Don't FLASH me, Bro!

[DonSchap]

That requires "battery management" ... and that's a pain, too

When I initially started, I bought four flashes for the Canon system ... and just was miserable with battery management and the limited amount of flash I could achieve.

With the studio strobes, I have to "dial them back", because there is so much light

[Rooz]

battery management ? AA batteries ? lol hardly an effort considering the flexibility you get. power is for sissies.

[DonSchap]

Okay ... call me a lightweight ... but I do get consistancy

[Elisha]

But, only with non-SONY flashes, Elisha, from what I am reading. Look at the listing of compatible flashes ... NO SONY HVLs are listed! Those hot shoes on the receivers are only for "standard" hot shoe flashes. You would apparently need an additional FS1200 adapter for each receiver ... so you can tack on another (3x) $16, or $48 to that solution.

The transmitter portion is just fine, but that is just half the story. The receivers need to be SONY Hot Shoe compatible, too.


There is also the standard optical slave for the HVL-type flashes. This can be handy for mixed flash solutions.

Slave Flash Trigger (<- click here)
Attachment 47762

Don't get me wrong ... nice idea ... unfortunately, it is only half done.

i have a FS-1200 clone with a PC port on it but unfortunately my Sigma does not like it too much. so i've been keeping an eye out for some Nikon SB flashes.
the YN-460 works great on my transmitter though.
so nowadays i use the YN-460 with the transmitter and the Sigma on slave mode to get optically triggered by the YN-460. works very well.

[DonSchap]

The YN-460 only has a tested guide number (GN) of around 23 ... that's got to be rather annoying.

But, then again ... you are using a standard hot shoe device, so your solution works.

[Rooz]

been keeping an eye out for some Nikon SB flashes.

you used to be able to pick them up for next to nothing. the strobsit phenomenon has tripled their resale. very annoying.

[DonSchap]

With SONY HVL flashes ... you have to be a bit more creative in triggering.

The HVLs offer a number of options, as they are "wireless" ... but still, when you add the FS1200 to them ... or that SLAVE foot ... then they really get interesting.

I have reduced the number of elex flashes I use to just two, for the most part. I also have the older (earlier) 2800 and two 4000s that use the "standard" hot shoe, so that's where the FS1100 can come into play.

I also have a pair of standard SLAVE triggers to offer some synchronization to the set.

This image equals 26 "AA" batteries. That's a box full ... plus. There are 10 alone between the CG-1000 "hand grip" + 4000AF flash.

Multiple-FLASH shots do require some serious planning ... and I haven't done that for quite a while. Might be fun to return to doing a couple this winter.

[Elisha]

The YN-460 only has a tested guide number (GN) of around 23 ... that's got to be rather annoying.

But, then again ... you are using a standard hot shoe device, so your solution works.

yeah not the best for outdoor use but works extremely well indoors plus it has a built in optical slave as well which is extremely sensitive so i don't always need a receiver for it.
for $60 shipped, it was a good deal and mine hasn't skipped a beat yet.

you used to be able to pick them up for next to nothing. the strobsit phenomenon has tripled their resale. very annoying.

it is extremely annoying. the SB-26 used around here goes for above $175. was about to get a used SB-28DX but then decided the asking price of $150 was a bit much for a flash with a warranty that expired 3 years ago.

[DonSchap]

One of the things I do love to do is experiment and now that I have three of the four external SONY flashes (HVL-F58AM, HVL-F56AM & HVL-F36AM) in my “collection”, I figure I need to get them all to operate wirelessly, together. The manual says it can be done … but, I have yet to make it happen.

Basically, I am not impressed by whoever wrote the HVL-F58AM manual and instructions for how to do this (it seems a lot more terse than the HVL-56AM and HVL-36AM manuals are) . I feel that it really needs to be one of the most understandable portions of the book, as far as I am concerned, because there are at least a couple dozen people who also have “mixed” flashes and need to understand how to make them work together, without having to drop additional coin buying a series of “SLAVE” HVL-42AMs to match up.

So, as I discover this … I will try to provide a new, easier step-by-step explanation of how to make this happen … when it does! It should save a lot of time ... and once you understand it ... it's a snap, right?

As far as using the built-in (or pop-up) flash to trigger the HVL-F58AM, HVL-F56AM & HVL-F36AM together, that's really no big deal ... you simply tell the A700 to use WIRELESS ... and set the flashes as WIRELESS REMOTES on their back panel ... and viola, they work. No, the more insidious issue is when you have the HVL-F58AM as the controller on your DSLR's hot shoe (built-in flash not used). That's the tough one ... as when you depress the shutter release, the '58 flash keeps toggling back to "RMT" ... and not "CTRL" ... and will not trigger the "SLAVE" flash.

[Elisha]

Don, AlphaStrobist used to have a video on how you can set the 58 off-shoe as a commander to control both 56 and 42 as a slave wireless. Can't seem to find that video now.