Originally Posted by wickerprints
Consider this "resolved" - PocketWizard is now giving away a free AC5 soft shield for every TT5 purchased. See http://blog.snapfactory.com/?p=925 for the story and http://www.pocketwizard.com/news_events/promotions/ac5 for the signup form (coming today).
We're a Canon/Profoto family: five cameras, sixteen lenses, fifteen Profoto lights, too many modifiers.
They want me to put a sock over my Speedlite? Okay, so it's a special sock, but...it's still a sock. Kinda defeats the purpose of having all those controls on the 580 if you have to keep peeling it back.
I think the only way this is going to get truly resolved is if (1) PW changes their frequency range, or (2) Canon shields their Speedlites.
I'm wondering if it's possible to mod the 580EX II...take it apart and line the interior with foil or something. It wouldn't have to be complete, just enough to reduce the RF leakage.
Nevertheless, I pulled the trigger this morning and put in my order. Should arrive by Friday. Now I've got to get myself some modifiers and brackets. []
Yeah, but if you're shooting in ETTL there's likely not much reason to have to access any of those controls. Especially once the PocketWizard ZoneController becomes available. I'll just feel for the on switch, and that should be about all I should need to access.
My understand is the RF interference issue has something to do with poor-grade capacitors that were used in earlier models of certain Speedlites(I seem to remember something about this phenomenon from my radio theory course - you'll note that Speedlites in and of themselves don't have any Radio capabilities). Newer Speedlites don't seem to have a problem (or as significant a problem) as older ones - my 580 EX II was manufactured in 2008 and I have yet to be able to use them at a range that exceeds the PocketWizard's capabilities - although I really haven't tried to find their limit.
Congratulation, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I love my PWs and am always finding new ways to exploit their capabilities in creative ways and am only getting more excited about what they will be able to do in the future (i.e. beta remours). Sure there are cheaper wireless triggers - but in all honesty PWs can't be compared against most of these other solutions - it's far more than just a wireless trigger. ETTL, Hypersync, and the future ZoneController capabilities make it a worth while platform investment.
New/old doesn't seem to match up with which flashes have interference problems - 580, 430, 580II have problems; 430II and everything older than 580/430 seem to be fine. It's the newest and oldest that seem to be fine, and a particular middle vintage that isn't so good.
We're a Canon/Profoto family: five cameras, sixteen lenses, fifteen Profoto lights, too many modifiers.
If the PW items are used to remotely release the shutter, is there a half-press mode that allows for AF?
I'll admit I'm going off the word of someone from the Canon Photography Forum who has demonstrated in the past a much better knowledge of the subject than I. What you seem to say about the Canon system seems to make sense; I'm certainly open to be proved wrong - although I hope not, because my way sounds much more awesome. The way it had been described to me the ZoneController option would have greater control advantages with a controllable 'C' group than say a camera mounted Speedlite or Speedlite Transmitted used for ratio control - even in ETTL.
<div>Sorry, I meant 'older' as in relation to the older models of the specific Speedlites that have been identified as problematic (e.g. older 580EX II seem to be more problematic than newer 580EX II). At leasts that's what my research has turned up, and it appears to hold true with my unit.</div>
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