Remote Flash Trigger Advice

[weaviemx5]

Hi all,

I'm going to take a few photos of my brothers' VX220 (as per my previous post) and was hoping to get a little more creative with some remote flash use but could do with a bot of advice.

I'm going to borrow my friends' Speedlite and was trying to decide what the best method is to connect remotely (preferably about 10 feet away from the camera so can't use the Canon TTL connecting cable). I've looked into both cabled and wireless options and understand that neither will give me full E-TTL control but I'm not too concerned as I'm happy to take a load of shots to get the exposure correct.

My options are;


1) Wired connection using;

Hama hotshoe to PC sync cable adaptor (as my 400D doesn't have a PC sync cable plug built in) - http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...oducts_id=8381

PC Sync lead - http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...oducts_id=7854
Hama PC Sync to hotshoe remote flash adaptor (as the Speedlite is version 1 so doesn't have a PC sync plug built in) - http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/prod...oducts_id=7847

I can get all three of these items from 7dayshop for around £17 delivered but I'm not sure about the connections and whether the pc sync to hostshoe adaptor will connect to the sync lead correctly due to the polarity (can't tell in image)


2) Wireless connection using:

Remote flash trigger from Ebay as I can't afford a Canon speedlite remote trigger or Pocket Wizard! - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Flash-Trigger-...QQcmdZViewItem


Both options are the same price and appear to offer the same functionality but I'm not sure which would be the best?

All suggestions and advice greatly appreciated!

Chees
Steve

[h4rri]

Which speedlite have you managed to get hold of? The 580 will offer remote functionality [in that it will act as the trigger] whereas the 430 will only act as a slave. Not sure on the range of the IR triggers so it might be worth looking into that as a deciding factor, also it's very 'line of sight' so that could sway the decision.

[weaviemx5]

Thanks h4rri, it's a 580EX (version 1 so no PC sync) but if I use it as a trigger, I guess I'd then need another speedlite as a receiver?

As far as I an see, the remote trigger on Ebay uses RF instead of Infra-Red (4-channel selectable) so line of site shouldn't be an issue.

Cheers
Steve

[h4rri]

Ah thats better, I would probably look at the WiFi option then, appears to be cheaper and more versatile both for this and future projects Always handy to have something like this kicking about too

[weaviemx5]

Cheers h4rri, I might pick up one of the cheap flashes that Jessops are currently selling of for about £6 to go with it and keep the 580ex for on camera shots only!

Cheers
Steve

[philaitman]

There are different versions of the Cactus Trigger. The Original V1 if I remember correctly had issues with the new Canon Speedlight, (False/unreliable triggering)
The seller you've linked too doesn't mention which version he is selling.
Personally I would go direct to the source http://lyxus.net/hno and get the latest version.
I have a set of V2 and they work great, hardly any failed shots with Nikon.

[weaviemx5]

Thanks for the advice Phil

I think I'll get my order in today, how long did yours take to arrive from Hong Kong? The auction says 8-15 working days.

Cheers
Steve