Pixel King ETTL Trigger Controller

babel_fish wrote in post #14111376
Just FYI: There is also a significant difference from the list I posted and the list on PixelHK site.

Of course; that is why I did not simply copy what they said. The situation is not helped by the several versions that PixelHK have published, nor by the logic or language deficiencies.

Agreed. And because of such testers as yourself we all are more informed. It is always a good idea to seek more information, especially when a manufacture leaves windows of doubt or uncertainty open.

CliveyBoy wrote in post #14092636
Pixel seems to be incapable of understanding why we think we have the right to fully understand the products we have purchased!

Trying to find out "what bugs" are fixed in an update is futile; they won't waste their time on describing possible incompatibilities between versions.

Nevertheless, not replacing a non-production unit is inexcusable. Did you purchase it from PixelHK, or from a distributor or stockist?

I went back to look to see where I purchased it and can't come up with a clear answer for myself.

I guess I have to do some more research.

Finally found the transaction in my PayPal account. Sent an email to the vendor The Photo Gadget. We'll see what happens.

Hi, David. Pixel's pricing to merchants depends on the agreed level of support that the merchant will give to their clients. Best price = No PixelHK support. Shonky dealers can make an extra margin by avoiding providing service.

That's why I buy direct from PixelHK, even at their high prices.

Ordered this from amazon and it is arriving tomorrow, soo excited

I picked these up to use with wescott apollo softbox and 580 exii among other lighting setups. I have to say they work really nicely so far. Its nice having control of the flash from camera whether high speed, ettl, manual power, as well as zoom. Just as if it was attached to the body and fires everytime!

CliveyBoy wrote in post #14114479
Hi, David. Pixel's pricing to merchants depends on the agreed level of support that the merchant will give to their clients. Best price = No PixelHK support. Shonky dealers can make an extra margin by avoiding providing service.

That's why I buy direct from PixelHK, even at their high prices.

Clive,
Just had an interesting exchange with Photo Gadget via email.
They offered to replace the item, but I would have to pay postage both ways. That comes to about $35 US. They offered to sell me a transmitter for about $20 more than that without accessories.

Currently a single receiver transmitter set is selling for about $120 via Amazon resellers.

Photo Gadget claims this is below Pixel authorized pricing and that Pixel HK has intervened on eBay when prices were too low. Claimed they were counterfeit according to Photo Gadget.

They also suggested that when Pixel finds out about the low Amazon prices they will do something to get them raised. Not sure if that's possible given US price fixing laws.

And, given Pixel HK's complete lack of responsiveness to me regarding this obvious hardware defect I am disinclined to pay them a premium to "ensure" support.

Just tried the pixel kings again with my di866 mkii and can now control down to 1/128 in manual mode. who knows what i was doing last time allthough it was my first play last time!, really impressed with the functionality of the di866mk ii as everything can be changed from the camera menu and hss works aswell

barryonn - Thanks for confirming compatibility; glad you have it working.

dmward - I doubt the value of counterfeiting the Kings! Pixel incompetence, in my experience, is more likely. You are right to be outraged at having to pay more to get what you purchased. I suppose that there is a chance that you have blown up the USB port on one, but you did succeed with three.

Clive,
I doubt that connecting the device caused the hardware failure. Especially since I did the same thing to the receivers and if the computer was going to cause a problem it would do it to all of them. I think.

Given the new Canon Speedlites I am tempted to just sell the receivers and throw in the dead transmitter. But then again, if you go to my blog you'll see that I have found a neat way to mount multiple speedlites in an Apollo and have 3 Nissin Di866s that are a lot less expensive than the 600EX-RTs. The remote manual control is appealing.

Oh well. More to think about.

I certainly don't think that you caused a problem, but could see that the distributor could say that you "may" have and so disclaim responsibility.

Could I suggest that the Kings should give you all the remote control you need in a light box; they are a good option. Write off the angst and the Kings set you have.

Then see that for US$35, you can buy a King TX and your 3x RX - a good deal. Adding a second King TX should not cost extra postage: you would have a backup system (invaluable), able to fast-swap when batteries are low, and a second-angle camera using the same lighting setup.

ultimachi wrote in post #14088140
Yeah mine was really buggy to the point where it was unreliable. I have photogadget sending me a replacement, but due to the length of time that it takes, I went aheead and bought a unit through Amazon that should be here this week. I hope at least one is in perfect working order. If Pixel would get this fixed, they would have the best triggers on the market!

Ok, received my new TX RX set from Amazon last week. I went and did a shoot with it and they performed great. There is one small issue though. Has anyone experienced that when you have the sound on the flash on for it to beep, that the flash won't beep to show that it is ready until you half-press the shutter button on the camera a few times? I haven't ran a firmware update yet as other than that the pixels worked flawless and fired every time. It was just that one little thing. I kind of don't want to update the firmware for fear that it might get buggy again. Damn, that just sounds ridiculous. I'll just update the firmware lol! This is on a Canon 60D by the way.


Also, is anyone running this on a 5DII? Are you able to control the flashes manually from in-camera with the Pixel King System? I'm not sure if the the 5DII has this capability. I really really like how the 60D has this neat feature with these triggers! Thanks!

Good to know you're back in the mix.

As for the differences between the 60D and the 5D2 as it relates to Pixel King compatibility and functionality, there is none.

The 60D menu is a touch different however the differences are mostly related to the onboard pop-up flash and it's assorted functions. Remember that the 5D has no built in flash and cannot serve as a wireless commander as the 60D can.

ultimachi - the 5DII requires the standard TX firmware; the 60D has its own version. There are significant differences in synchronisation.

Hi

I just got myself a DI866 II, can you see the modified settings values on flashs screen after confirming them in camera menu. Such as zoom?

Any special tricks when using it with kings?

Eemeli

barryonn wrote in post #14119727
Just tried the pixel kings again with my di866 mkii and can now control down to 1/128 in manual mode. who knows what i was doing last time allthough it was my first play last time!, really impressed with the functionality of the di866mk ii as everything can be changed from the camera menu and hss works aswell