beginners lighting kit questions

[Sean Setters]

The only question I have is about the way to trigger the flash. I'd like something wireless for ease of use. So far I've seen the Cactus V2 and the Cybersync you recommended. There seems to be a large difference in price. The Cybersync is about $150 for a transmitter and receiver, where as the Cactus V2 is about $40 for Transmitter and receiver. Do I have this all correct?

Yep, that's about right. The new RadioPopper JrX units are slightly less expensive than the Cybersyncs when purchased in a set. However, they aren't old enough to know all the pitfalls about them (although I have heard the transmitter burns through batteries rather quickly).


Both the Cybersyncs and the RadioPopper JrX units are substantially less expensive than Pocketwizards. Pocketwizards have been the gold standard of radio triggers for quite some time, but their most recent units have been less than stellar, in my opinion. The new units (that transmit ETTL info like the RadioPopper PX units) suffer from poor range and reliability because of the RF noise emitted from Canon's 580EX flashes (the RadioPoppers are unaffected, however).


As for really cheap triggers, I'd actually recommend a CTR-301p set from ebay. However, if you get the CTR-301p trigger/receivers, then you'd need a different umbrella swivel--the LumoPro LP634. The CTR-301p set is nice because it doesn't require any other cables or connectors to use them (they have a built in hot shoe to trigger the flash). They also have a built in optical slave.

[Cozen]

the CTR-301p looks great and so does the price! As a beginner I don't want to break the bank so early. The other great thing about the CTR-301p is it comes with 2 Receivers in case I want to get a 430ex or another Vivitar 285HV in the future I won't need to get another receiver. I'm going to order it soon and give it a go.





Sorry one last question, will mounting the vivitar 285HV to my 40D cause any problems? Say if I just used a PC cord, but wanted to have it camera mounted. If there is a problem having it connected through the hotshoe, is there a converter, or adaptor I can use?

[Sean Setters]

Cozen: I edited my above post to include some info on Pocketwizards...just in case you were wondering what really expensive radio triggers look like. ;-)


I did some research that seemed to confirm what I already thought. I copied and pasted this from a flickr.com/groups/strobist thread:




</br>"If you insert a Vivitar sync cord into the sync port on the 285HV, the hotshoe becomes inactive.

Remove the sync cord from the Vivitar.

If it is indeed a properly functioning 285HV (not just a 285 without an HV designation), it will not harm you camera. The maximum sync Voltage will be about 15 Volts on older units, and about 5 Volts on the most recent version.

The plain 285 (no HV designation) can be up to 500 Volts.

The Canon XTi can tollerate up to 250 Volts on the sync circuits (some earlier Canon DSLRs could only tolerate 6 Volts).

Enjoy! Lon"


I imagine that a true Vivitar 285HV will be fine on the hotshoe of a 40D. There's no ETTL, but you could still use the manual controls as well as the auto exposure modes (based on ISO and distance to subject, I think). That said, I've never even fooled with the auto exposure, so I can't attest to how useful it is on-camera or off.

[Cozen]

thanks Sean, you have been a ton of help. So basically make sure my unit is a HV unit. I Will most likely order from the mpex website you gave earlier, which I'm assuming to be a reliable place. But either way, if I have the PC cord in the Vivitar 285HV, and connected to my camera, the strobe's shoe will be inactive. So I can mount it on the camera, but will just have to change all the settings manually. That won't be a problem. I'm just confirming all these points to make sure I have a complete understanding of it all. Thanks again!!!

[Cozen]

Does the Vivitar 285HV come with the PC-1 Sync Cord when purchased new from mpex.com? I can't seem to find it on the website.

[Sean Setters]

Yes, it comes in the standard box. While the PC-1 Sync Cord is handy when using the Cactus V2s receivers, they are useless when using just about anything else (in my experience). The cord is not necessary when using the CTR-301ps as the flash simply slides into the shoe of the receiver. Now that I'm using Cybersyncs, I use this item from flashzebra. It's a hotshoe adapter that allows you to plug in a miniphone cable. Then I just connect a miniphone to miniphone cable between my Cybersyncs and the adapter. The miniphone to miniphone cable has proven much better (for me, at least) than the PC-1 cable to Cactus V2s connection (the cable would sometimes come loose from the flash). Of course, with the CTR-301ps, that isn't an issue.


As for MPEX, I've really come to like their service and in-house brand, LumoPro. I certainly recommend them. However, you might want to seriously consider buying a used Vivitar 285HV off of ebay if you can find it. The reason is simple--some of the last Vivitar 285HV units made (they are no longer made under the Vivitar name; Cactus bought out the brand and now makes them under their own brand name) had some quality issues. If you bought a used one off of ebay, then you'd get a better price and it's probably been proven to work reliably (is it's likely to be well used). I've purchased 2 Vivitar 285HV and 1 Vivitar 285 flashes off of ebay and I've never had a problem with them. The 1 Vivitar 285HV I bought new (from B&amp;H) died on me after about 8 months. I sent it back to Vivitar who replaced the unit with a new one. It's been working fine ever since.


So if you do buy a new one, make sure you know the return policy of the company you purchase from. MPEX is aware of the quality issues and is pretty good about testing the 285HVs before sending them out (many of the bad ones died after only a couple of firings). They'll also understand if the unit fails and you want to exchange it within a reasonable amount of time (although you'll still want to inquire about their exact return policies).

[Cozen]

Thanks, I will look into the used Vivitars, although I did look on Ebay and they aren't much cheaper than the new ones.





Also I was asking about the PC-1 sync cord in regards to connecting the Vivitar 285HV to the hotshoe of my 40D. I just want to use the hotshoe on the camera as a mount. Will I have to use a PC-1 sync cord to connect to the PC port on my camera, or will it work by being connected to the hotshoe without causing any problems?

[Cozen]

Ok, here is what I ordered. Hope it helps others reading this looking for a beginner strobe kit.





CTR-301P Wireless Flash Trigger with 2 receivers and PC Sync....$41.99 (from Ebay)


1 Flexible Gripping Large Tripod .................................................. .$8.99 (maxsaver)


Westcott 43" Collapsible Umbrella ...............................................$26 .00 (mpex)


LumoPro LP634 Umbrella Swivel Ada............................................$19 .99 (mpex)


LumoPro 8' Black A/C Stand............................................. .............$29.99 (mpex)





This totals up to $126.96. Add on roughly $25 for various shipping and you are looking at @ $150 so far.


Now find 2 used strobes for hopefully around $100 and you have a nice beginners strobe set up for $250.





Am I missing anything Sean? =)

[Sean Setters]

[i]*thinking*



Gels. You need a set of gels for each flash you use. I get mine from photogels.com. At the very least, you'll want a set of color correction gels (here's why). Those particular gels are cut perfectly to fit in the front filter slot of the Vivitar 285(HV), so I don't need any additional equipment to a affix them to my flash. However, if you get just about any other flash, you'll need some way to keep the gels in place. Most people use Velcro and it works just fine.


If you're planning on doing some outdoor shooting, I'd suggest figuring out a DIY solution for securing your lightstand to the ground. When you affix an umbrella to the rig, it quickly becomes a wind sail and even the slightest breezes will cause your flash to fall over. I purchased a set of sandbags off of ebay and filled them with sand myself (although now I'm starting to believe pea gravel may have been better). I also keep tent stakes in my gear bag (just in case I'm too lazy to go back to the car and my lightstands are on soil). Some people simply bungee a large jug filled with water to their lighstands and that seems to suffice.


If I think of anything else that's absolutely necessary, I'll add it to the thread. Right now my brain's a little fuzzy from lack of sleep. ;-)

[Ehcalum]

KEH.com for flashes, check for bgn rated EZ flashes.