How to setup remote flashes for HS Gym sports

Here's a great set of six videos on Sportsshooter.com that will go thru exactly what you need.

http://www.sportsshoot​er.com …3_remotes_bert/​index.html

dshankar wrote in post #5898892
I suppose you are right about $150 being a good investment for safety. What is your opinion on standing on a tall 10 ft. ladder for the shot? (The ladder being several feet behind the baseline)
I thought I read about a person using a really long monopod and holding it in the air or something but that didn't sound very safe..

The monopod would be safer than up on a ladder. One bump and you are going for a ride and your camera is trashed.

You can build a tall monopod from a sturdy painters pole. You can get them up to 16 feet long. Get a fiberglass/aluminum model like the Wooster Sherlock (~$25 for model R057 at Lowes) and remove the threaded end made to screw into the paint roller handle (see photo in link above) and replace it with an homebrew adapter that will accept a tripod or ball head. Add a lug that you can fasten a safety cable to. Mount your camera and attach the safety cable. Fire the camera using a wireless trigger. I like this design over most others which have a friction collar to adjust the length, the Sherlock has a positive lock every 6 inches and can't move once set.

gromeo wrote in post #5898748
I have not used the set up you are describing so I can't comment on that. But as far as a remote camera for BB, I use this set up often, the Bogen Friction Arms and Super clamps in my opinion is a must. I consider them the best not only in the ability to manipulate the camera to the desired position, but mostly for its strength in securing the object being mounted. Safety is my main concern when mounting any camera that has the the potential of of falling on a player. $150 is cheap considering the cost of a camera falling on a player. Along with the clamps and arms you also need safety cables to hold all the equipment just in case it does drop.
Here is my setup for remote BB

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Good Luck Good Shooting

Out of interest why is there 2PWs and 1 on an Off Shoe Cord?

EDIT: Just saw:

gromeo wrote in post #5898910
Stee2, that is correct 1 PW to trigger camera Chnl 1, PW on a off shoe cord to trigger Strobes on Chnl 3, when I am on the other end of the remote cam I trigger with a hand held remote. Then I sync together when on the same side.

Why have 2 PWs on the camera? Why not stick 1 in the hotshoe with a pre trigger cable set to BOTH on the transiever and then it will trigger the camera and strobes if on the same chanel.

gromeo wrote in post #5898748
I have not used the set up you are describing so I can't comment on that. But as far as a remote camera for BB, I use this set up often, the Bogen Friction Arms and Super clamps in my opinion is a must. I consider them the best not only in the ability to manipulate the camera to the desired position, but mostly for its strength in securing the object being mounted. Safety is my main concern when mounting any camera that has the the potential of of falling on a player. $150 is cheap considering the cost of a camera falling on a player. Along with the clamps and arms you also need safety cables to hold all the equipment just in case it does drop.
Here is my setup for remote BB
[]http://i189.photobucke​t.com …manphoto/_R2G19​75b.jpg[/]

Good Luck Good Shooting

Am I correct in assuming that the setup in your photo was how you had it before you got the MultiMax and the Plus II units (in other words, are those Plus Tx and Plus Rx units in the photo)?

dshankar wrote in post #5898519
Hello,
I'm trying to plan how to (better) shoot indoor sports in a high-school gym.

In terms of equipment, I've usually just gone with either a 70-200mm f/2.8 (the fastest lens I have access to) or the stock 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6. In the future, I plan on using a 50mm f/1.4 or a 15mm f/2.8 fisheye.
I have several flashes (430 EX, 550 EX, 580 EX, 580 EX II) and I primarily use my 40D. I also have a few studio strobes but I don't think they're necessary for this.

I'm hoping to set up strobes on the balconies on both sides of the gym. Since I don't have any remote triggers (can't afford Pocket Wizards..), how would I set up the flashes?

I'm thinking I have 580 EX connected as Master to the 40D with a PC sync cord. I would mount the 580 EX on a tripod and place it a few feet from me on the gym floor. It would face the 580 EX II (as Slave) in the balcony and trigger it. The 580 EX II then triggers the 550 EX (also Slave) on the opposite balcony.

The 550 EX & 580 EX II would both be facing towards the key and all flashes would be in manual mode. Would this work as an alternative to remote triggers?

Also, I would like to get some shots from behind the backboard. Assuming the Athletic Director, refs and coaches are ok with strobes and having cameras near/in the backboard, what are some cheap options in terms of mounts?
I know about the Bogen Magic Arm + Super Clamp option but that is nearly $150. Are there cheaper alternatives?

Thanks!

Anyway, getting back to your original question, using a 580EX connected to the camera via a PC cable and used as a master to trigger the other slaves for what you want to do is probably not the way you want to go. The setup you described may work, with minor modification, depending on the size of the gym and the distance of the flashes from each other but you'll be limited to a max sync speed of half the max sync speed your camera is capable of, i.e. 1/125 on a camera with a max sync speed of 1/250. And, of course, there are the other concerns expressed by previous posters.

BTW, just as an FY, when using the Canon Speelites in an ETTL wireless configuration, you can only have one master in the bunch. All the other flashes have to be slaves.

NSWESP wrote in post #5901642
Out of interest why is there 2PWs and 1 on an Off Shoe Cord?

EDIT: Just saw:


Why have 2 PWs on the camera? Why not stick 1 in the hotshoe with a pre trigger cable set to BOTH on the transiever and then it will trigger the camera and strobes if on the same chanel.

PacAce, It can be done that way, but I wanted to trigger remote separate from the cam I had in my hand.

gromeo wrote in post #5902205
PacAce, It can be done that way, but I wanted to trigger remote separate from the cam I had in my hand.

Not sure I understand what you mean by the above. Off the top of my head, anything you can do with a Plus Rx and Plus Tx combined (or two MM or Plus II units) on one remote camera, you can do with a single Plus II or a MultiMax. So, what am I missing?

I have a PW II on the cam I am shooting witch is set to chnl 3, 1 PWII to fire 4 strobes set to chnl 3. If I used 1 PWII on the remote cam as a relay to receive and send, it would have to be set to the same chnl (3) and this would cause the remote cam to be fired every time I used the cam in my hand, in essence the remote cam would capture nothing since the action is at my end. The way I have it set up I can fire the remote with a hand trigger. I did try the relay mode in the MM's last year and found it to be inconsistent.

Titus213 wrote in post #5900560
What kind of an f-stop gain do you anticipate with the mulitiple flash? I wouldn't be sure they would do much for you at all.

Using multiple flashes are never really for the f-stop gain. It's to achieve better lighting of the subject. If you go take pictures of a basketball player in a high school gym with the ugly 1950s lighting, the picture will be decent at best (if you use a 1/2.8 or 1/3.5 aperture).

Now, if you use strobes set up around the gym to illuminate and freeze the subjects, you will get significantly better pictures.

At least, that's what I understand .

Bob D. wrote in post #5901613
The monopod would be safer than up on a ladder. One bump and you are going for a ride and your camera is trashed.

You can build a tall monopod from a sturdy painters pole. You can get them up to 16 feet long. Get a fiberglass/aluminum model like the Wooster Sherlock (~$25 for model R057 at Lowes) and remove the threaded end made to screw into the paint roller handle (see photo in link above) and replace it with an homebrew adapter that will accept a tripod or ball head. Add a lug that you can fasten a safety cable to. Mount your camera and attach the safety cable. Fire the camera using a wireless trigger. I like this design over most others which have a friction collar to adjust the length, the Sherlock has a positive lock every 6 inches and can't move once set.

Well that would basically force me during the whole game to pay attention to holding the 16 foot monopod vertical / not dropping or tilting rather than when/what to shoot!

Is there any way I can create a base for it?

RichNY wrote in post #5901125
Here's a great set of six videos on Sportsshooter.com that will go thru exactly what you need.

http://www.sportsshoot​er.com …3_remotes_bert/​index.html

I'm watching them right now..thanks!

bobbyz wrote in post #5900630
Why don't you look at Alien Bees CyberSync Tx and Rx. Lot better than eBay triggers(from what I hear as I am still waiitng for mine to get to me).

The one review I read compared them to eBay triggers and said that the build quality and amount of misfire compared well with eBay triggers (very bad!). So...I'm going to wait on them. I was really looking forward to them until I read that (admittedly just 1) review..

dshankar wrote in post #5903180
The one review I read compared them to eBay triggers and said that the build quality and amount of misfire compared well with eBay triggers (very bad!). So...I'm going to wait on them. I was really looking forward to them until I read that (admittedly just 1) review..

Can you post the link?

These are brand new ones from AB just shipping this week.

bobbyz wrote in post #5903239
Can you post the link?

These are brand new ones from AB just shipping this week.

Here ya go: http://www.subtleimage​s.com …bees-cybersync-no-thanks/

RichNY wrote in post #5901125
Here's a great set of six videos on Sportsshooter.com that will go thru exactly what you need.

http://www.sportsshoot​er.com …3_remotes_bert/​index.html

So based on those videos, I presume that an acceptable way to shoot would be hard wired (long PC sync -> sync splitter -> two strobes OR PC sync -> strobe (master) - IR to strobe (slave) ).

gromeo wrote in post #5902921
I have a PW II on the cam I am shooting witch is set to chnl 3, 1 PWII to fire 4 strobes set to chnl 3. If I used 1 PWII on the remote cam as a relay to receive and send, it would have to be set to the same chnl (3) and this would cause the remote cam to be fired every time I used the cam in my hand, in essence the remote cam would capture nothing since the action is at my end. The way I have it set up I can fire the remote with a hand trigger. I did try the relay mode in the MM's last year and found it to be inconsistent.

The statement in bold above is not true. If your strobes are set to Channel 3, then the camera you are shooting would, of course, also be set to Channel 3. However, if you want to also be able to fire your remote camera and also fire the remote strobes, then all you really need to do is set the PW II on the remote to Channel 2 and in relay mode. In relay mode, a PW II unit will receive on Channel N and then turn around and transmit on Channel N+1. In your case, Channel N would be Channel 2 and Channel N+1 would be Channel 3. On the MultiMax, in relay mode, you can set the receive channel and the transmit channel to whatever you want as long as they are not on the same channel.