When LPA Design announced the new Pocket Wizard MiniTT1 transmitter and FlexTT5 transceiver earlier this year, there was a tremendous amount of buzz and excitement. The makers of the best known and probably most widely used flash triggering devices, was coming to market with products capable of communicating Canon’s E-TTL-II and Nikon’s I-TTL protocols wirelessly via radio signals. While Leap Devices with their Radio Poppers line and Quantum Industries with their Trio line brought radio TTL products to market before LPA, neither of these brands have the user base that PocketWizards has. The good news was and is that users of Canon and Nikon flash systems now have 3 wireless radio system alternatives, all of which work differently, to the Nikon and Canon “line of sight” wireless solutions.
As reports surfaced over range limitations with respect to several Canon Speedlites including the flagship, 580EX II, and some initial operational incompatibility with the very popular 5D Mark II camera, some of the excitement gave way to disappointment. Add to that product shortages at release, and the new generation of PocketWizard products was off to a less that auspicious start here in the USA.
To its credit, LPA Design was quick to acknowledge and address issues. While the radio interference issues with certain Canon flashes will be addressed by a soon to be announced “supplemental” product, many of the performance related issues and bugs have been addressed via firmware updates. They have also demonstrated the ability to enhance performance via firmware. I have been impressed with the firmware updates which LPA has made, as well as by the customer service and technical assistance which both the MAC Group (the U.S distributor of PocketWizards) and LPA Design have rendered.
My interest in the new generation of PocketWizard products was fueled by several factors:
- I wanted to carry a light weight lighting kit that would afford me reliable wireless triggering without having to rely on line of sight.
- I liked the idea of having a small transmitter atop the camera as opposed to a flash acting as transmitter, or the MultiMax.
- I wanted one wireless triggering system that could be used with my studio strobes, light meter and Speedlites.
- I wanted E-TTL II functionality
The new PocketWizard products appeared to address all of my desires. I was less concerned about being able to trigger an E-TTL II controlled flash 800 to 900 feet away as my outdoor shooting on the streets of New York City would preclude that anyway. When I thought about it further, I decided that I needed some context as to how long 900 feet really is. Thanks to Google, I now know that 900 feet is the length of the USS Intrepid, three times the length of a football field and a tad under 2/3 the height of the Empire State Building.
Now I have to admit, that I did feel a bit like Dorothy, the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow on the way to “OZ” as the journey down this wireless road was fraught with obstacles: For starters, only one of the two Flex units I ordered came in. While waiting for the second Flex to arrive I discovered that with the 580EX II/Flex combination mounted on my 1DS Mark III there were extreme fluctuations in shutter speed. At this point I was questioning my heart, my brain and my courage and wondering could the “Wizard” deliver! There was a little voice screaming “send the Flex back!” Had it not been for the excellent technical support and assurances that the issues were noted and would be addressed, coupled with my longstanding experience and satisfaction with PocketWizard products, I probably would have sent it back. My decision was made, I would press on. So what’s a guy to do with one FlexTT5? In my case it was read and re-read the manual, as there is a lot there to digest, and then learn how to integrate using my one Flex into my existing PocketWizard/MultiMax workflow.
The MiniTT1 and the additional FlexTT5 arrived between the two firmware updates. The Wicked Witch of the West clearly had put a hex on the Mini! With the Mini mounted to either of my cameras, any button I touched on the camera resulted in the triggering of the remote mounted flashes. A call to tech support resulted in a preliminary diagnosis of a contact problem with the Mini. The next morning I took the Mini back to Foto Care where they exchanged it for another unit. No random firing with the new Mini. There were noticeable performance improvements with the first firmware update, but with the second update, the Mini and Flex became a joy to use: No more erratic behavior, reliable triggering and perfect execution of E-TTL II.
Indoors I have shot with the both the 580EX II and 430EX II flashes mounted to the Flex units behind me, in two different rooms lighting a hallway, in dimly lit rooms at relatively slow shutter speeds and in sun dappled bright environments with fast shutter speeds and the units have fired without any issues. Outdoors with either a Flex or the Mini on camera, I have gotten the 580EX II mounted on a Flex to fire at a distance of 80 feet away from the camera. I stopped testing at 80 feet simply because I realized that this distance is substantially in excess of where I would typically place my flashes. To put some context to it, 80 feet is a tad under a 1/3 of the length of a North -South block in Manhattan. I do not want to minimize the concern that some have over range. Based on venue, subject matter and location, as well as focal length of lens, there are those shooters for whom greater range latitude is critical. There is information and suggestions for increasing the range of affected flashes when used in combination with the FlexTT5 on the Pocket Wizard site which may prove helpful. For some photographers however, the necessity of having to take some of these extra steps in order to get the performance they need, significantly reduces the attractiveness of the system.
Given the feedback of people getting more or less range with the same model of flash, there may be some credence to the anecdotal accounts that the degree of radio interference attributable to the 580 II may vary by production run. It is not uncommon during the lifecycle of a product for components to be substituted based on changes in availability for example. In most instances these changes are not apparent to end users as the overall performance as the manufacturer originally specified remains the same. While production changes could be a possibility which helps to explain some of the range differentials 580EX II users are reporting, there is no evidence that indicates this is the case. For those who have criticized Canon with respect to the radio frequency and shielding issue, it should be remembered that few to none of us would be having this discussion about radio frequency interference if we were talking about using the wireless protocol as designed by Canon for use with Canon products.
If there is anything that I’m not wild about with the Mini and the Flex it is the fact that the with the latest firmware update, in order to enjoy the new 5D Mark II functionalities, one needs to specify the camera model in the PocketWizard Utility. This can be a problem for people like me who shoot with multiple Canon models. Prior to the update I had the model selection set to auto and used the units with either camera.
The other area of concern has to do with changing the Mini and Flex settings in the field: If you have a PocketWizard product such as a Multi-Max or one of the Plus models, you can at least use the learn process to change the channels on the Mini and the Flex should it be necessary. Without a MultiMax or Plus, or access to the PocketWizard Utility, the only option you have if you need to change settings is a reset to the defaults. For me this is less of an issue as I rarely am shooting in an area with other photographers, but for those shooting in venues with other photographers or who discover while on location the need to adjust the offset, disable Control TL, change to a channel other than the defaults or make other changes, this may indeed be an issue.
Now, I have decided to take a slow and deliberate approach in unlocking the full power of the new PocketWizards. The first steps included getting my arms around E-TTL functionality as well as getting the new units to function in a more “traditional” PocketWizard role in the studio. There is a lot of capability packed in these units and a lot of complexity with regards to the settings, and performance. There are things that can be done with one flash that cannot be done with another, so it is imperative that you read the manual very carefully. The truth is that there is more capability in these new PocketWizard products than I will probably ever need or use.
My benchmark for evaluating the Mini and Flex was how they stacked up against the “line of sight” Canon system as I have used and would use it. For my shooting and lighting needs and desires, the Mini and Flex work extremely well. In real world usage, I have not experienced the same reliability issues and frustrations that I have had from time to time with the camera mounted St-e2 controlling flash activity and I have certainly not gotten the range and versatility from the St-e2 as master that I am seeing with the Mini or Flex.
While one would hope for a seamless and smooth product launch, the Mini and Flex introduction for use with Canon products was not; it is unfortunate because a lot of the focus as to what these tool can do has taken a back seat to what they can’t do at this time. It is clear from talking with the folks at LPA that they are committed to addressing both current issues as well as those that may surface, and refining and enhancing performance.
The newest generation of PocketWizards for me is a reminder that much of the technology that we purchase and use today, are works in progress. Our computer software, printers and digital media devices are routinely updated though patches and firmware which fix bugs, address problems and enhance operations. And this is how I have come to regard the new PocketWizards-“Functional Works in Progress” that will evolve as we use them and just keep getting better.
And as far as this trip to “see the Wizard” is concerned, it looks like the USB cable gets the coveted role of the ruby red slippers!
Note: I have been told that an official update on the availability of the Nikon compatible products will be released soon. Check the news on the PocketWizard Site.
Update - July 13: PocketWizard has released a firmware update for the Mini and Flex. For details, follow the link below: http://www.pocketwizard.com/news_events/news/firmware_v4.300_press_release/
