So what is so wrong with my flash firing?

[msknight]

Cross posted from something I wrote on my blog

The question is, basically, what is so unreliable with my kit that I have stayed off using it?

Well, the whole thing comes down to a number of points.

Firstly, power. The rate of discharge of the more usual NiMH batteries against my much slower, amateur pace of shooting, means that when I need them they are inevitably flat. I make the effort to charge them when I need them, but if I have to shoot from the hip it is odds on the batteries are as flat as a pancake and I don't have my fast mains chargers with me; and if I did it would be odds on that there wasn't a mains point around. 

This should be solved by the Kodak batteries mentioned earlier http://www.kodak.com/ekne...11758&pq-locale=en_GB which should be with me later this week and I will run a test of those out of the storage packet, against a fully charged set of the more usual rechargeables, and then against a fully charged set of Kodaks. Being a more leisurly 2,000mah against 2,800mah, I'm expecting a slower recycle, but who knows what has been done with chemistry these days.

Secondly, triggering system. The triggers from China, be it Yongnuo or Gadget Infinity, have significant flaws. I firstly had to hack the Gadget Infinity triggers in order to fire my Pentax strobes which are at 3v. They completley failed to fire my Stellar X units. The Yongnuo also failed but couldn't be modified. That's no good to me. I won't buy anything from China again. Even Gadget Infinity's (the people behind Cactus, I think) resurection of the quality-issue-doomed Vivitar 285 and Yongnuo's newly released flash units received some criticism http://strobist.blogspot....-debuts-and-adoption.html from strobe meister David Hobby.

I have to wait for the Radio Poppers; that decision has been made after a good look at the market as it affects a European flahser shopper. I was told by Interfit to keep an eye on them for a new development early this year, but I haven't seen anything yet.

Thirdly, hot shoe. I've been using Keiser hot shoe mounts, as the flash guns don't have synch ports. The problem with these is that while being stored in a back pack which receives a fair amount of movement, the cables inevitably give out.


The solution to this, I hope, is going to be these hot shoe adaptor with a 3.5mm jack socket built in. http://121world.photo.googlepages.com/home No more soldered-in wires to get crushed and fail. The white round thing is a service cover, so I expect to be able to fix them as the socket wears over time, as they inevitably do.  Three of these are on the way. It was actually quite difficult to find a firing solution like this. I'm not happy about the overall height of the block, but right now there isn't much choice.

I am also talking with Keiser Fototechnik http://www.kaiser-fototechnik.de/en/ and Moishe Appelbaum of Mpex http://www.mpex.com/index.htm so we'll see what they think on the matter over time. Keiser have already kindly offered to replace the faulty units, but I've stated that it is pointless replacing all these units with others that just repeat the problem.

Having a backup.

I do have backups, and have had to use them ... frequently ... too frequently because of the above. The problem with optics is that, out of doors and especially in sunshine, they fail. My next fall back is physical cabling, which is actually the first option I go to in event of a radio failure.

Because the wireless triggers won't fire the strobes, in the "studio" I have to cable to one flash and use optics to fire the rest. Beyond this I have to use a flash on the camera to optically trigger the rest, but that means turning off any TTL pulses (which I'm not actually sure is possible on the Pentax strobes; it should be, but I've never tried; probably just making sure it isn't in the commander mode.) and also ending up with a rogue flash in the mix on the, "fire," pulse. (which is why I've never tried it!)

So, that is how I'm currently constrained and how I'm getting around things.

What are the manufacturers playing at? This is the question strong on my lips as it is obvious that optical firing has restrictions in distance and operating environment. Wireless is the only decent way to give the customers a good TTL option and the problem of different countries frequencies could easily be overcome in much the same way as traditional radio enthusiasts change frequencies, by a pluggable module.

Multiplex, say, 16 channels and three, "groups," over this kind of bandwidth and the manufacturers are laughing.

Indeed, the manufacturers could really give their customers maximum power by designing an open TTL system that everyone uses. This would really open up the market. There are those who consider it to be a stupid move by the camera manufacturers as it would deny them sales ... but given that the likes of Radio Popper and Pocket Wizard have already broken that barrier, they have no reasonable choice.

A straightforward camera body would thus come without a frequency module, but the firmware ability to operate one group over sixteen channels should the customer then buy a wireless module. The strobe units would already be able to select a receiving channel and group number.

The customer could then later choose to buy an optional module that goes on the hot shoe that can control the power ratio of three groups.

This would be a way for the manufacturer to create a flexible lighting system with some future proofing, that would only pass on the cost to the people that really wanted this sort of system.

Let's face it ... this is nothing new ... it is already being done. Just look at the Cyber Sync controller http://www.alienbees.com/remotes.html and the Radio Popper Px system. http://radiopopper.com/blog/ The camera manufacturers are actually risking being left behind.

[spyglass]

With flash trigger systems it is like most other devices in our lives. We have middle men but do not always have middle products.

Inventors and developer create and design wonderful new items that can make life easy. This leading wave of effort and technology wears the debt of R&D on its back. Patents sometimes can buy them enough breathing room to sell their product and pay off all development costs. When this happens we generally see the company and product line flourish, offer more options, more flexibility, quality, reliable, etc. A top end product is born and lives.

But every dog wants to sink their teeth in and enjoy a good feed. Competition brings in what we know to be the "market value" (the balance between what it costs to actually make something and what you can get away selling it for).

The hungry underdog realizes that they are new to the game, that they do not have a recognized company or product name, and that they can not compete in a low volume high price market. If their labour and manufacturing costs are significantly lower, they can play a different game, the high volume low price market.

Consumers will eventually come to the conclusion (forums, blogs, reviews, etc) what products and companies are worth their money. I believe this is the birth of the middle product. The top end market playing down and the low end market playing up. Both markets having players that have earned their stripes and built reputations, gathered now and recognized more like tides (the "fly by nighters" having come and gone like endless assaulting waves trying to make their mark on the beach). Consumers more like sand, tempted by the waves, but served best by the tide.  (is anybody waiting for the "left high and dry" analogy........that is when the tide pulls out and does not come back leaving you.....)


Remember the old saying "the cheap and the poor pay twice" and "you get what you pay for" (yes I know there are exceptions to the rule....... but play the average and back a winning horse). 

Michelle you mentioned Alienbees and their line of triggers. With the dealings I have had with that company so far I would highly recommend them to anyone and everyone. They stand behind everything they sell and often offer upgrade credits when newer products are released to support their customers and past sales. Their triggers are reasonably priced and seem to work well. I have one of their basic 4 channel units and I am very pleased with it so far. 


Spyglass

[msknight]

Hi Spyglass,

Well said.

I don't doubt what Alienbees triggers are doing, but they charge a premium to sell to Europe, even before postage and import duties are taken in to account.  Because they charge a premium then that also forces the import costs up as well. Then if something goes wrong, the buyer is expected to cover all postage costs even if it is a manufacturer fault.  You're actually in an enviable location! The details are here - http://www.alienbees.com/intsales.html

As a potential customer, I'm not happy about this and it prices them up towards where it would be better to get straightforward Pocket Wizards.

Michelle

[spyglass]

Michelle,

I hear what you are saying. Alienbees made a strict company policy to sell their product themselves and not have any distributors (good for their reputation and customer support, difficult for markets outside the USA). Living next door to the US does have its advantages (it gives our hockey team someone to thrash....... just kidding), but they do charge a hefty fee to UPS it over the border. They seem hell bent on UPS and are not open to other avenues. But I guess they take the path that works best for them. I generally get my stuff shipped to a friend house outside Bellingham and pick it up when I swing by for a visit. This saves the international charges and brokage. I still have to pay the PST & GST at the border.

Alienbees fortunately does have a service entity in Canada (other side of the country from me, in Toronto). They will make repairs on the product and can sell consumables (flash tubes, bulb & lamps). So far, knock on wood, their stuff seems tough as nails. If they opened sales offices in different countries I am sure that they would be very profitable. If I did not live in North America I would pass on their product and seek a local brand. Imagine living in Australia. I feel for them every time I see the price of camera gear over there. If I ever go there for a vacation I will give members here a heads up, create a shopping list,  and take a few suitcases full of gear over there.



Spyglass

[Craig]

Michelle,  I admire your ability to illustrate the subjects you write about.  Sometime I have no idea or experience about whats being discussed.  But by the time I'm done reading I have a better understanding of whats going on.  Thank you very much for your work and sharing your ideas.

Craig

[msknight]

That's very nice of you to say so, Craig. Thank you most kindly.

Michelle.

[Craig]

Michelle,  Let me give some of the credit to Tim as well.  Individuals like you and Tim make the road for us newbies a bit of a smoother ride.