Thanks for your comprehensive information! I'm very postitive to
the idea of using several cheap non-TTL flashes, and I appreciate
your recommendations on models with good manual settings. I will
base further investigations on your tips.
/ Rickard
Quoting Chuck Norcutt <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
> If you're going to go with manual controls then you can use very cheap,
> used flash heads. Film based TTL flash units like the T-32 go very
> cheaply because they don't work on digital. But the T-32 isn't a
> particularly good choice for manual control since it only offers two
> power levels. The Canon 540EZ which has 8 levels can be had for as low
> as $60 from KEH (BGN if they have one). They tend to sell for a lot
> more than that on ebay. I think they're being sold to Canon DSLR
> newbies who don't know the flash won't work in TTL mode. :-) Other
> good choices are the Sunpak 422/433/444 or 383 (5 power levels). The
> 400 series are discontinued film TTL models, the 383 was (until
> recently) a current production manual flash. All are basically the
> same flash unit with the same power. Some of the 400 series have
> interchangeable TTL feet for various camera models or also the "STD"
> foot which has no TTL control and turns them into the equivalent of a
> 383. Also available used are Sunpak 5xx and 6xx models but these are
> rather large and bulky handle mount flashes similar to the T-45 in
> size. Also still available new for under $90 is the Vivitar 285HV which
> has 4 manual power levels.
>
> If you're going to be working in manual flash mode then take part of
> the considerable savings from not buying multiple TTL flash units and
> invest in a good flash meter. I recommend the Sekonic L-358. It's the
> lowest cost Sekonic meter that provides a readout on ambient to flash
> lighting ratios. That's critical to painlessly getting the right flash
> level for daylight fill flash. When the meter says 20-30% flash the
> fill ratio is just right. If you attach one of your radio transmitters
> to the light meter with a short PC cable you can fire the lights from
> the meter.
> <http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/221078-REG/Sekonic_401_358_L_358_Flash_Master_Meter.html>
>
> If you can work with a maximum of 30 feet to fire your lights by radio
> then the ebay slaves might work for you. I have at least one that can
> reach to 150 feet if it's angled correctly (they tend to be very
> directional relative to power) but that's an exception. They need to
> be tested immediateley after receipt since some won't even make 30
> feet. There are many sellers on ebay selling this "RD616" pair.
> <http://cgi.ebay.com/RD616-Wireless-Radio-Slave-Flash-Trigger-16-Channel-New_W0QQitemZ260324532378QQihZ016QQcategoryZ30086QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting>
> An advantage of the RD616 compared to some others (and there are only a
> few) is that it has a PC connector on the back of the receiver. That
> will make it much easier to connect to a hot shoe flash. But most hot
> shoe flashes (except the Vivitar 285HV and Sunpak 383 and 4xx series
> with "STD" foot) don't have provision for a PC cable connection and
> need to be attached to the lightstand with a PC cable adapter. While
> the Vivitar and some of the Sunpaks do have provision to plug a PC
> cable they require their own proprietary connector on the flash end of
> the cable.
>
> The Alien Bees Cyber Syncs are probably the best deal going for
> reliable work up to 400 feet. Not the 1/4 mile claimed for
> PocketWizards but probably plenty far enough for 99% of all other uses.
>
> Dr. Flash
>
>
> Rickard Nilsson wrote:
>> Ok, I have never investigated it closer, I just sort of assumed
>> "RC" meant radio control. Oh well, I'll have to look for some
>> transmitters/receivers then.
>>
>> Thanks for the info!
>>
>> / Rickard
>>
>> Quoting Chuck Norcutt <chucknorcutt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:
>>
>>> Sorry, but "RC" in the Olympus literature means "Remote Control" and not
>>> "Radio Control". All of the camera branded remote flash controls from
>>> Olympus and others use infrared signaling rather than radio. That's why
>>> you have a line of sight restriction as well as a fairly narrow angle of
>>> reception as measured from the camera.
>>>
>>> If you want to use radio control you'll have to use any of several
>>> transmitter/receiver sets available but you won't get TTL control except
>>> on extremely high end units such as the Quantum FreeXWire
>>> <http://www.qtm.com/FreeXwire/> Price is about $370/pair but then you
>>> need Quantum Qflash flash heads to go with them which can cost
>>> $1,000/head or more.
>>>
>>> Non-TTL flash control can be had fairly inexpensively. Cheap Chinese
>>> made transmitter/receiver pairs from ebay for about $20. Short range,
>>> not very reliable. Alien Bees CyberSyncs for $60 (transmitter) and $70
>>> (receiver) <http://alienbees.com/remotes.html> and several other brands
>>> on up from there to PocketWizard at the top price wise.
>>>
>>> Dr. Flash
>>> who always says manual control is always more reliable and much cheaper
>>> than TTL. Invest in a good meter instead.
>>>
>>>
>>> Rickard Nilsson wrote:
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> The recent talk about using flashes on E-cameras made me think of the
>>>> possibility of using a radio receiver for triggering any external
>>>> flash directly from the E-520 (with its built-in radio transmitter
>>>> that can control FL-36R/FL-50R), without any need for a dedicated
>>>> radio transmitter. Is that even possible? Does there exist any radio
>>>> receiver that is compatible with the E-420/E-520/E-3 on the market?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> / Rickard Nilsson
>>>>
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>>
>>
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