New and confused with PocketWizards

Signed up for a photo shoot / class next weekend and one of the requirements was to bring a pocket wizard. For some reason, flash and triggers seem to escape me a bit. I have used my 580EX on camera, but not much more, so I can be more than a bit confused. I am reading all I can, but not yet all clear.

I checked and most were recommending a Flex TT5 rather than Mini TT if for no other reason than AA batteries as opposed to harder to find wafer batteries. And more control. So I bought a Flex TT5. I can't see many times I would want to use this with my 580 EX II off camera, so did not buy a set, just one transceiver. I also figured that "one day" if I ever got monolights, I could use this there as well. So rather than rent, I bought.

Now I learn that if I want to use this with my 580 EX II (would not be the first time I learned something and changed my mind), I need to use the RFI shield, which seems to be a hassle. And with the 580EX II, I get "full" control over settings, but if I get studio lights, the Flex TT5 is only a trigger to shoot and will control not other settings. Is that true?

If so, I am unsure that this is much a value to me. If I get Elinchroms one day, as I currently think would be the sweet spot for value, I'd use their Skyports. And cannot seem to find many lights with built in PocketWizard receivers and on the ones I do fine, seem to be higher end and at that, cannot seem to find how much control, if any, the Flex TT 5 will allow with these lights.

So, this whole things has me a bit confused. I may have bought the PW Flex only to use on this shoot and maybe should have rented for the day. On the other hand, maybe I just do not understand enough of how this is all used and should be buying a Mini TT to go with it and learn to use my 580 EX II off camera

Any words of insight so I can better grasp what this can and cannot do for me?

Thanks.

~Bob

For studio lights, your Flex can trigger certain ones. I'm guessing this is why you were told to bring one to the class. Only a few types of strobes can be fully controlled remotely; most are simply triggered as far as I know. Obviously the Flex will be useless without some other device to act as receiver or transmitter.

If you are likely to use strobes a lot and don't buy one with built-in PW, you can buy a Plus2 to go with the Flex. They will be available on the used market pretty cheap in a month or two, as the Plus3 is coming out at a lower price.

Or you can get a Mini or another Flex and shoot with your 580 with the option of E-TTL.

I think you understand this all, really, but maybe some different words help.What do you do now? What do you need OCF for?

Thanks Anton. I do but not well enough. Have never had a need for OFC, so if it hadn't been for the "bring a PocketWizard" for the meet, would have waitid for studio lights some time in my future for triggers. As it is, I think this will be a paper weight after this meetup. Its ok. I had just expected it to control a bit more with studio lights. We'll see what I learn using it this weekend.

~Bob

Let us know how it goes. By itself, "Bring a Pocket Wizard" could mean just bring a trigger so you can trigger their strobe, but if they had several fully PW-controlled strobes it would be cool to be able to control the ratios.

Talk to the class organizer. A lot of times "bring a pocket wizard" means "bring a pocket wizard, if you have one". It really depends on how the class is structured when it comes to shooting. Most of the times I've done a class only one person is shooting at a time, and most people don't bring PWs. So, I just pass mine around when I'm not shooting.

I bought a PW the first time I signed up for a class like you and didn't really need it for that reason. I use them all the time on my own now so the purchase ended up being worthwhile in the long run

If you decide you don't need it it should sell for a decent value on Ebay or wherever (if you can't return it).

There are a number of 'levels' of flash trigger functionality:

• A transmitter can send the 'trigger' signal to any flash with a built-in compatible receiver or an external trigger receiver.
  
• An ETTL compatible trigger can send 'preflash' and 'power control' signals to any ETTL-comptible flash with a built-in compatible ETTL-compatible receiver or an external ETTL-compatible trigger receiver.
  
• Few studio strobes have ETTL-compatibility, they simple are 'triggered' with no remote flash power control for them.