forget pocketwizards, hello yongnuo...yongnuo peeps, need advice

ni$mo350 wrote in post #12227255
^ not sure why that is because I have the 602 and can shoot at 1/200 just fine and the black bar starts to creep in at 1/250

At 1/200th I get just enough (just a fringing at the bottom) of the black bar to be unusable. At 1/250th I get about an inch of the black bar. All fine at 160th and I suppose 1/200th would be fine if the picture is cropped. Not sure how you are able to get 1/250th. I can only assume this is due to "loose manufacturing tolerances" of the triggers.

Quick pics 5Dmk2 with 430EXII fired with 602. All items have brand new batteries in them.

1/250th

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OneyedJack wrote in post #12227580
But imho they are in no way suitable for pro/paid work. Great to learn with though.

I think that's where a lot of people draw the line. Just assuming that everyone buying some Yongnuo's are trying to be pro. If I were ever to make photography a job(meaning I get paid regardless) then I would definitely spend more money on better products.

I probably should have left that statement out. I am not trying to guess how the op will use them. I just think it may be valuable info for the op to know what limitations these triggers can have. Especially since the op is giving up pocket wizards.

I've never had black bar or range issues with the TT1/TT5 system. Granted, I don't use Speedlites much at all (AB/Einstiens).

I have friends who still shoot 1/125s with PocketWizards. I always shoot 1/200s on the 5DMKII with the PWs (unless I'm really trying to pull more ambient).

How do you pronounce Yongnuo anyway?

just wondering?

Yong noo oh, at least that's the pronounciation on the vids.

ni$mo350 wrote in post #12227255
^ not sure why that is because I have the 602 and can shoot at 1/200 just fine and the black bar starts to creep in at 1/250

Yeah. I can shoot up to 250 just fine with my 602s before the black bar starts crawling up. I hear the 603s sync even faster which is another reason I'm looking at them as well.

clarence wrote in post #12227352
I was frustrated with this on the first day too. Make sure you turn the tt1 and lights on in the right order.

For power On, I go flash (or strobe), TT5, TT1, then camera. Then fire a test shot to calibrate and sync everything. I haven't had a missed shot yet.

On my 5D Mk II, the usual xsync is 1/200". With the PW MiniTT1, I get 1/250" and 1/320" perfectly clean. 1/400" starts to show some shutter curtain at the bottom of the frame. And then I set the crossover to HSS for 1/500" through 1/8000".

On my 1D Mk III, the usual xsync is 1/250". But with the TT1 I get perfectly clean 1/500" and full power from my strobes. And then at 1/640" I crossover into HSS.

I've bought and tried most of the yongnuo and cactus triggers over the years. After switching to the PW flex/mini, I can't imagine ever switching back.

I'm not knocking the Cactus or Yongnuos... they're a great value if you just need/want a manual trigger. But if you already have the miniTT1 and PW's, just make sure you're using them right before you switch, especially if you need/want the ETTL, ControlTL, optimized xsync, HyperSync, HSS, and/or seamlessly mixing speedlites and strobes (with remote level adjustability too).

interesting. to give PW some credit, they work fine indoors. but once you take them outdoors their performance starts to get iffy when more than 6ft away and thats just unacceptable for something that cost roughly $200 a piece. you should have seen me use the PW before all the software updates...i had to wrap my flashes in EMF mesh to get the darn PWs TT1 and TT5 to communicate.

i think the cactus v5 is where im headed now. 1/1000 of shutter is more than enough for me when working outdoors. im good enough with the flash that i can dial up or down as needed depending on conditions to really not care about the TTL features of PW. I only got my TT1 for its size (the plusIIs looked ridiculous sitting on my cam) and figured i get the TT5 to match, this all back when it was under preorder and had just been announced.

but when all is said and done, ill still keep around the PWs for when im working with other crews who dont have nonPW stuff since PW seems to be more of a standard.

OneyedJack wrote in post #12227908
I probably should have left that statement out. I am not trying to guess how the op will use them. I just think it may be valuable info for the op to know what limitations these triggers can have. Especially since the op is giving up pocket wizards.

all good thanks for the help. i am a paid pro. its just ultra embarrassing and unprofessional when im shooting say a couple who has paid me top dollar outdoors and my flash only goes off maybe 1 out of every 10 tries. you would think that PWs costing $400 a set would rock the party, but they dont. and why the heck do i have to point my plusII antenna straight up all the time? if i pay for the "mercedes" of all flash triggers, i expect seamless and dynamic operation.

now if cactus has this problem, then i might as well just stay with PW but im interested to see if cactus's "FST" is a gimmick or actually works or not.

kaitanium wrote in post #12230450
i think the cactus v5 is where im headed now. 1/1000 of shutter is more than enough for me when working outdoors.
...
all good thanks for the help. i am a paid pro. its just ultra embarrassing and unprofessional when im shooting say a couple who has paid me top dollar outdoors and my flash only goes off maybe 1 out of every 10 tries. you would think that PWs costing $400 a set would rock the party, but they dont. and why the heck do i have to point my plusII antenna straight up all the time? if i pay for the "mercedes" of all flash triggers, i expect seamless and dynamic operation.

now if cactus has this problem, then i might as well just stay with PW but im interested to see if cactus's "FST" is a gimmick or actually works or not.

All you need is a Vari-ND to get stay at or under the sync speed issue (and want to shoot wide open)

As far as other options, have you considered Paul C Buff Cybersyncs? Those are very reliable. I know plenty of people who use them. More expensive than the Yonguo or Cactus triggers, but less than half the cost of PWs.

As far as your PW problems, is it only with Speedlites? I haven't had any issues with PCB strobes or Speedlites with my TT1/TT5.

ocabj wrote in post #12231003
All you need is a Vari-ND to get stay at or under the sync speed issue (and want to shoot wide open)

Just remember that ND filters can really play havoc with AF.

kaitanium wrote in post #12230450
i am a paid pro. its just ultra embarrassing and unprofessional when im shooting say a couple who has paid me top dollar outdoors and my flash only goes off maybe 1 out of every 10 tries..

And yet you considering cheap ebay triggers ?

Im not sure they gonna make you look any better.

kaitanium wrote in post #12230450
but once you take them outdoors their performance starts to get iffy when more than 6ft away and thats just unacceptable for something that cost roughly $200 a piece.

Really? I'm no pro. But I usually shoot with FlexTT5 at more than 40 ft without any problem (using a 70-200 to get full-body shots). Well, it's a 430EX II if it matters.

Yes it matters which flash you use.

MR do little wrote in post #12232220
And yet you considering cheap ebay triggers ?

Im not sure they gonna make you look any better.

and which one do you think would be more noticeable for the client:
1. a cheap trigger sitting on my camera that works or
2. my flash not going off due to a trigger that doesnt
back at ya

colormaniac wrote in post #12232252
Really? I'm no pro. But I usually shoot with FlexTT5 at more than 40 ft without any problem (using a 70-200 to get full-body shots). Well, it's a 430EX II if it matters.

is that outdoors? i can get a pretty consistent no fire outdoors using a 580exII or 430ex. my sunpak 383s are no problem. indoors PWs are pretty flawless for me, no compaints there.

i probably failed to mention that reliable outdoor performance is what im looking for. ill have to do more research on all the brands listed here so far.

i was hoping PW would eventually fix the "Range limited due to RF interference from flash only when connected to a remote FlexTT5." problem. i guess not.

MR do little wrote in post #12232220
And yet you considering cheap ebay triggers ?

Im not sure they gonna make you look any better.

I'm a pro, or at least a paid photographer, and I much prefer the 602s over my Pocket Wizard triggers. They are smaller (5 receivers in the space of 1 PW), more discrete (no more sticking the pocket wizard aerial up my bloody nose), just as reliable (more so than the flexies), 1/18 the price in the UK (guarantees reliability through multiple redundancy), much better and more solid hotshoe fitting (I can now use guns like the 430ez, 540ez, 550ex etc much easier - and no flappy PWs hanging off a cord), all the cords included for remote shutter (PW cords cost a bomb) etc etc.