PocketWizard Unboxing!

I didn't expect these to arrive until the end of the month. Today, the doorbell rang, and to my surprise it was the USPS with a small package from Amazon!







And for size comparison:


These are wireless (RF) triggers for my camera and strobes. The cool thing about these models is the ability to use Canon's ETTL metering for proper flash exposure. Without it, you're stuck in manual mode, having to figure out all the ratios yourself. Of course, you can still go into manual mode if you want (or if you are triggering non-Canon strobes), so you have a lot of flexibility.

The MiniTT1 is just a trigger, whereas the FlexTT5 can send and receive. The FlexTT5 can also be used as a remote shutter control if you have multiple camera bodies you want to fire along with your strobes. I don't do a lot of remote triggering of camera bodies, but hey, now it's possible! Why then get the MiniTT1 if it's only a sender, and not a receiver? Well, it's smaller, so I can keep it attached to my camera without fear that it'll snap off in my bag. It was also a bit cheaper than the FlexTT5, but only by about $30. I may return it for another FlexTT5. I'm still debating that.

Another nice thing is that they're both firmware upgradable. They use a mini USB connection that will even allow the devices to be flashed without any batteries installed (the USB connection supplies enough power to do the firmware upgrade). Very handy.

PocketWizard Unboxing!

I didn't expect these to arrive until the end of the month. Today, the doorbell rang, and to my surprise it was the USPS with a small package from Amazon!







And for size comparison:


These are wireless (RF) triggers for my camera and strobes. The cool thing about these models is the ability to use Canon's ETTL metering for proper flash exposure. Without it, you're stuck in manual mode, having to figure out all the ratios yourself. Of course, you can still go into manual mode if you want (or if you are triggering non-Canon strobes), so you have a lot of flexibility.

The MiniTT1 is just a trigger, whereas the FlexTT5 can send and receive. The FlexTT5 can also be used as a remote shutter control if you have multiple camera bodies you want to fire along with your strobes. I don't do a lot of remote triggering of camera bodies, but hey, now it's possible! Why then get the MiniTT1 if it's only a sender, and not a receiver? Well, it's smaller, so I can keep it attached to my camera without fear that it'll snap off in my bag. It was also a bit cheaper than the FlexTT5, but only by about $30. I may return it for another FlexTT5. I'm still debating that.

Another nice thing is that they're both firmware upgradable. They use a mini USB connection that will even allow the devices to be flashed without any batteries installed (the USB connection supplies enough power to do the firmware upgrade). Very handy.

First Test

I'm testing the new PocketWizards with the 580EXII. When I first had them on, things got a bit wonky. I did a few test shots (the PWs use them to calibrate the ETTL messages), then the strobe calmed down.

I'm using the 580EXII with my bounce umbrella and diffuser as seen earlier in my LJ and on Flickr. I set the camera to manual, under exposing the ambient about 2 stops, then used the strobe to bring it back up.

More experiments necessary!

First Test

I'm testing the new PocketWizards with the 580EXII. When I first had them on, things got a bit wonky. I did a few test shots (the PWs use them to calibrate the ETTL messages), then the strobe calmed down.

I'm using the 580EXII with my bounce umbrella and diffuser as seen earlier in my LJ and on Flickr. I set the camera to manual, under exposing the ambient about 2 stops, then used the strobe to bring it back up.

More experiments necessary!