I know this is the dullest of pictures but it shows the 35 metres range of the FlexTT5 with my 580EX11 Speedlite. More exciting pictures will be shot tomorrow when I have my first full photoshoot with the Pocket Wizard kit. I'll be shooting fast moving objects in sunlight at 1/2000th second at f/5.6 ;-)
Hi all, We have received our first batch of the Pocket Wizard Mini TT1s and Flex TT5s for Canon. I have been testing a set (1x mini TT1 and 2x flexTT5) for about 4 hours now. I am pleased to say that they have passed all my tests so far and the units are now available here from our site. Here are my initial test findings with an exciting twist in the tail:
Test 1: [Out of Box Operation] I opened the boxes, removed the packaging ( I’m impressed with the excellent packaging) and I inserted the supplied batteries. I switched the units on and attached the Flex TT5s to the lighting stands and mounted my Speedlights. The Speedlights were in normal mode (not master or slave). I fitted my MiniTT1 to a Canon 5Dmk11 and proceeded to shoot. All seemed fine so I went into the studio for further testing.
Test2: [All Apertures] Basic trigger of 580EX11 and 430EX11 in unison using ETTL at all apertures from f/2.8 to f/32 (where available) on a 5D mk11 camera and 16-35mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8 IS lenses. Every frame passed with no ‘no flashes’ or ‘full dumps’.
Test3: [Ratios] I used my ST-E2 attached to a Mini TT1 and the camera set at f/11. The ST-E2 ratio system was then tested at all positions with one FlexTT5 set to A and one Flex set to B. All ratios passed. Then the groups were swapped on the remote units. All ratios passed again.
Test4: [Range] I decided to do a distance check using f/11 with the 580EX11 and the 430EX11 flashguns set 1m apart and attached on top of the Flex TT5 units in the most obvious and normal way pointing away from the camera. A frame was shot at every meter up to and including 35m when I ran out of front drive. This is such a relief as my demo beta units failed to get over 10m on the same 580EX11 Speedlite. Well done Pocket Wizard for sorting this out.
Test5: [High speed sync on Canon 5Dmk11] I have set up my 5DMK2 in the studio with a 580EX11 on a FlexTT5 and a MiniTT1 on the camera. The 580 is alongside the camera and is zoomed to 24mm, 4 metres from the opposite mid grey wall. I initially left the Hypersync options on the utility software at the default settings of 1/400th. I set the camera to ISO100 and tested the system at a selection of shutter speeds and aperture combinations to see where maximum exposure was delivered beyond which point a drop off in exposure was found. I shot at each shutter speed from 1/125th to 1/4000th. I noted the point at which the flash output dropped off or banding occurred. With the utility software set at the defaults there was frame blanking at the bottom of the frame with 1/250th – 1/400th shutter speeds. I then set the HSS threshold to the minimum value of 1/250th second and there was a slight darkening at the bottom of the frame for just the 1/200th second setting (strange). Now I’m not exactly sure why and there is another offset slider to tweak but as I’m not entirely sure what it does so I’ll leave that for now (but I but is has something to do with this issue).
1/125th f/14 (max aperture for this shutter speed before a drop in exposure was noticed)
1/200th f/14 (very slight darkening along the bottom of the frame)
1/250th f/7.1
1/400th f/7.1
1/500th f/6.3
1/1000th f/5
1/2000th f/4
1/4000th f/2.8
I repeated the test with just the ST-E2 and found a setting of 1000th f/2.8 to have the same exposure as the PWs with the camera and lens set to 1/4000th f/2.8. Any further increase of shutter speed or aperture resulted in a drop of flash exposure. This is a useful 2 stop gain for high speed sync shooting and really makes a difference. 1/4000th at f/2.8 = 1/200th at f13 (ISO 100) this means we can finally use wide open apertures at high shutter speeds in full sun daylight without the drop in flash ambient ratio we have been used to.
I’ll be swapping my f/18ish with 1/200th second @ ISO200 sunny day flash settings for f/4 – f/5.6 at 1/2000th second with ISO200. No loss of impact, and back to my beloved f/4!
The second most boring picture in history shows the rig of my 580EX11 on the FlexTT5 as used in the shot at the top of the page.
Damien.
Please feel free to comment below.
Hi Damien
Thanks for that very comprehensive reply. I’m not allowed loose with such things as soldering irons – no telling what damage I might do!
I do have the leads from my skyports so perhaps they might be compatible?
I’m changing from the skyports because they have become unreliable and also I like the idea of being able to have an on camera flash and being able to control an off camera flash at the same time.
Anyway an order is on its way.
David
Hi Damien
Do you supply any necessary leads to attach the Pocket wizards to Elinchrom flash heads? I have Elinchrom 500’s and a D-Lite unit so need two different types
David
Hi David,
I make my leads up for pence with components from Maplin. I find the off the shelf leads are rarely the right length for where I want to sight my PW on the flash. I have made leads for my Bowens and Broncolor Mobil. I have also used the mini pc to 3.5mm mono adapter that came with my Plus 2’s with my original sync leads. I did buy a lead to remotely trigger my Camera from the PWs from Warehouse Express. If I need a mini mono jack (3.5mm) to mono jack (6.5mm) then I buy a mini jack to mini jack lead and cut the lead down to make two new leads of perfect lengths then I solder on the bigger and therefore easier jack plugs. If you can’t be fussed with that process then the Flash Centre who are Elinchrom in the UK should be able to help you as they will know the type of lead a D-Lite takes. If you know the lead number (PW code) I can supply it for you as we have an account with PW and we pride ourselves on helping our customers. Kind regards, Damien.
Hi D
Any news on the Nikon units release ?
Many thanks Damien and Ian for your comprehensive responses which are very helpful. R
Hi Ian,
Thanks for answering Rory’s question earlier. D.
Hi DaveT,
Thanks for the links. I shot at 1000th at f/4 today with great results. I think I was a little optimistic when I thought there was 2 stops of advantage over conventional high speed sync. On reflection of today’s full on shoot in the real world I think 1 stop is more likely.
The units worked at great distances without missing a beat. Both the 430 and 580 Speedlights were fine all day. Six of us shot all day and there were no dropped or missing frames.
Damien.
Hi Steve,
About half of my Urban Portrait delegates are Nikon based and as you know there is no Nikon unit available yet.
I will probably run ‘Classic’ workshops based on infra red triggering and ‘New’ workshops based on radio triggering. As we have a maximum of 4 delegates on an urban portraits workshop it should be easy to accommodate the delegates wishes and juggle places to suit all needs. Let us know what you want and we’ll probably ‘put it on’.
I was out today on a creative shoot day with a group of Canon shooters and we shot several wonderful photographs with the new PW system that were just not possible to take using infra red triggers.
These will be blogged soon.
Regards,
Damien.
Hi Rory,
I’d probably go for one Mini TT1 and one Plus2 (secondhand?) then add a Flex TT5 when you want to use TTL with your Speedlites too. The Plus 2 can trigger cameras, and studio flashes. It can be secured easily to one of your flash heads with Velcro and connect to the head with a mini (3.5mm) mono jack to normal mono jack lead. The Plus 2 is used the world over, uses AA batteries and is very robust. Your other flashes can be triggered using the inbuilt cells. The Mini TT1 is light, smart and reliable on camera and will ensure you are future proof.
You can also use the Flex TT5 to trigger your Bowens and cameras too. In fact you can use it to do everything a Plus 2 can do but it is going to be more awkward to attach to your flash units perhaps. One solution is to use a Honl Speed Strap to avoid sticking Velcro to your TT5. The same lead is used for a Plus 2 as is for a Flex TT5.
The Flex TT5 has an auto switch off facility that may be useful if like me you are prone to forget such tasks.
Damien.
Hi Dave,
If you already own an ST-E2 there will be no need to buy a zone controller as the ST-E2 is light enough and does the job. Using a 580EX11 to do the job is overkill unless you happen to need on camera flash.
Cheers,
Damien.
Hi Damien,
There are a couple of useful video tutorials on the Pocket Wizard site. Thought it may be useful for readers to look at, as it answers some of the questions raised and shows the kit in action.
http://www.pocketwizard.com/inspirations/tutorials/
One of the tutorials explains the high speed synch aspect and although mounted on a lighting stand there is a clip where 580EX II flashguns are used with the Flex TT5 in a vertical position.
Dave
Hi Rory
Hope that you are enjoying life in Ireland. I am pretty sure that you will only need the standard PW II to trigger your studio flash, though the new PW should also work, but you will not benefit from the TTL of course.
Completed a new shoot with a Belgian model called Anouchka last week, which was really great as she was on the Belgium’s next Top Model series. Should have the new images uploaded over the weekend. Will let Gwyn and yourself know.
fyi – I have booked for the Studio session based upon your feedback. Drop me a mail to let me know how things are going.
Regards
Ian
Hi Damien, will you be using these in place of the ST-E2 on your urban portraits workshops?
Hi Damien,
Having enjoyed your various workshops and our conversations, I have decided to buy a Bowens studio kit to practice all my ‘Lovegrove training’ (I’ll leave the Broncolor to the real professionals for now!). I want to use a Pocket Wizard trigger unit and wondered whether you can advise if I could use the new Mini TT1/TT5 for the studio kit which would also enable me to use them on my Canon speedlites. Do I need to buy both units (one on camera and one on flash?) or would I be best to buy the Plus 2 unti for studio kit?
Your help is very much appreciated.
I see PW are bringing out a zone controller too. this will eliminate the need to have a 580 mark 2 on top acting as the master, and also replace the need for a st transmitter!!
Hi Michael,
I agree that horizontal use on stands needs some thought, especially as on the internet I’ve seen some damage to units used on camera when taking portrait aspect ratio shots.
I have handled and inspected the TT5 quite extensively now and I’m happy to say it is fine in horizontal mode with a 580EX11 when mounted on a static stand. It’s the inertia of wild handling when on board a camera that I worry about. The PW manual suggests that a 580 can be mounted on the Flex or Mini whilst on a camera. With the camera in horizontal mode and with light use it might be okay but not shooting a wedding in the heat of the moment.
Cheers,
Damien.
Damien I have a couple of your wonderful flash brackets and as I see it they were designed for horizontal use which is particularly useful for the speedlight/st-e2 combo. I am a little worried that the flexTT5 may have a little too fragile design for horizontal use. Too much strain on the plastic for long term horizontal use. What are your thoughts on this issue?
I’m not sure if I forgot to mention this but the Pocket Wizards come with a full 2 year UK guarantee provided by JPD.
All purchases of PW TTL units from Lovegrove Consulting will receive a £20 discount voucher redeemable against any shooting workshops.
Beware rogue online traders. There is at least one crazy off shore company based in the US pretending to be a UK company that has popped up over night offering UK stock they don’t have at very low prices. If it looks too good to be true it probably is.
Damien.
Hi Willie, Melbourne was last year. Where were you?
I love Melbourne, it’s got soul, grafitti, trams and culture. I stayed at Hotel Lindrum on Flinders st, just up from Fed Sq. I went to the beach on the tram too. You can see some of my Melbourne images on the blog here. Just put Melbourne in the search field.
I’d love to go back but there are few other cities to see first.
Anyway, it’s nearer for you to go to Tuscany than me to go to Melbourne :)
Cheers, Damien.
Hi Richard,
I’m expecting to replace the infra red system with the PW radio system for all working in daylight and some interior shooting too. If i’m rigging flash on a stand it is no more effort to pop a Flex inline between the Lovegrove flash bracket and the Speedlite. It will save the palaver of having to align the infrared receiver to be facing the camera etc. I am regularly having to go back to the Speedlite to tweak the receivers position and not having to worry about this will be an advantage.
The other advantage is not having to navigate through the 580s terrible menu system in order to switch from using the flash on camera and remote. The one normal setting does both with the PW TTL set up.
One time I’m not yet convinced about is when I hold the flash in my left hand and the camera in my right. The ST-E2 on the camera provides a useful focus aid light emitter that the PW does not and the Speedlte is good to go with no extras apart from a Sto-Fen.
I hope this helps. Damien.
Hi Frank,
The TT1 is not just ‘slightly’ smaller it is less than half the size and 1/3rd of the weight by comparison. It’s small neat and compact. Seeing as you will always need one unit on the camera I suggest you make it the TT1.
You are right the Flex can do all the Mini can and more besides. It’s your call.
I originally had the same thought as you but I like having my camera as light and clutter free as possible. I’d never use a Speedlight as a master unit over the neat little ST-E2 and now I’ll rarely be using that too except for hand held off camera flash at wedding interiors where having a Flex on the bottom of my Speedlte might make it awkward to hold. I’ll have to give it a go to see what I prefer.
I’m out shooting with the kit tomorrow for real so I’ll report back then.
Hi Martin,
When good kit gets released by PW we will have it in stock. For now though I will be using the ST-E2 for ratio work.
Hi Damien,
Saw the great ad for the Tuscany workshops.
Just a little too far from Melbourne at the moment.
Any chance of coming to Australia for workshops (preferably in Melbourne)?
Love the site.
Cheers
I am so glad that these things seem to be “doing the business.” Unfortunately, the down side is I can see this months pay cheque taking a hammering!
Damien, are you planning on using the new PW’s when running and gunning e.g. as a complete replacement for the STE2 when not requiring ratios?
Or do you feel the PW’s are bit bulky on the bottom of the flash to do that and as such the STE2 still has a place as a controlling unit?
Hi Damien,
” It makes the test and measure process so much faster…” – now there’s a valuable improvement when shooting weddings. Especially if the client is slightly impatient.
Any piece of equipment that enables creativity is worth my money.
Thanks Damien.
Apart from the fact that it’s slightly smaller and a little cheaper – is there any reason to buy TT1s rather than TT5s ?
By buying only TT5s, you have a lot more flexibility, it seems to me.
Or, am I missing something ?
Ordered mine this morning! :)
Thanks for checking these out for us.
I assume you will be stocking the new zone controller when it comes out!?
http://www.pocketwizard.com/support/tech_bulletins/
Looks interesting!
Regards
Martin
Hi Heinz,
Thanks for your appreciation. It might be only 2 stops improvement over the out of the box high speed sync built into the Canon system but those 2 stops mean we can now cut the ambient down to create more dramatic images without having to resort to f/16 and above in sunlit exterior locations. It has always been possible to shoot fill flash in sunlight but creative flash needs power.
The process that the PW system uses involves careful timing of the flash triggering and ensures less light falls on closed shutters and therefore more is available for open shutters. It works!
The other immediate advantage is you don’t need to switch on HSS on a ST-E2 or master flash unit in order to access shutter speeds higher than 1/200th when in manual mode with the MiniTT1 attached. You can just dial any speed you like.
The change of operational values will take some time for me to get used to because I like to predict my exposures before I take a test shot. It makes the test and measure process so much faster if I start in the right zone.
I’ll aim to post some real pictures by the weekend.
Regards, Damien.
1/2000 sec @ f4 ISO200… now that is a real improvement and opens up a lot of room for creativity.
Why oh why have we not had this kind of kit in the UK before?
Thanks for the in-depth review Damien. Brilliant!
Thanks for the review. Good to hear that you had positive results! I look forward to hearing more from your site and others who test the CE units.
Hi David, You can put the ST-E2 on the Minni TT1 to access the ratio function that adjusts the output power of the groups A and B. No Infra red signals are used and it doesn’t matter what chanel the ST-E2 is set to.
Another really big advantage of working this way is you get the use of the ST-E2 focus aid. Even if you don’t set up the ratios. You can get the benefit of the ST-E2 focus aid when using a MiniTTi to trigger Pocket Wizard Plus 2’s as well.
I hope this helps. Damien.
Hi Damien. All sounding good! I can’t quite get my head round the use of the ST-E2 in conjunction with the pocket wizards. Could you expand on that some time? Cheers.