550ex II and pocket wizards

[jstrattonphotography]

I was discussing lighting setups with a friend and he is insisting that there is no way to use the speedlite off camera triggered by a pocket wizard and that he can only set up the vivitar to do this. Is that right? Cause it sure doesnt sound right.

[MT Stringer]

Lots of folks do it every day.
Flashzebra (http://www.flashzebra.com/wizardcables/screwlock.shtml) has just the cable to connect the PW to the 580EX II.
Mike

[Koopy]

The new PW's (Mini & Flex) connect directly with your Canon flash via its hotshoe. Full TTL and manual control as well! I have three Flex's that work flawlessly. Try them, you'll love 'em.

Rob Galbraith also just wrote about the new Zone Controller that should be coming out the end of the summer, where you can control the three different slave groups independently (and even turn them off) without having to have a 580EX II on camera. http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-10040-10085

[jstrattonphotography]

I told him about the hotshoe adaptor but he just doesnt believe that it would work and be reliable.

[bobbyz]

I was discussing lighting setups with a friend and he is insisting that there is no way to use the speedlite off camera triggered by a pocket wizard and that he can only set up the vivitar to do this. Is that right? Cause it sure doesnt sound right.


Flash will be in manual mode. So only thing you can do it trigger it remotely from your camera using PW II.

[MT Stringer]

I misread your original post. I swear I thought it was a 580 EX II.
To use the Canon speedlights off camera, you need a hot shoe adapter (http://www.flashzebra.com/products/0126/index.shtml)with the mini plug that plugs into Pocket Wizards, Skyports and the like.

We are your friends too and wouldn't steer you wrong on purpose. :-)

Here's my 540EZ in action at the basketball game mounted on the hot shoe adapter I just mentioned and triggered by the Skyport receiver. I had two set up in this manner.

You can tell your friend it fired over 1200 times (two games) without any misfires. I don't know about you, but that's reliable enough for me.
Mike

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd265/mt_stringer/Basketball/FlashSetup-650.jpg

[Titus213]

I do it all the time with Cybersyncs, no issue. You do need the hot shoe adapter to plug into the receiver on all but the new 50EX II.

[jstrattonphotography]

Thanks guys! I KNEW I (and all of you) were right. He doesnt believe it because "no photographer he knows" has ever used it <rolling eyes>. I bought the 580 exII and a 430 exII for myself so I have no problems with my setup :-)

[MT Stringer]

Check out Strobist.com (http://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss)and also tell your friend about it. There is alot of information on that site. Then he would know some photographers that use their speedlights off camera! :-)