Pocket Wizard Plus IIIs won't fire on hotshoe

[thisisferg]

Hi Guys,

So I have a few PW Plus IIIs, bought in October 2012. Over the course of a few months, all of them have decided to cease firing on the hotshoe. The radio mechanics of them all seem to be working (hit test and all three fire) but when I put any of them on any of my bodies, I get nothing - I have had to start using a sync cord from Camera to PW. It is not my camera bodies - I have tested the Wizards on both my D800 and D700, and four work D7000s; no fire on the hotshoe.

Has anyone else had this issue? I know it is not a huge deal, having a small cord dangling during shoots, but I can't help but feel it isn't right. The whole reason I wen in for PWs was for the rock-steady rep they have and fact they apparently always work. At £140 a pop at the time, I expected them to last a little longer than a few months!

Any thoughts/feedback most welcome.

 

[tirediron]

Look carefully at the hot-shoe of each camera to check for damage and look very carefully at the foot of each PW - it sounds to me like one of your bodies may have a defect in the hot shoe which is damaging the foot/contacts of the PWs. I've only ever had one PW fail on me, and that was an old brown generation one version, and that only finally died a few months back.

 

[thisisferg]

Thanks Tirediron,

This may well be the problem - very annoying if so, however, as I am using a D800 which is only a year old; no knocks, no bruises...just strange that both PW have died. My flashes still work perfectly when on camera, and I am using a host of SB800s which are well over 5 years old now.

Like I say, the disappointment is that if they have been 'broken' by sliding them on and off my camera - how can they justify the huge cost?

 

[tirediron]

I really have no idea; the only thing that comes to mind is that one of your bodies has an issue on the hot shoe which damaged the foot of the PWs, but that does seem unlikely. I've used mine a LOT on everything from MF gear to brand-new digital bodies with never a hint of a problem. They should still be under warranty - can you take 'em back, or at least go to your local dealer and try one in-store to see if they have any thoughts?