Pocket Wizards multiple flash question.

[relatively_mike]

I can't seem to track down a precise answer to a set up I'm trying to work, so I'll through it out to the hive mind and hope that someone is a pocket wizard... er... wizard.

I'm trying to set up four lights for an event. I want to be able to trigger each light individually, and then all four at the same time. At first it was fairly easy since I just figured I would set each light to a different frequency and just change the channel on the back of the PW attached to my camera. The triggering of all of them is the tricky part.

From what I am able to discern from the pocket wizard site, if I had all the pocket wizards and multimaxes I would be able to create some sort of zone/group set up and accomplish my goal. (please confirm or deny this conclusion) I can rent multis no problem but since this is something I'm going to do fairly frequently I really want to work on owning a permanent set up.

Right now I own plus IIs so buying 5 multis is a good chunk of change. This leads me to the second questions about the new TT1/TT5. Since the TT5 is compatible with the multimax would five of them do the trick? (slightly cheaper in the end)

Lastly, can anyone think of a set up that would be cheaper? Would one multi fire off different channels? Would a programmable TT5/TT1 be able to do it?

Thanks in advance,
Mike

[GM_of_OLC]

Only thing I can think of is using the PW Zone Controller. But that won't come out for a while now.
I'm sure somebody else has more helpful information though.

[relatively_mike]

After talking with the Canadian distributor, the tech there, agreed that I could make this set up work with multimaxs (5). He couldn't confirm if the TT5 had the exact same function as the multi even though they support them. ( I suspect not as the PW technical stuff off their page doesn't say as far as I could tell) As well, he did not know if I could use the flexs using different channels and canon flash groups to accomplish the same thing.

Also one multi will fire off different channels but only on channel like 15 and above (which I got from the PW techinical stuff on their website as well) it's like they knew we were going to try and use the plus and plus IIs to try that.

So I might still be able to save some money using the flexs but it looks like the only solution at the moment is the multimaxes. Hope this zone controller comes out soon

[canonnoob]

You could get skyports. Set them each to different groups. But put the transmitter on all when you want to trigger all or set it to a group.

[relatively_mike]

I think that might be perfect and relatively inexpensive... what's the catch? And why in the bloody hell couldn't PW put this into their system.

[PacAce]

After talking with the Canadian distributor, the tech there, agreed that I could make this set up work with multimaxs (5). He couldn't confirm if the TT5 had the exact same function as the multi even though they support them. ( I suspect not as the PW technical stuff off their page doesn't say as far as I could tell) As well, he did not know if I could use the flexs using different channels and canon flash groups to accomplish the same thing.

Also one multi will fire off different channels but only on channel like 15 and above (which I got from the PW techinical stuff on their website as well) it's like they knew we were going to try and use the plus and plus IIs to try that.

So I might still be able to save some money using the flexs but it looks like the only solution at the moment is the multimaxes. Hope this zone controller comes out soon

I suspect that you'd be able to trigger 3 TT5 in three different zones (but on the same channel, i.e. 17 through 32) as long as you use a MultiMax as the transmitter. But I haven't verified this as a fact yet.

[PacAce]

You could get skyports. Set them each to different groups. But put the transmitter on all when you want to trigger all or set it to a group.

Yes, that'll work, too. And be cheaper to boot. :)

[PacAce]

I think that might be perfect and relatively inexpensive... what's the catch? And why in the bloody hell couldn't PW put this into their system.

The catch is that you can trigger only one group or all the groups but you can't mix and match the groups to fire like you can with the MultiMax unit. But you may not necessarily care about. Or do you?

[relatively_mike]

Naw, for this particular shoot I could care less, I just need 1,2,3,4 and all

[k_strecker]

I can confirm that you could use 3 flexes and 2 multimaxs to do what you want.

The flexes have a physical switch to define which group it is, A, B, and C. They only have those 3 to allow them to also work in the same way Canon groups do . . . You'd have to configure the flexes to use a standard channel as the Rx, but that's as simple as un-checking a box.

Then 1 multimax for the D group.

1 multimax as transmitter . . . you'd save $120 using this method . . . if you bought them. Renting is an *excellent* option though.

[canonnoob]

Naw, for this particular shoot I could care less, I just need 1,2,3,4 and all

then sky ports might be your best bet...