Should I spend the money on getting Pocket Wizards or not?

Taylor Gathercole

Taylor Gathercole

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Hello everyone,

I've recently gone and bought two SB-700's, and I was wondering do I need to spend £300+ for three triggers? I'd love to have the Pocket Wizards, no doubt about it. But is there any point? Is there better and cheaper alternatives? Or is it just better value to fork out on these goodies?

Thanks,

Taylor.
 
Taylor Gathercole said:
Hello everyone,

I've recently gone and bought two SB-700's, and I was wondering do I need to spend £300+ for three triggers? I'd love to have the Pocket Wizards, no doubt about it. But is there any point? Is there better and cheaper alternatives? Or is it just better value to fork out on these goodies?

Thanks,

Taylor.
Click to expand...

Unique features of the PW Mini/Flex system are Peak-Hypersync, Optimised High Speed Sync, and Optimsed second-curtain sync. All very useful for action subjects, but that hasn't stopped PW from falling victim to the excellent and way-cheaper Yongnuo, and others. Having ruled the market for many years, PW is now in trouble and their system looks clunky and expensive these days.

Suggest Yongnuo 622 triggers.
 
Ihave the yongnuo 622's & TX... at that price there is nothing to touch them. Work amazing well, & are very reliable.
 
Taylor Gathercole said:
How many have you got Dave? I'd be interested.
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Really? Well it was a bit tongue in cheek - but if you're really interested then the answer is a Mini TT1 and a Flex TT5, and I've honestly only used them once - purely because I then realised HSS just wasn't something I needed and I just put them away in a drawer. Stupid eh lol

PM or email me with an offer and unless its insulting they're yours :) I'd far rather them being useful to someone than sitting in my drawer but I've just not gotten around to selling them as yet

Dave
 
I sold mine due to interference issues. The YN system I replaced them with has been faultless.
 
I seem to be in a minority on this - I think the PWs are great. An indispensable part of my kit. Including the excellent AC3 controller. But I ever had the interference issues canon users experience. I also like being able to extend the system using other triggers from their range.

However that said, I think they're an expensive option nowadays and I would be looking at the cheaper yongnuo were I buying now, even though their controller is not a patch on the AC3 for simplicity and ease of use
 
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It would be worth weighing up your actual requirements against the features offered by the numerous trigger manufacturers and their various models. As Richard pointed out, PW were king of the heap, right up until the eastern manufacturers overtook them whilst PW slept. A lot of the alternatives offer the same or better features at a fraction of the price. More importantly, these newer manufacturers are on a much faster development cycle, so new features or new triggers are developed far quicker.
The Yongnuo triggers have developed a reputation as rock solid on the reliability front. I can certainly vouch for that, as I had some of the first RF602 triggers/receivers in the country. Considering we are talking 4 years old, they still work faultlessly. Well, except for the one transmitter my assistant stood on (She had bigger feet than me!).
The advances Yongnuo has made with their latest range of triggers is quite interesting, and whilst I haven't needed them, they certainly look interesting and well worth the money if all the reviews and writeups carry any weight.
Phottix have always commanded respect and I've followed their development over the years with some interest. Although I do think Yongnuo is weilding the heavy hammer of discounted pricing over Phottix.

My advice would be to see if you can find friends local to you that have triggers you may have an interest in, and see if you can play with each set. Some triggers seem to have a natural ergonomic feel to them, and therefore make for quicker adjustments in the field, and also reduces mistakes which costs time and money.

Just my 2c worth
 
I'm awaiting delivery of a 622N + commander set at the moment as an upgrade to my existing Pixel Kings. Only realised about the remote firing capability after watching the video highlighted by Brian. That's a useful bonus.
 
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