Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Just got the CC, Cybersyc, and a receiver. While waiting for the 640 to ship I am playing with speed lights. Am I correct that there is no combination of setup that will let me actually trip the camera shutter from the CC? Hitting the test fire button on the CC, fires the flashes for metering, but not the camera shutter, correct?
Keith

With the equipment you have, assuming the reciever is attatched to a light, no, you cannot trigger the camera.

The CS system is capable of triggering a camera remotely with the appropriate cable and a minimum of one transmitter and one reciever dedicated to firing the camera.

So if I purchase a 2nd CSRB+ receiver and run a cable with mini plug one on one end and 10 pin Nikon remote on the other I could press the test button on the CC to make it all happen?

Since there is a delay in the camera between when it's triggered and when the shutter is open and ready to issue a flash sync command there has to be two separate triggering systems. Sure, you could put a CSRB on the camera and it would fire along with the lights. But you would get blank frames because the flash would come and go before the shutter opened.

To do this, you need a separate CST transmitter (call it "A") and CSRB to fire the camera . . . on a different frequency than the CC and lights. plus another CST ("B") on the camera set to the same frequency as the CC and lights. Now here's the sequence of events:

1. Press the test button on "A" . . . the camera fires via the CSRB.

2. When the camera shutter is open, it triggers "B", which fires the lights according to whatever is set up on the CC.

Anytime you manually fire the camera by pressing the shutter button it fires the lights, as set up by the CC.

If you press the fire button on CC, it will fire the lights, but not the camera. You can use the CC normally to set up light levels, meter the lights, etc.

So you set up your lights with CC and take pictures by pressing test on CST "A".

One limitation: The camera has to be in manual focus and you only get one one frame per button press on CST "A". No motor drive or auto focus . . . the CST/CSRB issues only one short fire pulse per button press so the camera has to be ready to fire one frame.

I just picked up the 40D as an upgrade to my XTi, and I'm already missing the cheap $20 infrared remote option the XTi had. Can you tell me what I would all need to trigger my 40D wirelessly using the CS system? Obviously a CST and a CSRB, but are the rest of the required cables/adapters included, and if not, do you sell them?

Also, just to confirm, I could have a CC in my camera hotshoe controlling my lights, and then use a CST to trigger the camera shutter via the CSRB, which would in turn tell the CC to trigger the lights? My thinking is that I technically only need one CST, becuase I can keep it in the hotshoe most of the time and only put the CC in the hotshoe if I need wireless shutter triggering. I presume I'd have to change channels or something to get this to work?

You pretty much have this right. You will need a pre-release cable from Flash Zebra.com. You can use Manual focus, or continuous AF. Single shot AF will lock when the cord is engaged, and may not work properly with the camera.

We do recommend the CSRB over the CSRB+ as not all cameras play nice with the + models.

You don't by chance know if the 40D is one of these, do you? I was already planning on picking up a CSRB+ for my 580EXII (going with the + so I could use the grouping and channel functionality of the CC), and I figured I could just use that for this too without any extra expenses. I'd hate to "downgrade" to a CSRB, or have to buy both, unless absolutely necessary.

I know at least some Nikon (D700) and some Pentax (K7D and another, 10 or 20D maybe) cameras have issues. I know my Sony does not. I cannot say as of now about Canon, but i may be able to get ahold of one next week. I do know every camera we tried (and it was a pretty exhaustive list in late 2008) worked fine with the non-+'s.

Luap, thanks for the detail reply, makes sense to me now!
Keithmtx

OK, I tested a 40D and CSRB+. It worked fine. Be aware, with any camera, if you use the pop up flash, you will have to wait for it to recycle.

I would also imagine any Canon camera with the N-3 connector would also do fine, but cannot make any firm statement.

Sooo. Canon and Sony= CSRB+ seem to do fine. Pentax and Nikon = dont play nice with CSRB+. Any other camera, no firm data. All cameras should be fine with CSRB. All of this assuming there is a remote terminal and all tests were done with FlashZebra cables.