- Joined
- Jul 8, 2005
- Messages
- 45,747
- Reaction score
- 14,806
- Location
- Victoria, BC
- Website
- www.johnsphotography.ca
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos OK to edit
I did, I wonder how I breathe without instructions!
Last fall, I bought a Godox AD360-II and X1 trigger as a cheap & cheerful 'stronger than a speedlight' solution for HSS outdoor work for jobs where I don't need/want to lug a full on lighting system to. I was pleasantly surprised both by the build quality and the overall functionality. The HSS was flawless, and while it was a little less powerful than advertised, it did exactly what I want. The X1 trigger worked very well as well... initially, or so I thought....
The unit sat idle for a month or so over Christmas; it's one of those things that I don't use very often, but when I do, it's really the only tool for the job. So... early in the new year, I was prepping gear for a job on a fairly remote beach and I had the light sitting on the tail-gate of my truck, in it's bag. I connected it to the battery, powered it up, pressed the test-button on the trigger and... nothing. Okay, that's easy, new batteries for the trigger, right? Nope. New batteries, cleaning the [not dirty] contacts... nothing made any difference. Every now and then it would trigger, but only maybe 1 out 10 times; not a degree of reliability I can live with. Triggering in manual with pocket wizards worked fine, so that was my fall back.
Anyway... came back, put it aside for a few days, and then got it out again, took the trigger out, still leaving the light head itself sitting in its bag on my tail-gate (anyone giggling yet?) Same thing... maybe 1 in 10 presses actually fire the light. Put the trigger on a body... same thing. So, based on the way everything was working, I decided that the trigger was faulty, after all, it was just cheap MiC stuff, right? I ordered a new trigger and.... same thing (again without taking the light out of the bag, and the bag sitting on a bench (You should be laughing and pointing by now).
So... now I'm thinking that it must the wireless receiver in the flash head that's at fault. I'm a little depressed as I really like this thing, and the idea of having to return it is NOT something that I like. Last night, sitting on the couch a brain storm hits. This thing is low-power RF, right? Where is the receiver... as it turns out, the receiver in the actual flash unit is in the front above the AF-assist. You know... right where it was resting on either the sheet metal of my truck's tail-gate or the work bench.
Take the light out, put it on a light stand, and it works perfectly. Funny that... a clear transmission path and radio-waves get through. I now have a severely bruised butt from kicking myself all around the house for the last 24 hours.
You may all now point and laugh uproariously!
Last fall, I bought a Godox AD360-II and X1 trigger as a cheap & cheerful 'stronger than a speedlight' solution for HSS outdoor work for jobs where I don't need/want to lug a full on lighting system to. I was pleasantly surprised both by the build quality and the overall functionality. The HSS was flawless, and while it was a little less powerful than advertised, it did exactly what I want. The X1 trigger worked very well as well... initially, or so I thought....
The unit sat idle for a month or so over Christmas; it's one of those things that I don't use very often, but when I do, it's really the only tool for the job. So... early in the new year, I was prepping gear for a job on a fairly remote beach and I had the light sitting on the tail-gate of my truck, in it's bag. I connected it to the battery, powered it up, pressed the test-button on the trigger and... nothing. Okay, that's easy, new batteries for the trigger, right? Nope. New batteries, cleaning the [not dirty] contacts... nothing made any difference. Every now and then it would trigger, but only maybe 1 out 10 times; not a degree of reliability I can live with. Triggering in manual with pocket wizards worked fine, so that was my fall back.
Anyway... came back, put it aside for a few days, and then got it out again, took the trigger out, still leaving the light head itself sitting in its bag on my tail-gate (anyone giggling yet?) Same thing... maybe 1 in 10 presses actually fire the light. Put the trigger on a body... same thing. So, based on the way everything was working, I decided that the trigger was faulty, after all, it was just cheap MiC stuff, right? I ordered a new trigger and.... same thing (again without taking the light out of the bag, and the bag sitting on a bench (You should be laughing and pointing by now).
So... now I'm thinking that it must the wireless receiver in the flash head that's at fault. I'm a little depressed as I really like this thing, and the idea of having to return it is NOT something that I like. Last night, sitting on the couch a brain storm hits. This thing is low-power RF, right? Where is the receiver... as it turns out, the receiver in the actual flash unit is in the front above the AF-assist. You know... right where it was resting on either the sheet metal of my truck's tail-gate or the work bench.
Take the light out, put it on a light stand, and it works perfectly. Funny that... a clear transmission path and radio-waves get through. I now have a severely bruised butt from kicking myself all around the house for the last 24 hours.
You may all now point and laugh uproariously!