Phottix verses SU800 or ??????

ndwgolf

ndwgolf

Messages
4,770
Name
Neil Williams
Edit My Images
No
Guys
I am in the market for something to trigger my flashes;
I have a D4s that has no pop up flash
I am buying a D800e next week that has a pop up flash
The flashes I have are SB910, SB600 and a Nixion xxxxxxx (cheapo fill flash)
My thinking is I want to do some indoor flash photography with the wife modeling I also want to do some outdoor flash photography also with my wife modeling. I have stands and umbrellas and a few other bits and bobs but if I want to use my D4s then I need to get something to trigger the flashes and seeing as I use Nikon gear the SU800 seems like the obvious choice ......................but is it??
Any help as always would be much appreciated
 
I use yongnuo rf603 triggers but I only ever use my flash guns in manual.

I believe there newer version supports ttl rf622 I thinks it's called.

I have been more than happy with mine and they are peanuts cost wise.
 
Neil,

It all depends on whether you want to use your flashes (the Nikon's) on TTL, as well as manual, or whether you are happy to just use manual. If you want to retain TTL, then you'll need something like the SU800 or other TTL triggers such as the PW Flex system; if it's manual flash only, then any reasonably cheap wireless trigger such as the Yongnuo rf602/603's will be fine. I've used the PW Flex when I had Nikon kit so I know they work fine, but I can't comment on the other TTL wireless systems that are around now.

Generally, the SU800 wouldn't be your best choice nowadays, as it is an optical trigger and therefore pretty much relies on 'line of site', whereas the radio triggers don't.
 
chphotos said:
Neil,

It all depends on whether you want to use your flashes (the Nikon's) on TTL, as well as manual, or whether you are happy to just use manual. If you want to retain TTL, then you'll need something like the SU800 or other TTL triggers such as the PW Flex system; if it's manual flash only, then any reasonably cheap wireless trigger such as the Yongnuo rf602/603's will be fine. I've used the PW Flex when I had Nikon kit so I know they work fine, but I can't comment on the other TTL wireless systems that are around now.

Generally, the SU800 wouldn't be your best choice nowadays, as it is an optical trigger and therefore pretty much relies on 'line of site', whereas the radio triggers don't.
Click to expand...
Thanks Cliff.
I did a basic class on Flash photography last month I am hoping to do there advanced class in the next few months and when I do I will get some on the job advice as to what triggers I should get
 
Hi
I use the PW Flex system...works well but seem a little expensive for what they are. I think Yongnuo have a ttl system out now (622n?) with a seperate controller etc. Doesn't the SU800 fire by line of sight though, so that could be a problem for speedlights that are hidden in a soft box for example. Personally I can't fault the PW.
JohnyT
 
Neil, maybe you should have posted in the lighting forum.

As mentioned, for reliable triggering outdoors you need to go radio. Short answer, if saving a few quid is not that important, suggest go Phottix Odin with full auto/manual control. PW's Mini/Flex system has some small technical advantages, mainly of benefit to outdoor action.

Triggering aside, for quality indoor portraits, mains powered studio heads always win - fast recycle, modelling light, vast range of light modifiers, and also more power though you may not need that. Not expensive either.

Outdoors is another thing entirely, if you're competing with bright ambient light. Think 400Ws minimum like Elinchrom Quadra at least, or Profoto B1 (a big speedlite is around 100Ws).
 
I've got an SU-800 and I find it doesn't necessarily need line of sight when the remote flashes are in the same room.

The SU-800 will give you full control of Nikon speedlights but the range is limited compared to a radio system. For maximum flexibility the best setup is probably an SU-800 and Pocket Wizards - then (as mentioned in post 5) the settings on the remote flashes (power, mode, etc.) can be changed directly from the camera-mounted SU-800, there's no need to walk over to each remote to change the settings.
 
Last edited:
Ozei said:
I've got an SU-800 and I find it doesn't necessarily need line of sight when the remote flashes are in the same room.

The SU-800 will give you full control of Nikon speedlights but the range is limited compared to a radio system. For maximum flexibility the best setup is probably an SU-800 and Pocket Wizards - then (as mentioned in post 5) the settings on the remote flashes (power, mode, etc.) can be changed directly from the camera-mounted SU-800, there's no need to walk over to each remote to change the settings.
Click to expand...

pocket wizard do the excellent AC3 which does the same from the trigger
 
It depends on how much Neil wants to spend up front. To control just two speedlights using Pocket Wizard he'd have to spend nearly £450 on kit (one AC3, two FlexTT5 transceivers, one MiniTT1 transmitter). If he wanted to control more guns, each additional FlexTT5 would cost another £150-ish (so that's £750-ish for four speedlights).

This would be a great system but if he didn't want all that outlay up front, an SU-800 would control four guns (and a lot more) perfectly well on its own, provided they're close enough. If he wanted to extend the range he could then add PWs as and when, using the SU-800 instead of the AC3 (which is useless on its own).

http://www.wexphotographic.com/search/default.aspx?q=pocket wizard&showall=1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/PocketWizard-Kit-Nikon-MiniTT1-ZoneController/dp/B005HWC7A2

http://www.calphoto.co.uk/product/352-001T?gclid=COuEseXc6r4CFbDJtAodik0A4A

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Pr...794/SU-800-Wireless-Speedlight-Commander.html
 
Last edited:
Of course, if money were his prime concern, he would do far worse then the yn622n and yn622tx. Whilst your recommendation of the su800 is great, it's use is limited. Even in perfect conditions it's just not reliable and the 622 and pw solutions do both work
 
If money is not the prime concern, and I suspect it may not be here, then I would get myself a bunch of Nikon speedlights with Phottix Odin triggers, then sit down with the Profoto catalogue of studio-type kit, for indoors and out. Probably a set of D1 monolights and B1 gear for outdoors, plus a few £k of light modifiers, softboxes etc. All options covered, with best quality equipment.

Though Neil, if you're new to this kind of work, then it's more about knowledge than kit, and understanding how light works. Even if you do get a big pile of gear, suggest start with just one light. You can do a heck of a lot with one light (and a reflector) and will learn fast and well. If you have multiple heads and fire them all up at once, you'll just get a mess of conflicting shadows and go round in circles. With lighting, less is (almost always) more and even in the most complex set-ups, just one light will be doing the lion's share of the work. It's the 'quality' of the light that matters, ie the modifier/s, and how you use it.
 
I use the Phottix Odin system, mostly for wedding dance lighting. I found the SU800 too flaky in that kind of situation where the odins have been totally reliable. The Yongnuo yn622s are a cheaper alternative.
 
Hi

I started learning about indoor flash when I had my d90. I had 4 cls compatible speed lights. I used the cls in manual and ttl mode as I could control the power from the back of the camera. It was pretty reliable inside. The d90 was slightly better in this respect than the d800 as you could control 3 groups as opposed to two.

Did the same with the D800 but then bought "dumb" radio yongnuo triggers - great but less convenient.

One thing you can do is get the ir plate which sits in the hotshoe of the camera and stops any flash reaching the subject when in commander mode - not that it effects exposure anyway.

S
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top