DWIM-ifier every now and then.... (Do What I Mean)....

Dreadnote

perroneford wrote: »

Thanks for the note. Guess I'll have to update my radios today. I am curious about your E640 sync. Do you see any darkening, or does it just "work"? If so, I may have to play with mine more today.

Just plugged it in turned it up to full power and started testing shots at 1/3 stop intervals of shutter speed. I was able to dial it all the way to 1/8000 with no banding of any kind.

adbsgicom

Dreadnote wrote: »

Just plugged it in turned it up to full power and started testing shots at 1/3 stop intervals of shutter speed. I was able to dial it all the way to 1/8000 with no banding of any kind.

Thanks for the info. If you find yourself bored and curious, could you do an experiment where you start lowering the power from full to 50% to min?

Looking at some of the specs, the E640 has a full-power pulse time of 1/540, while at 50% it is 1/1700 and at minimum power an amazing 1/9000. I think that the 1/540 is the key aspect that allows this. My strobes are 1/1000 at full to 1/2600 at min, and after about 1/500 shutter I get banding. I was wanting to find out if there are other variables at play, or if at 50% you see that you can't get past 1/500 or so. From some of the comments I've seen reading about Hypersync a long flash period is your friend (which makes sense since it makes the flash look more like a HSS solution).

Thanks!

Dreadnote

adbsgicom wrote: »

Thanks for the info. If you find yourself bored and curious, could you do an experiment where you start lowering the power from full to 50% to min?

Looking at some of the specs, the E640 has a full-power pulse time of 1/540, while at 50% it is 1/1700 and at minimum power an amazing 1/9000. I think that the 1/540 is the key aspect that allows this. My strobes are 1/1000 at full to 1/2600 at min, and after about 1/500 shutter I get banding. I was wanting to find out if there are other variables at play, or if at 50% you see that you can't get past 1/500 or so. From some of the comments I've seen reading about Hypersync a long flash period is your friend (which makes sense since it makes the flash look more like a HSS solution).

Thanks!

Tried this out...
If you turn he power down even one click, which would be 1/10 stop you get banding until you get your shutter speed down to 1/400th. So I definatly has limits but allows for some interesting things all the same.

Also this is without messing around with the pw timing settings at all...I'm going to see if I can improve on the timing by playing around with those this weekend.

adbsgicom

Dreadnote wrote: »

Tried this out...
If you turn he power down even one click, which would be 1/10 stop you get banding until you get your shutter speed down to 1/400th. So I definatly has limits but allows for some interesting things all the same.

Also this is without messing around with the pw timing settings at all...I'm going to see if I can improve on the timing by playing around with those this weekend.

Wow, I expected something much more linear. Thank you for testing this out.

photogreen

ah, i missed it. thanks for the info!