Tech: Pocket Wizards New MiniTT1 and FlexTT5

[ngoduyviet]

Originally Posted by photonewb

if they're backwards compatible and incorporate the TTL into the backwards compatibility then that makes them even greater in my eyes. I'd love to buy just 1 and be able to get TTL on my Nikons

I got a chance to glance at their specs, and while backward compatible in manual mode & hypersync, I don't think it's backward compatible in TTL.

[Lexie]

OK, maybe a dumb question, but can someone explain "backward compatible" for me?

[ngoduyviet]

Originally Posted by Lexie

OK, maybe a dumb question, but can someone explain "backward compatible" for me?

Meaning you can use it in conjunction with older PW models with the limitation factors of what the older models can do (i.e. if I bought the Mini, I could use it with my PW I, or II)

[gmarblestone]

I would love to be able to TTL if the flash had this OR to set existing PW modules.

Aaah to dream i guess.

G

[brad]

About time someone made a system that didn't require a bunch of extra cables... this looks really cool.

brad added 5 Minutes and 10 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Ok, I've read the website but can't figure it out.. other than size.. what is the difference between the two?

brad added 6 Minutes and 28 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Nevermind.. the TT1 is transmitter only.. the TT5 is both transmitter and receiver.

[photonewb]

Originally Posted by ngoduyviet

I got a chance to glance at their specs, and while backward compatible in manual mode & hypersync, I don't think it's backward compatible in TTL.

it would stand to reason...but men can dream can't they

[gmarblestone]

well according to the Strobist article they will be backwards compatible.
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2009/02...itt1-full.html

G

[photonewb]

Originally Posted by gmarblestone

well according to the Strobist article they will be backwards compatible.
http://strobist.blogspot.com/2009/02...itt1-full.html

G

I think we'll have to wait and see...

it'd be nice if they were TTL backwards, but I'm not holding my breath just yet.

Grant why don't you buy a few and I'll test one out ;)

[gmarblestone]

When they come out for nikon, ill probably be in line...

But i do have some loyalty to RP

G

[Xposure Photo]

The one think to keep in mind is the Range, I was thinking on the mini to mix in with my PlusII just do I would not have that bulky thing on my camera, but the range changes, and since I only use strobes and like to have the long range available I will stick to the plus 2 for now, but if I decide to get more into "TTL Flashes" then it is a no brainer :)

[HOUSCOUS]

Originally Posted by ngoduyviet

Ming,

$199 for the MiniTT1, $219 for the FlexTT5

Where did you find the price?

[KdLaneJr]

Originally Posted by HOUSCOUS

Where did you find the price?

It's in the Strobist blog article.

[Sideline]

WOOT FOR 1/500+ sync speeds!!!!! Good stuff for strobing outdoor sports @ nite!!!!

I was about to buy a set of Plus II's but glad I saw this :)

http://www.pocketwizard.com/inspirat...persync_fpsync

[KdLaneJr]

Here's an update for this thread.

Earlier this year I bought three flextt5's. I opted not to buy a minitt1 as it could only be used as a transmitter and I like to have equipment on hand that isn't limited in function. Since the flextt5's both receive and transmit, I limited my purchases to them.

In April I used two of them with my 580exII's in Master/slave mode with A:B ratios set. I was shooting youth soccer league team and individuals. It took some care with the initial setup to get the results I wanted, but once I was set up, the results were excellent.

The next time I went to use them, I had issues that I had little success in overcoming. Later I've learned that one of my first generation units was defective and the pocketwizard division of the MAC Group has since replaced the defective unit. The other two units worked flawlessly together and now that I have the defective unit replaced, all three are working as expected.

But that's not the end of the tale. The primary reason I went with the FlexTT5's instead of any of the radio popper offerings is because of the HSS timing adjustments that can be made to the firmware. This adjustment lets you vary the timing on the radio signal so that you can sync your camera with studio strobes at speed you never though possible before. I've tested this with my profoto 600R's and can sync at 1/500 second without any issues, and that's plenty for indoor sports, dance/cheer competitions, etc.

So.., what else can they do? If you need to remote a camera body, all it takes is a CM-N3-ACC cable and either a miniTT1 and one FlexTT5 or two TT5's. For sports shooters that means you can fire two or more bodies at the same moment with different fields of view. While that is happening you can also be firing strobes to raise the ambient lighting.

and... last on my list of reasons for going with the FlexTT5's; I can put a 580exII on a FlexTT5, then put them on my 1DsmkII, 1DmkIII or 1DmkII, plug a CM-N3-ACC cord into P1 on the Flex and the N3 port on the camera body... and remotely fire the Camera using ETTL (PW calls this "auto-relay"). This also works with the on camera FlexTT5 and 580exII in Master/Slave ratio's with any number of slave flashes mounted on FlexTT5's, including the "C" group.

The Biggest detractor that has been spouted over and over is distance limitations due to radio frequency interference (RFI) from the 580ex and 580EXII when used as a slave on the FlexTT5. I've not personally had any issue with RFI, but it's not because my 580exII's are special. It is because I use 550ex flash units as my slaves and they do not have the RFI issues. The net result is my slaves will fire farther from me than I care to capture an image.

So, is there anything they can do that I've left out? At it turns out, there is. The engineers at the MAC group have added some manual flash master/slave capabilities for those of you that want to raise background ambient lighting with studio strobes and still control your local subject lighting. They've also added the capability to fire non-Canon flashes for you aspiring strobists.

The latest PocketWizard Utility is 1.18.9 and the latest beta firmware is 4.374 Currently you must join their beta testing program to have access to the beta firmware, but in all honesty, that decision was easy.

If you are on the fence regarding FlexTT5's, now is the time to climb down.

[kula23]

Man when someone will ever do CC (Closed Captioned)??!?! Not that I complained but I am hard of hearing, it's hard to understand this dude. *sigh*