profoto B1 with pocketwizard plus X?

[erkindemir]

hello. Im gonna order B1 but since it hasnt got the nikon air remote (even if it had i wouldnt buy because of the high price) so i wanna use pocketwizards. does the B1 work with them? and my other question is how many pocketwizards do i need for just one head? sorry about the silly question lol but i have to be sure that its correct because Im gonna order from overseas. hope you don't mind.

 

[Designer]

PW is a trigger, not a power source. It will trigger the B1. You will need two transceivers, one on the camera and one connected to the light head. In the future, if you get a second light head, you can trigger that one in "slave mode" with the flash from the first one. Or purchase another transceiver.

 

[sscarmack]

^^^Exactly this

 

[studio460]

I don't own a B1, so I just derived this from their product description. But, sure, you could use a PocketWizard transceiver to trigger a B1, but you wouldn't benefit from any of the B1's TTL capability. For any strobe, you would need one transmitter for the camera, and one receiver for the strobe. Most of PocketWizard's units are both receivers and transmitters, called transceivers, and switch modes on the fly, depending on their application (e.g., PlusX). Some units are transmitters only (e.g., Flex TT1). So, if wanting to use PocketWizard-brand triggers, the least expensive set-up would be a pair of PlusX transceivers, totaling $198.

 

[studio460]

Note that PlusX transceivers are limited to a maximum sync speed of 1/250th (1/500th for leaf shutters). Shooting above x-sync (i.e., >1/250th) would require PocketWizard Flex TT1/TT5 triggers. The ability to shoot above x-sync without a visible curtain-shadow is both flash- (the longer the t=0.5 value, the better), and camera-dependent. While Flex triggers make shooting above x-sync possible with certain equipment, they incur a 1-2 stop loss of recorded flash output.

 

[MOREGONE]

You can trigger the B1 with a PW but you will not get TTL with it. You will need the Air Remote for TTL. I did some assisting on the Profoto promo videos for the B1, let me know if you have anymore questions.

Beautiful yet pricey device. Going that far, might as well get the Air remote to take full advantage of the equipment you have invested in.

 

[studio460]

You can trigger the B1 with a PW but you will not get TTL with it. You will need the Air Remote for TTL. I did some assisting on the Profoto promo videos for the B1, let me know if you have anymore questions.

Did you happen to note how many real-world, full-power pops you could get from a single battery? Also, do you know if Profoto's Nikon Air Remote i-TTL transmitter is as fully functional as Profoto's Canon E-TTL Air trigger?

 

[MOREGONE]

The work we did wasn't full power all the time, we were really demo'ing the TTL functionality so its hard to gauge. I would guess that is will get you 300 though. The battery is decent in size and the most I ever saw it loose was 1 bar from the battery display after a couple hours of intermittent use on TTL. The photographer who was doing the demo'ing mentioned using them over the course of a weekend and never changed the batteries.

We used the Canon variant as that's what was available at the time. I don't have any reason to not expect the Nikon air remote itself will not work the same as the Canon variant. Once it becomes available.

 

[studio460]

Thanks for the info! I didn't realize the Nikon Air transmitter was not yet available. Are the B1 units themselves identical, or is there a "Canon" version and a "Nikon" version? Thanks again! Any other observations you may have, I'm all ears!

 

[studio460]

Very nice portfolio, MOREGONE!

 

[Tee]

Receiver, transmitter, transceiver- all mean different things in the world of wireless triggers. Your best best bet is purchase the transceiver which means you can transmit and receive the signal. Plus, you don't have to worry about connecting the right equipment to the wrong outlet.

 

[Village Idiot]

Note that PlusX transceivers are limited to a maximum sync speed of 1/250th (1/500th for leaf shutters). Shooting above x-sync (i.e., >1/250th) would require PocketWizard Flex TT1/TT5 triggers. The ability to shoot above x-sync without a visible curtain-shadow is both flash- (the longer the t=0.5 value, the better), and camera-dependent. While Flex triggers make shooting above x-sync possible with certain equipment, they incur a 1-2 stop loss of recorded flash output.

The PW X will actually allow you to shoot above a 1/250, it's the camera's x-sync that limits you. There are some cameras out there (like the older Nikon D70) that have an electronic hybrid shutter that will allow you to shoot above the advertised x-sync.

 

[studio460]

The PW X will actually allow you to shoot above a 1/250, it's the camera's x-sync that limits you. There are some cameras out there (like the older Nikon D70) that have an electronic hybrid shutter that will allow you to shoot above the advertised x-sync.

The PlusX cannot sync above 1/250th, according to the manufacturer. I can shoot up to about 1/2,000th without any significant curtain-shadow using a Nikon D800E, and a long t=0.5 value strobe, using PocketWizard Flex TT1/TT5 triggers. But, I'll get severe curtain-shadow at only 1/320th using the PlusX. The D70/D40's sync performance is a different issue.

 

[Village Idiot]

The PW X will actually allow you to shoot above a 1/250, it's the camera's x-sync that limits you. There are some cameras out there (like the older Nikon D70) that have an electronic hybrid shutter that will allow you to shoot above the advertised x-sync.

The PlusX cannot sync above 1/250th, according to the manufacturer. I can shoot up to about 1/2,000th without any significant curtain-shadow using a Nikon D800E, and a long t=0.5 value strobe, using PocketWizard Flex TT1/TT5 triggers. But, I'll get severe curtain-shadow at only 1/320th using the PlusX. The D70/D40's sync performance is a different issue.

Unless they did something to artificially limit it, it will go over 1/250. The PW PII's will. It's not the trigger that's the limiting factor, it's the camera.

Here's a list of older cameras that will sync greater than the advertised xsync:
•Nikon D1
•Nikon D1X
•Nikon D1H
•Nikon D70
•Nikon D70s
•Nikon D50
•Nikon D40
•Canon 1D

 

[studio460]

Well, I have a PocketWizard Flex TT1 transmitter (capable of up 1/8,000th), and the PlusX will not trigger a curtain-free frame over 1/250th using a Nikon D800E. Do you own a PlusX? Can you post an example of an above-x sync trigger using a PlusX? Because I fully expected it to trigger over 1/250th, since even according to PocketWizard, "most" of the HyperSync capability is in the transmitter. One more thing that could be preventing my PlusX' sync above 1/250th is that I need to re-check how my TT1's firmware is set.