Off camera shoe cord

Well I have purchased my flash and now am looking for an off camera shoe cord. Is there anyone who uses a 430EX II on a 1D series body who bought a 3rd party shoe cord? Which one would you recommend as to build quality and reliability? Your help will be most appreciated. Thank you.

Tim

Here ya go:

http://www.flashzebra.​com …rds/ettlcords/i​ndex.shtml

I bought a Yongnuo one after seeing positive reviews and the build quality of my 565. I have read several horror stories of "generic" cheap ones getting stuck and needing to be ripped apart on the camera :-/

I have a Canon OC-E2 (ie screwdown version), 3 Pixel FC-311 and 2 Yongnuo OC-E3/S cords. The Canon is the heftiest, the Pixels marginally the lightest and Yongnuo the only ones with lever clamp. All 6 work perfectly, every time. Internally there are variations on the theme but nothing of any moment.

Of the selection, I use the Pixel most because they are small and neat but they do remind me that I have fat fingers every time I come to wind the clamp down. The Canon lives clamped to my CB bracket so no need to comment on that. The rubber gasket (easily removed) on the Yongnuo sometimes makes me wonder if it is easing the pin contact more than it needs but it's never actually been a physical problem, only something in my mind. The lever action doesn't always 'latch' very positively when swung over but as the function is primarily to drop the locating pin into the corresponding hole, it really doesn't matter overmuch.

I'd be perfectly happy with any of those three makes - for me it's nothing more than what is available at the best price at the time I fancy purchasing.

PS No experience of Flashzebra - anything from the US comes to UK with stupid-money carriage charges so just never even gets considered. (ie something recently was $6.50 for the item and $39.88 carriage - guess who didn't buy from that source!)

Lon, AKA FlashZebra, is a nice guy that imports a lot of the stuff from sources in China (HK?).
I think his ETTL flash cables are from YN among others.

There would be no reason for someone outside the US to purchase from him since you would be getting the same item you could get locally or via a web reseller. And pay the high import fees as noted. (have to love government policies to promote local commerce. ) If you don't agree, ask for a break down of the $39.88 fee. Most of it will be various government fees rather than actual transportation charges.)

dmward wrote in post #14715382
Lon, AKA FlashZebra, is a nice guy that imports a lot of the stuff from sources in China (HK?).
I think his ETTL flash cables are from YN among others.

There would be no reason for someone outside the US to purchase from him since you would be getting the same item you could get locally or via a web reseller. And pay the high import fees as noted. (have to love government policies to promote local commerce. ) If you don't agree, ask for a break down of the $39.88 fee. Most of it will be various government fees rather than actual transportation charges.)

+1 for this. I have such tunnel vision that I often forget about the vast geographic location of people here... even when the OP's location is clearly visible

@Whortleberry how come you have so many cables?

Cos I'm a lazy b*****. I can't be bothered switching them round from one bag to another, from one set-up to another, one bracket to the next - I just leave them ready for use next time. They're so cheap (apart from the Canon one, the price of which involves a fair degree of catheterisation[SIZE="​1"] [please translate from polite into what I really mean but hesitate to say in open Forum ]) that I don't mind experimenting a little. Nothing more sinister than a massive dose of idle-itis on my part.

dmward wrote in post #14715382
Lon, AKA FlashZebra, is a nice guy that imports a lot of the stuff from sources in China (HK?).
I think his ETTL flash cables are from YN among others.

There would be no reason for someone outside the US to purchase from him since you would be getting the same item you could get locally or via a web reseller. And pay the high import fees as noted. (have to love government policies to promote local commerce. ) If you don't agree, ask for a break down of the $39.88 fee. Most of it will be various government fees rather than actual transportation charges.)

Yes, the Flashzebra ones illustrated certainly look like Yongnuo on his site.

The $39.88 was USPS carriage - not surprisingly, I didn't pursue it as far as UK import duty + the 20% tax on goods/carriage/import duty (yes, the delightful people can charge sales tax on the import duty too, if they feel so inclined). Nor did I allow for the possible £11 which might be levied as a fee for collection of the various Government add-ons. As you can see, importing into the UK can potentially be a totally pleasurable and cost-free experience - NOT. Add the fact that it takes longer from US than from China (??why??) and the whole business is a non-starter.

Edit: I ought to make clear that the item I mentioned was NOT from Flashzebra, but from elsewhere. Merely citing an example of potential problems dealing with US suppliers in general.

Whortleberry wrote in post #14715768
Cos I'm a lazy b*****. I can't be bothered switching them round from one bag to another, from one set-up to another, one bracket to the next - I just leave them ready for use next time. They're so cheap (apart from the Canon one, the price of which involves a fair degree of catheterisation[SIZE="​1"] [please translate from polite into what I really mean but hesitate to say in open Forum ]) that I don't mind experimenting a little. Nothing more sinister than a massive dose of idle-itis on my part.

Ah, makes sense - wasn't sure if there was some ninja trick I was missing with multiple ETTL cords The pricing on the Canon accessories like the cords and the remote control always baffled me - I'm sure they'd sell more if they reduced them.

Sorry, nothing clever like that - always wary of voltages on hotshoe connections. Some of my gear is nearly as old as me - nearly - but it's all higher voltage!

I have aputure AP-TLC - nicely build cord

I have three. My favorite is the Vello 6.5' slide lock collar cord (B&H). Good for OCF using one's arm as a boom and also mounting to a stand leading down to the FlashZebra long cord. Very solid build. An old Canon 3' rotary collar used with a flash bracket (plastic, including the tripod threads). And a FlashZebra 24' slide lock. Both the FlashZebra and Vello have metal tripod/light stand threads. And the Vello has an additional locking collar on the speedlite base. All work as advertised.

Thank you everyone for your help, it is much appreciated.

Tim

A late contribution - the Pixel Componor cables are excellent. It uses an Ethernet type of cabling, and can trigger up to three remote devices. Compact, various lengths, versatile - I keep them as my backup system.

A moderator thought my review should be placed in "Market Watch". Why this review and not others??

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1087683