Best way to go ETTL wireless?

[Muskydave22]

i have a 430exII and a 24' ettl cord from flashzebra. I was thinking i could get a 580exII and connect that to the camera via the cord and then wirelessly trigger the 430exII. I know its not true wireless but its only one wire and i can deal with that? or should i wait for the 7d to come out so i can get the wireless flash transmitter from the camera?

dave

[dmstraton]

Well, you'll pay a lot for that wireless transmitter if it is a "7D."

I'd go with the 580EXII - first, it can be used as a transmitter so you can do the off-camera thing with one flash without the cord (with some practice you could do a lot of really good stuff). Second, you could use your cord and do some pretty great two flash techniques, with the 580EXII tethered. Either way, your ETTL, which is nice.

[dmstraton]

Did I mention you could get another lens too, with the difference between a 580EXII and the 7D you were going to buy? A nice one too. I suggest an 135L. :)

[Muskydave22]

well i was going to upgrade my 40D but now that you mention it i will probably just invest in glass and wait for prices to go down on a body similar to my 40D but with video

dave

[Muskydave22]

what flashes can be used as a slave to the 580exII? perhaps i will sell my 430exII to sort of fund a 580ex and then add some cheaper flashes as slaves as i need them

dave

[deltaboxxx]

that dosent make a whole lot of sense.

if u were going to buy more cheaper strobes u could get the vivitar 285's...but dont get rid of the 430II,instead get something like the pocket wizard control TL system so u have the option of using both your 580 and 430 ETTL wireless or even use a mixture of them with extra manual strobes all with the same PW's...i sometimes use my 430II on camera over the pw mini with my vivitar manual using the PW tt5....many diff ways to do it without getting rid of perfectly good equipment.

[lvstenys]

Hows the PW flex and minitt1 working with your flashes?

[deltaboxxx]

works just fine,havnt had any issues at all

[gonzogolf]

Dave,
I've done that and its a nice way to use the canon system and still get your master out where it can do some work. If you are wedded to the idea of ettl flash off camera its the way to go. However for that amount you could get a lot of strobist kit, or even an alien bee and step up to the big leagues.

[Muskydave22]

how much would a setup for alien bee 400's be for a two light setup?

dave

[jeromego]

how much would a setup for alien bee 400's be for a two light setup?

dave
for a two AB400 setup...$600 http://alienbees.com/digi.html

[Muskydave22]

is that wireless or wired?

dave

[jeromego]

is that wireless or wired?

dave
that package comes with sync cables. but if you want to go wireless then you have to buy the cybersync separately. http://alienbees.com/remotes.html

[Muskydave22]

alright thanks!!

dave

[colormaniac]

that package comes with sync cables. but if you want to go wireless then you have to buy the cybersync separately. http://alienbees.com/remotes.html
That sync cable is 15 ft long. It should be enough for many purposes, if that is why you are after wireless. The other AB can be triggered by the flash of the wired AB.