PocketWizard Flex TT5 and Mini TT1: mini Review by Gino Lucadamo

[SBP Studios]

Hey gang. I have began testing on these suckers and will be posting my findings as I get them in the "For Photographers" section on my blog.

http://storybyphoto.com/blog/category/photographers/


All in all im pretty happy with these little suckers. Could they have been better? Sure. But for Wedding work I think they are just the ticket.

More pics and some video will follow the review next week.

Hope its helpful info fomr some of you. If you have questions feel free to reply here or on the blog. Faster response on the blog as im traveling and updating regularly.



cheers,

~gino~


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v625/storybyphoto/Ginos-PocketWizards-3.jpg

Gino Lucadamo
http://www.storybyphoto.com
Education for Photographers
http://www.digitalweddingpro.com

[RichNY]

Gino,

I just went thru your web site for the first time today. I really enjoyed looking at your images- really excellent work. I'm not sure if others feel the same way but I did find the user interface to be annoying and slowed me down looking at your images.

[SBP Studios]

Gino,

I just went thru your web site for the first time today. I really enjoyed looking at your images- really excellent work. I'm not sure if others feel the same way but I did find the user interface to be annoying and slowed me down looking at your images.

Thanks.

Brides seem to like it. ;)

[RichNY]

Thanks.

Brides seem to like it. ;)

Considering the way you make them look it is easy to see why. ;)

[pnmd]

Gino, I suspect you were using 580EX II's and thus the 30-50ft range?
Thanks for the review!

[mattograph]

Gino, if you are using the st-e2, did you consider the radiopoppers?

[SBP Studios]

Gino, I suspect you were using 580EX II's and thus the 30-50ft range?
Thanks for the review!

No original 580ex. I dont care for the II

[SBP Studios]

Gino, if you are using the st-e2, did you consider the radiopoppers?

Used them. They failed. Used them again. They died. I have not tried the newest ones. They might be great! Id love the chance to test them and would love to do a side by side review (as im sure everyone would).

cheers

[SBP Studios]

For the record I often struggle with making these posts at the risk of sounding self serving but I genuinely just want the most simple and dependable tools for my job. I dont even consider myself a "techie" kinda guy. Im just a shooter that diggs flash ;)

I the coolest of this technology right up there with the new Camaro and my love of Brazilian girls in thongs.

~gino

[ED-EX]

Gino I also went into your website, loved it. I"m into your style. Nice work.

[pnmd]

From the review:
"They have some things you have to learn, these wizards are not much like the ones of old. You need to connect with at least 1 shot to “connect” to them. Then your assistant can walk way with the slave flash and it works fine.

The thing im not liking is if your assitant happens to be 30ft away and you decide you want to use that flash, it often times will not connect. They need to walk back to within 3-5ft of you and then it connects. Then its all good."

This is really disconcerting. It's almost like it has to sync like a bluetooth headset before you can use it. It's not turn on and shoot like my ST-E2. I could live with 30-50ft range but if it has to sync or connect; this means it can lose connection and must be paired again, not fun. I still have my Mini/Flex on order from BH.

[mattograph]

Used them. They failed. Used them again. They died. I have not tried the newest ones. They might be great! Id love the chance to test them and would love to do a side by side review (as im sure everyone would).

cheers

I've had them for a week, and they have been super easy. I like them because there is nothing to learn -- the just communicate. Couldn't be simplier.

FWIW, they have the 30 day free trial going...

[SBP Studios]

From the review:
"They have some things you have to learn, these wizards are not much like the ones of old. You need to connect with at least 1 shot to “connect” to them. Then your assistant can walk way with the slave flash and it works fine.

The thing im not liking is if your assitant happens to be 30ft away and you decide you want to use that flash, it often times will not connect. They need to walk back to within 3-5ft of you and then it connects. Then its all good."

This is really disconcerting. It's almost like it has to sync like a bluetooth headset before you can use it. It's not turn on and shoot like my ST-E2. I could live with 30-50ft range but if it has to sync or connect; this means it can lose connection and must be paired again, not fun. I still have my Mini/Flex on order from BH.

I completely hear what your saying. The good thing about them is there is no real learning curve to them. They are just take them out of the box, slide them onto your hot shoe and go. You will have to make sure they are "connecting" when you put them on your camera.

See what you think when you get yours. We also tested these on the 40d, 5d and 5d MKII with pretty consistent results.

[Gu Gu]

Has anyone tried these MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 with 430EX (I. Not the II)? I have been Googling reviews and posts in here but found no information about these new PWs and 430EX.

I am very curious to know the range and reliability with 430EX, so that I won't end up buying a new flash. :mrgreen:

[jemurphy99]

I just got a PW MiniTT1. I am using it with a Canon 40D. I also just bought 2 monolights and I have two PW Plus IIs that I use for those. Here's a puzzling question because I just tried to do it and couldn't get it to work. If I mount my 580EX II on the PW MiniTT1s hotshoe and power it up.... The 580EX will flash but the monolights do not. I thought it had pass thru. What am I doing wrong. I had two softboxes I was triggering via the MiniTT1 and two PW Plus IIs. I wanted to add the 580EX II on camera (on the new MiniTT1) for a small kiss of light (say dailed down to 1/64th or so).

Any ideas on how to get this to work?

Thanks jim jemurphy99@hotmail.com

[SBP Studios]

I just got a PW MiniTT1. I am using it with a Canon 40D. I also just bought 2 monolights and I have two PW Plus IIs that I use for those. Here's a puzzling question because I just tried to do it and couldn't get it to work. If I mount my 580EX II on the PW MiniTT1s hotshoe and power it up.... The 580EX will flash but the monolights do not. I thought it had pass thru. What am I doing wrong. I had two softboxes I was triggering via the MiniTT1 and two PW Plus IIs. I wanted to add the 580EX II on camera (on the new MiniTT1) for a small kiss of light (say dailed down to 1/64th or so).

Any ideas on how to get this to work?

Thanks jim jemurphy99@hotmail.com

I might not be understanding your correctly but im thinking you might need an STe2 to do what your trying to do. On top of the Mini TT1 rather than a 580.

Quite possibly im not understanding you also. Did you ask this question to the Pocketwizard support as well?

[SBP Studios]

Thanks for the replies those who commented on the blog.

Anyone that might have any new results with these feel free to leave them on the blog review as well.

thanks!

[doubleclock]

Hey Jim and Gino,

Are both the Tx and Rx channels the same... does your 40D see the flash when its on top of the MiniTT1(flash control menu on the 40D)? pressing the test button should fire the 580 EXII and the Plus II's,
I just tried that combo(40D, Flex on top of 40D, 580EXII on top of Flex, firing another flex with another 580EXII and a plus II.) so it does work! the only difference is that I swapped out a bad? MiniTT1.

I also have the 40D, 5D, and the 5D Mark II.
When I got my PW's, they were intermittent at best.:confused: The Mini would make my 5D hang up. :mad::evil:
Paid $21 dollars more and exchanged it for another FlexTT5, and it worked every time.:D
Now on the 430EX, I bought two Ferrite chokes(one @ flash, One @ camera) and I already had the cord, and it fires without fail.

I am going to test the range as soon as I can. Overall, I'm liking these more and more,
Just updated firmware, and will test these out also.

Jim, I seriously hope your setup works out!

I also hope that I didn't confuse anyone.

rich

[asysin2leads]

Gino,
Fantastic galleries. Art to the 'enth degree.

[tmcman]

Thanks for your review and this thread, Gino.
Has anyone tried hanging the Flex Pocketwizards below a 580 with a hotshoe cord,
and perhaps adding a ferrite choke, to get more distance?
Or is it more trouble than its worth?
They had a video on the radiopopper site that said this didn't improve the distance.
Just looking for a second to that conclusion...
Why a product that works worst with the best Canon flash model?