Flash triggers...again

[Joltinjess]

A few months ago I bought an ishoot trigger off of ebay for a whopping $17cnd. It worked about 90% of the time for the first couple months, which I could actually live with. Lately though, the performance has decreased and I have to be within 4' of the flash for it to fire. I have an E-M5 and a TTL Zeikos flash. I have really enjoyed the off camera shooting so I would like to upgrade to something more reliable but don't want to break the bank. With the Ishoot trigger I had to do all manual and it wasn't too bad so I can deal with that. If I'm going to use manual does that mean I can get any trigger? I was hoping to get something used for under $100. Thank you.

 

[laser8]

Very stupid question - did you try to change the batteries? It's quite strange that the range dropped all else equal. I also own the ishoots and they seem ok. If you want cheap ttl the pixels are also ok (own a set of those too)

 

[minnnt]

Very stupid question - did you try to change the batteries? It's quite strange that the range dropped all else equal. I also own the ishoots and they seem ok. If you want cheap ttl the pixels are also ok (own a set of those too)

This.

I noticed my cheapo triggers stopped firing when i changed from Nikon to Olympus. I feared the worst that they weren't compatible but after charging the batteries all is good again.

HTH's.
David.

 

[Joltinjess]

I changed the aaa in the reciever but not the 12 volt 23a in the transmitter. I guess that's the next step. I didn't consider it because I thought that the transmitter battery was good for 10000 shots. I will report back.

 

[minnnt]

It was the triple a's I had issues with. Once recharged they're all good again. I wish Yongnuo would get their act together and release some proper dedicated triggers.

 

[Deleted member 20897]

I absolutely love the Radio Popper triggers I have. Work on everything, just as reliable as pocket wizards for a fraction of the cost. Nice long range too!
http://www.radiopopper.com

 

[RamblinR]

Yongnou YN560III flashes with a YN560TX transmitter. Perfect.

 

[TRCPhoto]

I have a set of Cactus V6 that are around $70 ea. and I'm liking them so far... good range, easy to use, and I like the pass-through TTL function too.

 

[inkista]

... I would like to upgrade to something more reliable but don't want to break the bank. With the Ishoot trigger I had to do all manual and it wasn't too bad so I can deal with that. If I'm going to use manual does that mean I can get any trigger?

Pretty much. There really aren't any TTL radio trigger choices at the moment for micro four thirds that offer the same functionality as the RC system.

I was hoping to get something used for under $100. Thank you.

You don't need to go used to get triggers for under $100. Yongnuo's RF-603II or RF-605 triggers are well below that price point, with pretty good reliability. The YN-560TX + YN-560III/IV combination is great, but requires that you use the Yongnuo speedlights to have remote power control (and built-in receivers), and since you already own the Zeikos and want to use it, the RF-603II/605 triggers are probably a better choice, although some folks have mentioned that the transmitter is a tight fit on the mft camera hotshoe. Avoid the RF-603 (Mark I) units, though--they're not compatible with the micro four-thirds hotshoe if you need one to be the on-camera transmitter.

And Yongnuo is very far from being the only game in town.

The Flash Havoc website actually has a pretty good guide to manual radio triggers, if it's a little out of date. The RadioPopper Nanos aren't on that list, and would come in at slightly over your budget, but only by about $10, and would probably rank on reliability around the same as the JrX units. Nor are the more recent RF-605 or Cactus V6 which was recently updated to extend remote power control to the Olympus FL-50R, FL-36R; Panasonic FL-500R, FL-360R; and Metz 58 AF-2 , 52 AF-1, and 44 AF-1.

 

[tosvus]

I absolutely love the Radio Popper triggers I have. Work on everything, just as reliable as pocket wizards for a fraction of the cost. Nice long range too!
http://www.radiopopper.com

They look interesting - how do they work on a m43 camera like your EM1? I understand no TTL of course, but can you adjust power from the controller, and are there more reasonably priced flashes than Nikon/Canon that would allow this? I'm looking at this as a potential alternative to Yongnuo flashes/controller. Thanks!

 

[TRCPhoto]

The Flash Havoc website actually has a pretty good guide to manual radio triggers, if it's a little out of date. The RadioPopper Nanos aren't on that list, and would come in at slightly over your budget, but only by about $10, and would probably rank on reliability around the same as the JrX units. Nor are the more recent RF-605 or Cactus V6 which was recently updated to extend remote power control to the Olympus FL-50R, FL-36R; Panasonic FL-500R, FL-360R; and Metz 58 AF-2 , 52 AF-1, and 44 AF-1.

Once again you are a wealth of good information. I'll be adding flash havoc to my bookmarks for sure.

 

[Deleted member 20897]

They are triggered by the main node on the hotshoe. The JrX studio transmitter allows power control from 1/1 to 1/128 power(if the flash has that capability). It does it by signalling the quench pin on when to start stop the flash power. As long as the flash unit that you use allows control of the TTL signal this way, the Radio Popper should work. They have a spreadsheet on their blog site with all currently known compatible flashes. I know the newer Nikon SB-900/910 units don;t work as they no longer are quench pin controlled.

As far as less expensive alternatives - I use older Nikon SB units like the SB-22/24/26/28. They all work well. I'm not sure of other options, but I know a lot of people like the Metz, Lumopro, and Yongnuo brands.

 

[oldracer]

FWIW a couple of months ago I bought a 4-channel plain Jane Cowboy Studio trigger set: one transmitter and two receivers. In addition to new, Amazon had a couple of sets offered as "open box" for around $25. I see today that an apparently identical item, branded Neewer and having 16 channels is offered under $20.

They have been working fine for me.

 

[sushi]

Try FlashQ, seems quite small, perfect for mu43. I don't have one yet, but might purchase one soon.

http://lightpixlabs.com/

 

[ddr]

I have a set of Cactus V6 that are around $70 ea. and I'm liking them so far... good range, easy to use, and I like the pass-through TTL function too.

This. Especially if you have multiple systems, or want to use other brand flashes with your mirrorless system

 

[Joltinjess]

Well I finally received my 23a battery from ebay, popped it in the transmitter and.......nothing. I've since realized that one of our battery chargers is bunk so I figured I should try a different set of aaa's in the receiver. Of course that was the problem, works like a charm again. Thanks everyone.

 

[BillW]

i picked up a set of Cactus V5's in the fall. Wedding tested. They work well.
Before that I had Quantum Radio Slaves, but I like the Cactus. Planning on adding another set shortly.

 

[TRCPhoto]

I came across this article on DPReview and am thinking of giving the Phottix Strato II a try.

While the Cactus V6 has worked fine, I'm not in love with the size and button placements. The Phottix have TTL pass-through like the Cactus, but to my eye look to be half the size and no test buttons or menu wheels in bad spots.

 

[rboate]

I have been using a Godox ad360 and a pair of godox V850s. The godox trigger system is very inexpensive and has great range. The only downside is it is a bit of work to change power levels on individual flashes from the trigger. For less than $1000 its a great setup for casual shooting.

 

[keano12]

I have been using a Godox ad360 and a pair of godox V850s. The godox trigger system is very inexpensive and has great range. The only downside is it is a bit of work to change power levels on individual flashes from the trigger. For less than $1000 its a great setup for casual shooting.

I just posted question to someone else about this so might as well as since I saw this. If I buy the Godox 360 and v850 will the F16 just control groups and power or does it fire them to flash? Or do I need YN622N for that? If the FS16 does trigger the flash is radio trigger or only optical?