I'm about to buy some wireless triggers...

[kundalini]

I've been using Paul C. Buff Cybersync triggers for several years now and have never had a failure. Low batteries don't count as a failure, except on my part. The transmitter has a 300' or 400' range and I have never had a need to come anywhere close to that distance. The transmitter is $60 and the receiver is either $70 or $90 (the CSRB+ is compatible with standard jack for monolights).

 

[dearlybeloved]

So I don't need to by both? If I want to just get my flash to fire in manual only, which would I need to pick up? What if I want to use ttl? Which should I use?

I'm on my phone now so my response will be limited in length, but I appreciate all of the feedback.

 

[TCampbell]

So I don't need to by both? If I want to just get my flash to fire in manual only, which would I need to pick up? What if I want to use ttl? Which should I use?

I'm on my phone now so my response will be limited in length, but I appreciate all of the feedback.

If you want manual only:

Then the Plus III's would work. You would need a single Plus III for the camera hot-shoe and then one additional Plus III for each remote flash. If you only have remote flash then a pair of Plus III's would get you started. The Plus III is about $150 each. There's a less-expensive Plus X model ... $100 each. The more expensive Plus III support multiple zones and the radio can be switched from a close range to long range mode (there's a problem with radio technology in general... you can't just put two really powerful transmitters close to each other. They basically over-drive the signal and the receiver basically gets distortion because the signal was too strong. Yet if you cut back the transmit power the distortion problem at close range goes away... but then it's not strong enough for long range use. The Plus III's are switchable. The simpler Plus X system is single-zone only and designed for typical working distances. All Pocket Wizards are compatible with each other in 'manual' mode (you can mix and match models).

If you want TTL:

Then you would buy a MiniTT1 Nikon (remember these are brand-specific because Canon and Nikon TTL systems are different) for the camera hot-shoe and a FlexTT5 Nikon for each remote flash. The MiniTT1 is only a transmitter. The FlexTT5 can be a transmitter OR a receiver. That means two FlexTT5's would also work. The MiniTT1 is $20 cheaper than a FlexTT5. A FlexTT5 is about $220. A MiniTT1 is about $200. The MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 units can also be used in 'manual' mode if you don't want to use TTL.

Price-wise:

A pair of Plus X units: $200 to get you started with one off-camera flash. Then $100 for each additional flash you add in the future.
A pair of Plus III units: $300 to get you started with one off-camera flash. Then $150 for each additional flash you add in the future.
A MiniTT1/FlexTT5 pair: $420 to get you started with one off-camera flash. Then $220 for each additional flash you add in the future.

 

[dearlybeloved]

Man, that really throws a wrench in what I thought I was looking for. I like the idea of being able to switch between ttl and manual but honestly, I try to stay all manual to force me to learn how to use things and to know how it works. I'm pretty sure that I may end up just getting the plus 3 to get the benefits of the quad zone triggering.

I appreciate that explanation as it helps me make a well informed decision on how I spend a bundle of money.

Thank you!

 

[Gavjenks]

Check out this great review of a Chinese-made trigger system...read the comments at the bottom from actual owners. These things are a JOKE.

Inexpensive Chinese Flash Triggers similar to Pocket Wizards ? Aputure Trigmaster Plus | Peter Tsai Photography Blog

Sometimes these things work...sometimes....reliability is an issue...so is incompatibility with TTL flash power adjustments. All in all, par for the course. Cheap. Chinese-made. No guarantee of actual full functionality in TTL mode. OR of even triggering. Just look at the list of owners who cannot get the damned things to WORK RIGHT...

It's laughable. A lot of fanboys of the cheap triggers and cheap flashes love to save a bit of money. I can understand that. Discount lifejackets, Goodwill cooking pots, refurbished smoke alarms, thrift store ladders, and so on...all great places to save money.

I own like 6 of these and have fired each hundreds of times without one single miss.

Some units might be faulty, but you can buy 4 of them and carry all 4 for less weight than pocket wizards and still 1/5 the price... and you only need one to not be faulty which is 99.99% likely even if 10% are faulty. Probably higher reliability overall than a wizard!

Ttl does not work but why do you even want to use ttl in most cases with off camera flash that is not in line with the lens? It will usually be slightly off anyway so just use manual *shrug*