cheap "ebay" cables question

[kinosoo]

so needing to get a ttl remote cord for Nikon, looking on ebay and such and you can get no name cables for 50$ less the the Nikon branded cables. they look exactly like the nikon ones in the picture just with out the brand. it goes with out saying that with lenses, trigers, ect you get what you pay for. but im i right in saying it's just a cable , does the same go for shutter triggers, sync cords, mini phone, ect

TTL Flash Off Camera Shoe Cord for Nikon SB-600 SC-28 - (eBay.ca item 110330176866 end time 25-Mar-09 11:16:29 EDT)
Nikon SC-28 Remote Cord for SB800 Sync Cords 14572 sb-800 - Vistek Canada Product Detail

 

[Big Mike]

I think the typical problem with 'cheap' versions of these cords and electronic devices are that the electrical connections may not be totally sound. The soldered connections for example may be weak.

That being said, for the huge price savings, they do usually work and you might even be able to repair them yourself if they do stop working.

 

[djacobox372]

I think the typical problem with 'cheap' versions of these cords and electronic devices are that the electrical connections may not be totally sound. The soldered connections for example may be weak.

That being said, for the huge price savings, they do usually work and you might even be able to repair them yourself if they do stop working.

If something is more expensive it must be better? right?

Nope, most major electronic companies (like nikon) don't make cables they buy them from the same factories that sell these cheap cables and rebrand them and charge 10 times as much.

 

[Garbz]

If something is more expensive it must be better? right?

Nope, most major electronic companies (like nikon) don't make cables they buy them from the same factories that sell these cheap cables and rebrand them and charge 10 times as much.

That has limits. There are quality differences that an amateur may not recognise. e.g. I have broken 2 Nikon knockoff remotes, both had intermittent issues with the connector. Looking at the actual Nikon remote the cable is significantly higher quality.

The same applies to sync cords. They may look the same but you'll find that if the data was openly available the Nikons would be rated for a higher number of mates than the cheap ones. It's always the case with every connector I have seen. It is only really a question of whether you consider it worth it. Personally I don't. I may have gone through 2 remotes already but I need to buy another 2 before I spend as much as one of the Nikon ones, and I think of other cables the same way.

 

[CxThree]

I don't know if it helps you, but the Phottix items I have bought off EBAY for my Canon 40D have been awesome. I don't know if they make your cable or not, but it's an example of a good product that's not a big name brand. I use their wireless remote trigger frequently and love it. I have used their grip and batteries also. Don't be afraid to try some of them. I researched the brand on Youtube to see some actual user feedback.

Additionally, I use to buy monster cables for all my audio/video needs. I learned just how overpriced they were and switched to monoproce.com for all my cables. A/V, network, etc.

Don't be afraid to try the off brand. Go with one from a seller that has lots of feedback. Browse through their feedback to see if people mention the cable you want.

 

[TheOtherBob]

I'm curious -- what's the advantage of a cord like this (hot shoe to hot shoe) over a PC Sync cord (which can be had for around $20)? These are way more expensive, obviously, but I'm not entirely sure I understand why.

Edit: Wait, I think I answered my own question. Am I right that a shoe cord can maintain TTL, whereas a sync cord can only work manually?

 

[Garbz]

TTL is severely limited in distance the signal can be sent. The most obvious benefit is that a very large number of cameras don't have a PC Sync socket, and the same goes for the flashes (looking at you lower end Canon).