Wireless trigger for flash

JohnTrav · Sep 13, 2012

I just bought 2 canon 580ex II speedlite flash's on eBay last night. Now I am looking for a reliable wireless trigger system for them.

Ideally I would like to keep one flash mounted in the camera while shooting with the second wireless. With plan in the future of getting a third flash.

I looked at pocket wizard trigger systems but read a lot of bad reviews about interruption while using canon speedlites.

Is there any other wireless triggers the are pretty reliable? I have been recommended phottix oden wireless trigger but then I won't have the flash mounted on camera like I would like.

Also keep in mind it might not always be in plain site. Might need to trigger threw a small wall.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Was thinking about ordering a cowboy studios wireless trigger system on amazon for like 30$ to see how it works but am thinking it will just break or not work right being so cheap.

JohnTrav · Sep 13, 2012

If you need to know what camera I use it's a canon 7D

Big Mike · Sep 13, 2012

The big question is whether or not you will need E-TTL metering or not.

The Pocket Wizard units that have the interference issues, are the TL (TTL compatible) models, not the simple triggers. You could pick up a couple P.W. Plus III (or older Plus II) units and it would work just fine. If you want to have one remote flash and one on-camera, you would just connect one of the transceivers to the camera via the PC port. I do this all the time. The on-camera flash can be in E-TTL (auto) and the remote flash would be manual only, but if you know how to work with that, it's a pretty good system.

Buckster · Sep 13, 2012

The 7D's on-board flash works remote Canon ETTL flashes very well, so you could put both those newly bought flashes off-camera if you wanted, as long as they're in line of sight with the 7D.

As Mike said, it's about whether you need the ETTL capability or not as to your choices for wireless triggers. Beyond that, it's about budget and prices.

There's a lot to be said for the expensive solutions like PW's. But bang for the buck, especially if you don't need ETTL capability, you just can't beat the "cheap" triggers that are out these days. They really are reliable, have a long range, work great, and are SO MUCH cheaper than PWs or RPs that it's just crazy not to consider them.

JohnTrav · Sep 14, 2012

Thanks for the info guys. I am new to flash so I will have to play around with it.

How far can the ETTL go on the 7D to trigger a flash if it's wireless?

PhotoWrangler · Sep 14, 2012

If you are doing ETTL "line of sight" just remember that you may get inconsistent results if you are in bright places such as outdoors, and typically it wont work when you break the line of sight for the sensors (such as putting a flash behind a pole or around a corner).

I use the Pocket Wizard Mini-TT1 and Flex TT-5's. They are extremely reliable and consistent in my opinion. They also have a range of something like 1000 feet. The other big contender in the radio trigger world is Radio Poppers. Both PW's and RP's give you the iTTL or ETTL capabilities that basic (manual only) radio triggers do not.

JohnTrav · Sep 14, 2012

Thanks for the help. I will try out the on camera ETTL an see if it works for me. Should do just fine for now.

IgsEMT · Sep 14, 2012

I use CyberSyncs.
On some occasion, I'll use off camera light in ttl (using Nikon's CLS), however problem with it is consistency ESPECIALLY outdoors, as well as line of sight.
About 10yrs ago, I've used Quantum radios and they were great, but outlived their life. CyberSyncs, for me, were the best way to go for both functionality and price.

Good Luck