Best way to use 2 flashes

[phreaqe]

i have been asked to take some pictures at work and so far they are going ok. my problem is that i do not like my current wireless flas trigger. i have the cactus V2 set and it is just not reliable. since work is paying for it i have a decent budget, but i want to keep it as cheap as possible dues to me being a cheap bastard. i currecntly have 2 canon 430ex. i would like to purchase the pocket wizzard. but i have a question about them.

do i have to purchase 3 of the pocket wizzards to get both flashes working or can i get 1 and have it trigger the 430ex flashes. it i need to purchase 3 i would rather go with a cord and stop doing wireless to reduce the costs a bit. if i am going with a cord what is the best way to do that.

the cactus v2 set has the pc cord and male connectors on it, so do i just buy a long cord for that and go about my business?

sorry for all the questions. i have done photography for a while but i am completely new to flashes.

my camera is the rebel XTI just in case that helps at all. Thank you for your help.

 

[tdawg]

How about this: text? I think these are pretty slick-looking and from what I've read they should work just fine in smaller spaces. Not as powerful or versatile as pocket wizards, but I think they're cheaper.

Just another option.

 

[xchangx]

Look at these:

http://www.alienbees.com/cybersync.html


I've heard good reviews of them and they are considerably cheaper than the PW.

 

[ghostman]

If this is mostly indoors without too much distance between your flash units, you can also use a Canon EX-compatible optical slave. EX-compatible is important, since most of the optical slaves you find on eBay will not work with a 430EX. You may also need a hotshoe adapter to give your second flash a PC port as well.

http://flashzebra.com/products/0118/index.shtml
http://flashzebra.com/hotshoes-shoes/index.shtml

I'm not pitching for FlashZebra's products; I have never ordered from him. FlashZebra is a guy that participates on POTN forums and he seems like a straight-shooting fellow. I got a similar hot shoe adapter from eBay (shipped from India) that was much cheaper and works very well. I haven't found a EX-compatible optical slave anywhere else though.

Or, you can wait for whatever radiopopper is offering to become available.

 

[tdawg]

Originally posted by: xchangx
Look at these:

http://www.alienbees.com/cybersync.html


I've heard good reviews of them and they are considerably cheaper than the PW.

These look pretty slick! Nice, in-budget (my budget! ) wireless option. I'll definitely be giving these a further look. Looks like a better option than the one I posted.

Thanks for the link.

 

[jamesbond007]

I'm a PocketWizard guy only because time can be extremely critical in weddings and I need to be able to trust my equipment. Until another product can earn my trust, there's really no substitute.

Unfortunately for you, the 430s will not be able to trigger each other. In your case, you'd need to buy 3 units - one for the camera and one for each flash. Your other option is to sync the two flashes using a cord and then you could get by with just 2 PW units.

The Canon 550/580EX flashes can be set to master and trigger other EX flashes (420/430/550/580) in your setup. Again, the distance between the flashes becomes a factor and line of sight, since the signal is infrared versus radio.

 

[virtuamike]

Yes, 3 PWs, one for each device. You can share 1 PW between the 2 flashes if your cords are long enough, but that kinda defeats the purpose of going wireless.

I've played with the generic ebay triggers a few times. They were crap.

If you're going to go with AB triggers, make sure you get the battery powered receivers.

I've heard good feedback on the Elinchrom triggers too.

Personally I'm sticking with PWs. They're expensive, but they're very reliable so it's not something I worry about when shooting. And they're locally available for rental when I need more units. That's one huge plus in going with an industry standard.

 

[phreaqe]

so it sounds like the pocket wizzards are out due to cost at this time. eventually i would like to get some but for now i would rather not spend the money. Thank you tdawg and xchangex for those links they both look very interesting from a cost/performance perspective. i think at this point for a quick solution that will work, i will get a hotshoe adapter and then get 2 15 foot cords to trigger the flashes. that should cost around 50 bucks for the whole thing and since right now all my photography using this equipment is indoors and close range that should work just fine. Thanks for the replies everyone. i appreciated the help.

 

[tdawg]

Here's a cheap way to build very long PC sync cords: text. I did this myself in really no time at all. Works great.

 

[Shimmishim]

I've ordered from flashzebra before. Don't be afraid. Lon is helpful and can answer any questions you have about what sync cords and hot shoe adapters and brackets you may need.

I use the elinchrom skyports and rarely get a misfire.