600 ex wireless control

oldvultureface wrote in post #15760546
As far as I know, using Canon's optical system or third party radio triggers that utilize Canon's optical control protocol, the only practical limit on the number of flashes in each group is the size of your wallet.

Certainly - I have a total of 5 Canon flashes now, and I can use all of them with the optical system. What I was asking about was using the 600EX-RTs this way but via radio triggering....

drvnbysound wrote in post #15760666
What I was asking about was using the 600EX-RTs this way but via radio triggering....

Sorry. Fifteen units is the limit with the 600s.

oldvultureface wrote in post #15760769
Sorry. Fifteen units is the limit with the 600s.

Right... is that dependent on having a post-2012 body or does it matter?

Not that I ever would, but can I use 15 600EX-RTs with my 50D (limited to A:B:C)?

Limitations for older cameras appear to be groups (old definition), i.e., three rather than five, slower sync speeds, although this has been shown to be conservative on Canon's part, and a few other features, one being modeling flash. No limitation is mentioned for using fifteen units with the pre-2012 cameras.

Which basically means, that if I were to upgrade from 580s and 430s to the 600s I'd gain RF communication (meaning I could get rid of 3rd party triggers) and basically maintaining the functionality that I currently have... such as the ability to change flash power from the back of my camera. Sounds like a win/win scenario!

PacAce wrote in post #15751172
You would be able to if you had a 2012 or later camera but, unfortunately, it will not be possible using the 5D mk II since the Group mode is not supported on that camera. (Group mode allows you to control the settings of each group independently of each other including turning a group off.)

I believe the comment that the 600 EX-RT is not compatible in Group Mode on a pre-2012 camera, such as a 5DMkIII may be partially incorrect. I looked up this exact question yesterday in the Manual for the ST-E3-RT Transmitter. In notes on Page 38, that "<Gr> flash mode cannot be performed with cameras released up to 2011. Shooting with 3 groups (A/B/C) is set (p.32). This implys that all the tools in the new Group Mode, including the question of the original poster about turning selected speedlights off, wirelessly, are not necessarily available on pre-2011 cameras, but limited wireless control of mulitple speedlights with these cameras is possible.

--Geoff

gmaize wrote in post #15764051
I believe the comment that the 600 EX-RT is not compatible in Group Mode on a pre-2012 camera, such as a 5DMkIII may be partially incorrect. I looked up this exact question yesterday in the Manual for the ST-E3-RT Transmitter. In notes on Page 38, that "<Gr> flash mode cannot be performed with cameras released up to 2011. Shooting with 3 groups (A/B/C) is set (p.32). This implys that all the tools in the new Group Mode, including the question of the original poster about turning selected speedlights off, wirelessly, are not necessarily available on pre-2011 cameras, but limited wireless control of mulitple speedlights with these cameras is possible.

--Geoff

My comment which you quoted above was strictly about using the GR mode with pre-2012 cameras. The manual specifically says that GR mode is not supported on those cameras. GR mode is a new feature introduced with the 600EX-RT.

The limitation of 15 flash units is when using radio control, regardless of which camera you use. Since the radio flashes communicate back to the master too, there has to be some limit, or a gigantic system wouldn't work. But when using the optical remote control, it's one way only. The slaves are just looking at the command flashes, so you can have as many as you can squeeze into the site.

drvnbysound wrote in post #15760044
That said, as mentioned above, you still have A:B:C control. So am I correct to assume that you can still associate multiple flashes to each of these groups? Basically, what I'm asking is: Could I setup flash A at 1/4 power, flash B at 1/16 power, and have (2 or more) flashes at 1/2 power set as group C?

Correct. If all you need is 3 flashes or 3 groups with multiple flashes in each, and you don't mix ETTL and Manual, then you won't miss the feature that is for 2012/newer camera's.

The "New Group" feature allows you to mix ETTL and Manual flashes, as well as adding 2 more Groups (D:E). I only shoot my flashes in manual and have 3-600's, so I miss nothing. I turn on my flashes and do any adjusting directly from the ST-E3. Well worth the price of admission, even with a pre-2012 camera.

Danny Michael wrote in post #15775785
Correct. If all you need is 3 flashes or 3 groups with multiple flashes in each, and you don't mix ETTL and Manual, then you won't miss the feature that is for 2012/newer camera's.

The "New Group" feature allows you to mix ETTL and Manual flashes, as well as adding 2 more Groups (D:E). I only shoot my flashes in manual and have 3-600's, so I miss nothing. I turn on my flashes and do any adjusting directly from the ST-E3. Well worth the price of admission, even with a pre-2012 camera.

Exactly what I was thinking.

The greatest number of flashes that I've used so far in a single 'studio-type' shot was 4; main, fill, and 2 Speedlites on a white background to try and make it as even as possible. With this scenario my Speedlites were all manual with my CyberSync triggers. It went a bit like this: meter, adjust flash power, meter, adjust flash power, meter... the back and forth between the subject position to meter, and to each flash to adjust flash power gets a bit old. This is what I've been referring to in other posts (both here in this thread, as well as a couple of others). If I could stand in the subject's position with my meter, and use the ST-E3 to trigger the flashes (and adjust power) it would seemingly save me a lot of time.

Likewise, I know that I've shot outdoors with the optical wireless system, and it works pretty well if you understand the limitations and take proper considerations. However, it would be a LOT easier if I could disregard those considerations, and shoot ETTL via RF.

PW ControlTL gives a six stop range for controlling speedlites on FlexTT5s via a MiniTT1 and AC3 on the camera. The AC3 permits having each of the three Zones in either ETTL or Manual.
The pre-600EX-RT speedlites only have 3 groups/zones identified.

The 600EX-RT/2012 camera combination offer up to 5 Groups which can independently be controlled via the flash or camera control menus.

If you want to control speedlites from your camera and its a pre 2012 camera use the YN-622 remotes, even with 600EX-RTs.

However, even that is a distant second to the control available with a 2012 camera and 600EX-RTs.