Pocketwizards are the de-facto standard when it comes to triggering (studio) flashes. I bought my Profoto Compacts with the built-in PW receiver back in the day and never worried about any cables to begin with. They are great, wonderful, and they work.
I started out with a PlusII accompanying my Profotos. Very simple, future proof (transmit and receive in one device), four channels, one on/off switch, and two plugs to connect flashes or cameras to it. Easy-Peasy!
Then out came the FlexTT5s and MiniTT1s, bringing E-TTL with them, for use with Speedlites, as a logical step after all that Strobist movement. Rob Galbraith has a phenomenal article summing up whats all new and shiny.
But here comes the fun part: Nobody tells you how to use them with your “old” PlusIIs. They are supposed to just work together, but if you set the FlexTT5 to standard ControlTL, the Plus IIs just dont do nothing. They don’t transmit, and they don’t receive.
So how do we get them to play nice then? Set your configuration 2!
In order to receive a trigger signal from a PlusII, we need to disable ControlTL (remove check box), set the receive channel to 1 and set them to “Basic Trigger Mode”.
Now that works all fine and triggers both flashes in the FlexTT5s.
Where this does not work is when you connect a camera to them. What happens is that for some reason there is a delay (aprx. 1/10th second) between the trigger (and the flash-receiver in this case) and the camera release. Exposures of 1 second revealed that the flash triggers first, and then the camera, when the flash is already fired. Autofocus is turned off, so there is no delay.
Only after deactivating “Rear Curtain Sync begins at” by setting the drop down to “Off” do we get camera-trigger in sync with flash trigger. Be aware though that this will now only work up to sync speeds of aprx. 1/200th of a second.
So lets try the other way around: Trigger the camera with the PlusII, the flash stays in the FlexTT5, and trigger it with a FlexTT5.
In order to now trigger any of the other two, I have to change mode to ControlTL (which I have set at Configuration 1).
So when we set both FlexTT5s to ControlTL and the PlusII to channel 1, we can now trigger the flash (in the TT5) and the camera (on the PlusII) simultaneously, and up to very high sync speeds. I tried a shutter speed of 1/400th at the slave camera, and 1/800th on the triggering camera, and still had both fire in sync.
So if you want to combine the new MiniTT1 or FlexTT5 with PlusIIs, use the PlusIIs to trigger the flashes or as a camera trigger. I am sure it would also work in some other way, but thats the way that I found it working for me.
A quick note on the AC3 Zone Controller: If you can’t change the power settings, remember to have the camera awake / shutter half pressed when you change the settings. Now it should accept the changes you are making.
Also please share your experiences in the comments.
Related:
Pocketwizard Tutorials
Great article – still slightly confused but it helps, and I’m sure with some trial and error I’ll figure it out. Thanks!
Ok, so say I am using a flex tt5 with a plus 2, is there any type of settings that allow these devices to utilize hss with eachother? Or is the plus2 just not compatible at all unless used as a wireless trigger?
I havent tried this, but as far as I have experienced it the Plus2 is just a “dumb” trigger, so I dont see how this would work.
I linked a Video where someone did something similar on my Video-Blog. Maybe that helps.
http://www.photovideotuts.com/2010/12/shooting-studio-strobes-beyond-your-cameras-sync-speed/