580ex ii, Vivtar 285HV, and Cybersync?? Works?

I want to get a good set up for shooting skateboarding and snowboarding. I have a 580ex ii on the way and want to be able to get it off the camera and have other flashes (vivitar 285hv) Would i be able to use the 580 as the master and 285's as slaves? Would the 580 have to be on camera to be master? And if i had a cybersync could i trigger all three flashes at once? Also any other suggestions or equipment i might need. Just let me know! I really appreciate how helpful people have been on this site and look forward to your responses! Thanks!

The 580EX II will not act as a master to the 285 as slave (in the classic Canon wireless ETTL master/slave mode). A 580EX II in manual mode will fire a 285 with an optical slave unit attached. Both flash units would be in manual mode and you would set the power levels.

Cybersyncs will trip all flashes that have a receiver attached, 1,2,3,20. The flash units in this mix would have to be in manual mode and you would set the power levels.

Ok, thank you Titus! So i know the 580 can act as a master, is this only to other canon flashes? And do you have to buy extra receivers for the cybersync?

The 580EX is an ETTL master for other Canon EX flashes.

And yes, typically you use one receiver per flash unless you can work some optical slaves into the mix and you are the only one using flash (any other flash will fire the optical slave). You could buy an optical slave for your Vivitar and let the 580EX (in manual mode) fire it. That would require one Cybersync receiver and your control over all flash being used.

Ideally you would put a radio receiver on each flash.