Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I am having to make some decisions as to what direction I want to take my photography in regards to lighting. Currently I do some locational portraiture and some weddings (not large scale). My current lights are 2X 550 EX's, one 580 EX II and a Metz 45 CL4 (don't have a large battery pack so I don't use it). I have two Canon battery packs and BVS Pulsar filled with C cells. I also own a Sekonic L-358 amd enough tripods/light stands to hold 2 of the Canons and keep one on camera.
What I need help with is real life field experience advice as to what works and what doesn't. I want a system that is fairly easy to use so that I don't need to have to do lots of messing around to get things to work.

Phase One Purchase (next year or two):
Radio slaves for current Canon flashes

Option One: One Radio Popper PX Transmitter for on camera flash.... Two Radio Popper PX Receivers for speedlites..... One Radio Popper JrX transmitter for Sekonic meter attached via PC cord.

Option Two: One CyberSync CST attached to camera with PC sync cord and mounted to camera mounted flash (one option)..... Two CyperSync CSR B for speedlites (or a third if I mount the Cybersync CST to hotshoe)...... Once Cybersync CST mounted to Sekonic meter via PC cord to trigger the flashes

Phase Two Purchase (two years plus from now):
This will show why the CyberSync Option

Two Einstein 640 Strobes.....two CSXCV Transmitters..... One CyberSync Commander.... One Vagabond II Battery pack system

With the Phase One / Option One system I would get the best of both worlds... TTL when I just use the Speedlites by themselves and Manual Flash when using them with the Einstein strobes. The Radio Popper system would have to get attached to the CyberSync system with the Radio Popper JrX transmitter. Then the a Cybersync Commanders Flash meter could replace the Sekonic meter.

I would probably not combine both speedlites and strobes all the time but I would like the option to (ie. locational hair light or light hidden behind veil or wedding dress for wedding formals). If I go with Phase One / Option two it would be less integrating when I combine systems but I`d lose TTL.

My question is: am I correct in assuming that I could integrate RadioPoppers (Speedlites in manual) to work with CyberSync run Einsteins? I know this isn't all Paul Buff specific question but I am wanting to buy a strobe package when the time comes. I hate having to buy one thing to end up selling it again because it doesn't work. Leg work first... purchase later....

Thanks for your help and I'm really looking forward to getting some Einstein strobes in the near future

Chad

I know this may sound silly, but why not both? The full benefits of both are aimed at two different types of products. If you limit yourself to just one line, you are compromising something, somewhere. The addition of the CC and CSXCV's will be a little over $200 (with the accessory discount), and 2 RP recievers will run well over half of that. Also, if done correctly, you can use both systems together, (simultaneously, not intermixed, of course).

TS

I think you can intermix (though the light measuring ability of the CC would not be as useful):

Connect the sync port output of the CC to the JrX transmitter's sync port. When the CC fires, the JrX receivers will all fire and vice versa. You can use the JrX to control output of the JrX receivers and the CC can control Einsteins; this also lets you increase the channel count from the JrX limit of three. Gaffer taping the two transmitters together will look a bit weird but should work fine...

I thought it was possible and would give me the best of both worlds. It's just to bad that the Radio Popper option is twice as much as the CyberSync option. Guess the bonus I have to look forward to is that making the Einsteins wireless will be really inexpensive by comparison and way better control.

Many people regularly mix radio control systems here, myself included. There really isn't a serious downside, and the uptick is that you are not forced to sunset plans for future expansion of one system because it won't play well with another system that you are building. You don't have to choose one over the other.

I do not use the RP system, but I have a pretty heavy investment in Pocket Wizards that I built up over time for controlling multiple Canon 580EX/EXII strobes. Most of my paid shooting is recording furnished multi-family (apartment) model homes in the field. A bag full of 580EX strobes with modifiers is light, and offers fine control of lighting intensity and color detail in a wide range of shooting spaces. A few monolights with modifiers and gels rounds out the tool kit nicely.

I went with the PW's at the time because I lost interest in TTL control vs full manual control except for fast changing situations where one or two bracket mounted, or near at hand off camera strobes account for the entire setup. TTL can be quick and magic, but manual setting becomes intuitive, predictable, and repeatable. I like it.

Anyway, enter the CyberSync system. Being able to radio fine tune the output of many PCB units in a set from the subject position, and meter them singly, in groups, or all together is just fantastic. It's really beyond fantastic. Given the communication port options built into most modern radio devices, and the array of connecting cables offered today, syncing both the CyberSync and my legacy PW systems to fire together, or simply metering one, the other, or both systems at once during shot setup tuning is a breeze.

The bottom line is that I can still use my PW devices to radio fire my Canon strobes, use CyberSync receivers, or use any new system that might allow me to remotely set the output of my Canon strobes for that matter, while being free to add to my CyberSync radio control-PCB flash unit kit with the comfort that both systems can be linked in any order to play together in the same sandbox.

Don't hesitate to take total control of your planned PCB (including Einstein) flash unit purchases with the CyberSync system. It does play very well in a mixed environment. Besides, I get over the "shock and awe" part of a new product introduction pretty quick, but the basic kit of Cyber Commander, CSR+, and CST units I started buying a few Months ago still effect a drool factor index akin to comparing the iPhone 3Gs to a 1965 Bell System wall phone.

Go for it.....

Voyager

chadlh,

I'm new to both radio triggering systems & monolights but I'm about to jump into both and have been doing my homework on both.

I've been pondering precisely the same question you've posed here and to me it looks like the Radio Popper option is the one to go with because it will integrate wonderfully with the CC system--allowing you fire your Canon flashes at the same time as your PCB strobes--while also allowing you to remotely alter the manual settings of your Canon strobes. So you with be able to alter the settings of both the PCB strobes (with the CC) and the Canon flashes (with the RP's) without having to walk over and do it by hand.

Plus, with the Radio Poppers you've got a way to control your Canon flashes when you're not using the PCB lights / CC.

My question is with this RP JrX transmitter connected to the CC, will it be possible to trigger test strobes of all lights at once (both PCB & JrX controlled lights) as well as to fire test strobes of only the JrX controlled lights (as a bank, not individually) and to capture an exposure reading using the CC? Hopefully my question makes sense.