Wireless Options For Off-Camera Speedlites

Moving your Speedlite off the top of your camera with a cord is a convenient way to get started. Cutting the cord and going wireless is the next logical step, especially if you want to fire several Speedlites simultaneously. There are four main ways to trigger an off-camera flash without a cord. Each has it’s own benefits, costs, and learning curve.

The four wireless options are:

> Canon’s built-in E-TTL system:
> Optical Slaves
> Manual Radio Triggers
> E-TTL Radio Triggers

Canon’s Built-In E-TTL System

Canon’s 580- and 430-series Speedlites have wireless capability built-in. Once you understand it, it’s a powerful way to control off-camera Speedlites. Unfortunately, the complexities and nuances of Canon’s user interface makes it a tough way to start with wireless. If you’re just beginning, I suggest working with optical slaves or a manual radio trigger system. Then, when you have the concepts of manual Speedlite control completely in hand, I strongly encourage you to explore Canon’s built-in wireless E-TTL system.

Optical Slaves

An optical slave is an electronic device the connects a circuit when it senses a large burst of light. They can be handy when you want to trigger one or more off-camera Speedlites without the hassle of cords and connections. If you have a 580EX II, you can connect an optical slave with a female PC-socket directly to the Speedlite. For the rest of the pack, you’ll have to attach the optical slave to a hotshoe adapter.

There are a couple of caveats to using optical slaves with Canon Speedlites. The first is that, unless you use a special digital slave, you’ll have to operate your Speedlites in manual mode. This is because optical slaves don’t think; they just connect the circuit when a burst of light comes along. When you are shooting E-TTL or with red-eye reduction activated, there is a pre-flash before the actual exposure. The pre-flash causes the optical slave to fire the Speedlite prematurely. Digital slaves have special circuits that are not confused by the pre-flash—of course, a high price tag comes with this too. So, most slave drivers just shoot in manual.

The other issue has to do with the working voltage of Canon Speedlites. An optical slave gets its power from the Speedlite rather than from a battery. With Canon Speedlites there is the peculiarity that the voltage does not drop far enough after the flash exposure to release the slave circuit. Essentially the slave thinks that the Speedlite is still firing. The result is, with ordinary optical slaves, that they will fire a Speedlite once and then lock up. Fortunately there is an optical slave with an added circuit that is made just for Canon Speedlites. Luckily this technology is not expensive.

Sonia Canon EX-compatible Optical Slaves – Sonia is a leading manufacturer of optical slaves. As Canonistas, the key is for us to buy the green ones. The standard yellow and orange versions are not for us. The key to the green slaves is that they have the additional circuit that makes them compatible with Canon Speedlites. Sonia offers them in both mono miniphone (left side) and PC male (right side). The PC male can be plugged directly into the PC socket on a 580EX II or into hotshoe adapters with PC-female ports. The mono miniphone version can be used with any hotshoe adapter that has the appropriate jack. Flash Zebra is the best source I’ve found for the Sonia green optical slaves.

Wein Digital Slaves – A pitfall of using optical slaves with Canon Speedlites firing in E-TTL mode is that the pre-flash will trick the slave into firing prematurely. Of course, as discussed above, the Sonia optical slaves will work fine with the Speedlites in manual mode. So what do you do if you want to mix Speedlites in E-TTL with Canon flash or strobes? For instance, how do you use Speedlites in E-TTL with a studio strobe. Wein, another long-time leader in optical slaves, has revamped their entire line to work with pre-flash systems. You just have to be sure that the name of the model you are considering has “Digital” in it. Otherwise, you are looking at the older (confusable) model. Remember also that these slaves will NOT fire a Canon Speedlite. You need a Sonia green to do that. So, the Wein Digital Slaves are to be used in your studio packs and other manual flash rigs.

Infrared Triggers

An infrared trigger is an alternative to firing optical slaves with an on-camera flash. Infrared is just below that part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we see as red. While we can’t see it, optical slaves can. Infrared triggers work much like a manual flash in your camera’s hotshoe, except that the flash is not seen.

If you have optical slaves and hotshoe adapters already, then an infrared trigger can be an inexpensive way to start with wireless flash. Another benefit, when compared to firing optical slaves via a camera-mounted Speedlite, is that the infrared trigger eliminates the flat look of on-camera flash.

The downside to infrared is: (1) you have to have the optical slaves and hotshoe adapters (an added cost if you don’t already have them), and (2) infrared has a limited range, say 15′ to 30′. At least the infrared triggers themselves are relatively inexpensive, especially when compared to the cost of radio triggers.

Flashpoint TR1 Infrared Trigger – The Flashpoint TR1 is a value-oriented IR trigger. Its range, like virtually all IR transmitters, is limited to about 30′/10m. If you are starting out, I would not hesitate to go with the TR1.

Interfit IRX Infrared Transmitter – A nice little infrared trigger with a cool looking domed front. Works on all but Sony/Minolta cameras (due to polarity issues).

Wein Pulsar Infrared IR Trigger – About twice the price of the IR triggers listed above. Wein claims that for the money you get more range, much longer battery life, and a superior IR filter that eliminates color shifts.

Connecting Speedlites to Optical Slaves & Radio Triggers

If you have a Speedlite 580EX II, you can connect an optical slave or sync cord directly to the PC port (left side, just above the foot). If you have the original 580EX, a 400-series, or a 200-series Speedlite you will have to use a hotshot adapter.

The choice of your adapter largely depends upon the connections on your optical slaves and/or radio triggers. The main choices are:
> PC (old school push-on fitting)
> Screwlock PC (the updated PC used on newer cameras and Speedlites)
> Miniphone (1/8″ – 3.5mm phono jack)
Of the three, the miniphone is the most reliable because it can twist without coming loose.

Screwlock PC to Miniphone Cord – Use this cord to connect a radio trigger directly to the side of your 580EX II. The Screwlock PC is the update to the age-old PC sync cord—that will also work in your 580EX II, but with less reliability.

Generic Hotshoe w/ Miniphone Cord – The quickest way to connect a hotshoe to a radio trigger is to use one with a miniphone jack built-in. This is a generic hotshoe that has a metal 1/4″-20 thread in the bottom (for attaching to your light stand).

Canon-style Hotshoe w/ Miniphone Cord – This is the off-camera hotshoe that I prefer to use. It features a hotshoe that looks and works exactly like the hotshoe on my Canon OC-E3 cord. The cord and connector are heavy duty. The right-angle miniphone jack reduces the clutter when I plug it into a SkyPort or PocketWizard.

Mono Miniphone Splitter – If you want to save a few bucks, you can fire two Speedlites off of one radio trigger by using a splitter. It is best to use a mono splitter rather than the stereo splitters available in your local electronics store.

Miniphone Extension Cords – An economical way to way to run two Speedlites off of one radio trigger is to use a splitter and a miniphone extension cord. They are available in lengths ranging from 12″ to 20″. Be sure to get a mono cord as stereo cords can be unreliable for flash work.

Generic Hotshoe w/ Miniphone Jack – Miniphone connections are more reliable than PC connections because they can twist without coming loose. This generic hotshoe will accept an optical slave with a male miniphone jack or a sync cord from a radio trigger.

Canon-style Hotshoe w/ Miniphone Jack – This hotshoe adapter is virtually the same as the one on my Canon OC-E3 cord. It features a miniphone jack will accept an optical slave with a male miniphone jack or a sync cord from a radio trigger

Generic Hotshoe w/ PC Ports – This versatile hotshoe adapter can be used with either an optical slave or a sync cord. This version has a test button so that you can fire your flash to confirm that it is operating.

Generic Hotshoe w/ Screwock PC & Miniphone – Here’s a hotshoe adapter that has both a Screwlock PC and Miniphone connector.

Manual Radio Triggers

The advantage of radio triggers over Canon’s built-in system and over optical slaves is the freedom from line-of-sight. Light will not go through a brick wall; a radio signal will.

Radio triggers come in two types: those that say “fire now” and those that carry the full E-TTL message. Manual radio triggers (the “fire now” variety) have been around for a long while. They range from inexpensive units that will work over short distances to highly powerful units that can trigger a strobe over a quarter-mile away.

When compared to the cost of E-TTL radio triggers, manual radio triggers are very affordable.

Flashpoint Radio Trigger Set – If you are looking to try out wireless, off-camera flash without spending a bunch of money on gear, this Flashpoint Radio Trigger Set is an economical way to get started.  The sleek-looking transmitter slips right into the hotshoe on your camera. The clunky-looking receiver actually offers several features that will keep your money in your wallet. First, the metal L-bracket is threaded so that you can screw it right onto a light stand. Second, the swivel mount means that you don’t need anything else (like an umbrella swivel adapter) to adjust the angle of the flash. Third, the two hotshoes on the receiver mean that you don’t have to buy an adapter to attach it to your Speedlite. There is also a miniphone jack in case you want to use the receiver on a monolight or studio pack. It won’t last forever and the range is limited; but for the money this is a great value.

RadioPopper JrX – RadioPopper literally invented E-TTL radio trigger after many had given up on the idea. Then, after doing the impossible, they sat down an created a very practical and affordable manual radio trigger system. The JrX Transmitter can be fired both in the camera’s hot shoe and via a sync cord (which enables you to have on- and off-camera flash going simultaneously). There are two flavors of the JrX Receiver: Basic and Studio. The studio version enables power lever control over some popular studio strobe systems. RadioPopper has also announced the RPcube – which, when available, will allow the JrX Studio to adjust power levels on Canon Speedlites as well.

Elinchrom EL Skyports – Swiss manufacturer Elinchrom makes a range of high-quality studio and field lighting gear. I have used their Skyports for years and remain very happy with them for both Speedlite and studio pack work. They have a very low profile; making it easy to see over the transmitter when it’s in the hotshoe. Skyports operate at 2.4 GHz with a range of about 150′. There are four flash groups — very handy when working with multiple lights so that you can see what each group is doing individually. Beyond Speedliting, Skyports work with larger location strobes like the mid-power Ranger Quadra and the high-power Ranger RX.

PocketWizard Plus II – PocketWizard’s unique approach to radio triggers is that each unit is both a transmitter and receiver (aka: transceiver). The great benefit of this is that you won’t show up on location with a bag of receivers and no transmitter (yes, I’m speaking from experience with another brand). These guys can be fired at a sustained rate of 12 frames-per-second (much faster than Speedlites can recycle). Additionally, with a special cable, the PW Plus II can be used to fire your camera–very handy when shooting wildlife and sports. PW claims the effective range is 1600′.

PocketWizard MultiMAX – The MultiMAX is the flagship of the PocketWizard line and a favorite of pros around the world. It adds many features to those found on the Plus II, including: the ability to assign lights to specific zones (same as the “group” feature on the much-more affordable Skyports above) as well as options for 2nd-curtain sync, multiple pops and time delay. Pro grade and pro priced.

E-TTL Radio Triggers

E-TTL is Canon’s proprietary system of flash exposure metering and control. For a photographer using several Speedlites, wireless E-TTL enables ratio control of flash output among different groups of Speedlites. These many advanced features are controlled by the camera and communicated to the slave (aka: remote) Speedlite(s) by a master Speedlite.

RadioPopper PX

Canon has an built-in wireless E-TTL system that can work up to 30′ or so. It’s completely line-of-sight; meaning that the slave units must be able to see the signal from the master. If you want to park a Speedlite outside a window or behind a tree, the built-in system might let you down.

Although the very first E-TTL radio trigger was invented just a few years ago, the technology has revolutionized how photographers shoot with Speedlites on location. This is particularly true among wedding photographers who benefit greatly from on-the-fly E-TTL control without the worry of maintaining line-of-sight.

RadioPopper PX – The RadioPopper story is a classic example of persistence overcoming experience. Although many well-funded engineers had tried to come up with radio-based E-TTL communication, it was a persistent wedding photographer, working out of his house with self-taught skills, who invented the first E-TTL radio trigger–which he dubbed the RadioPopper.

Today, the second-generation of RadioPopper continues to prove itself among photographers. There are two parts: the PX transmitter that sits on top of the master Speedlite and a PX receiver that is parked directly in front of each remote Speedlite. A special bracket enables the remote Speedlite to slip right up to the PX receiver in a matter of seconds. The ease of using RadioPoppers took a huge step forward when this bracket was introduced. A metal 1/4-20 socket on the bottom means that the whole rig can be attached quickly to a light stand.

With all respect due to the technical marvel that they are, RadioPoppers have a simple job. The transmitter encodes the electromagnetic pulses given off by the master Speedlite during the series of E-TTL pre-flashes and sends that code to the receiver via radio. The receiver then decodes the radio message into a series of infrared pulses that the slave Speedlite then sees as instructions sent directly by the master Speedlite. All of this happens literally at the speed of light.

I have used RadioPoppers since shortly after the introduction of the first-generation RP. I’ve put them though some radical shoots (read about an example here on PixSylated). Without hesitation, I give them my full endorsement.

PocketWizard MiniTT1 / FlexTT5 – For many years, PocketWizard has been the unquestioned leader of manual radio triggers. So, after the introduction of the RadioPopper, it was no surprise when they announced their entry into the E-TTL radio trigger market. Their system currently consists of the MiniTT1 transmitter and the FlexTT5 receiver.

There are two important points that I must make: (1) I have not personally put the MiniTT1/FlexTT5 system to the test and (2) I believe in PW’s track-record of quality products. That said, I must also report that many collegaues have reported issues with the operation of their MiniTT1/FlexTT5 systems.

For instance, the PocketWizard site says here that “Canon Speedlite models 580EX and 580EX II, and especially the 430EX (not the 430EX II), emit RF interference that can substantially reduce the effective operating range of many radio slaves, including the FlexTT5… Placing the FlexTT5 above the flash by 18” or more… improves reception dramatically.”

Another issue that PocketWizard discusses on their site is the limitation of certain lenses to stop down completely without banding in the image. For those details, see the chart on page four of this PDF download.

Again, I believe in PocketWizard’s commitment to making quality products. I know that they are continuing to develop solution that they release through firmware updates for the MiniTT1 and FlexTT5.

In all fairness, though, I must point out that I have never had any of these issues with the RadioPoppers. I put them in place and they just work–without limiting the function of my gear in any way.