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Optical Slave Triggers


4 years 5 months ago #666235 by Jon East
Morning.  I'm a bit new to flash photography and my question today deals with triggering flashes that don't have a "slave" option.  If you are trying to trigger multiple flashes that don't have a slave setting, what is needed to trigger them with a Sony a7R III?

Are these things universal?

Thanks guys
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4 years 5 months ago #666250 by garyrhook
You'll need a wireless remote system: Pocket Wizard, for example, or similar.

No, they're hardly universal. Each manufacturer wants to lock you into a system (surprise!) so research and choose wisely.
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4 years 5 months ago #666269 by Nikon Shooter

Jon East wrote: Are these things universal?


Yes they are… contrary to some dedicated radios transceivers in TTL
mode. The question is: "is your flash equipped with a slave receiver?"

In any case, going for a radio system is a better option as suggested
because it is reaching farther and without suffering light interferences.
Light is free… capturing it is not!
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4 years 5 months ago #666288 by Ozzie_Traveller
G'day Jon

There are other difficulties with Optical Triggers ...

If you are using the built-in camera flash -or- an external flash which is set to TTL, then you need to realise that the flash is actuated 2 or 3 times as part of the actual exposure. Roughly, #1 determines exposure and #2 is the exposure (or if #2 is a red-eye-reduction flash, then #3 becomes the exposure). All these "mini-flashes" occur so fast that generally we are unable to tell them apart

If you are using a 'simple' trigger that responds immediately it sees a flash, you will find that your slave flashguns have all fired during the 'check-the-exposure' initial flash rather than the 'take the photo' flash

This is why all flash units that offer slave flash operations have several settings available ... instant response or flash on #2 or flash on #3 sort of thing.

As I understand the radio triggers, they are actuated for the actual exposure flash, not the preliminary exposure flash

fwiw - I use both systems and find that my Yongnuo flashguns work well with any camera once I have tested the camera to flash signalling arrangements ~ my students arrive with all sorts of cameras and it sometimes takes some fiddling to get things working properly

Hope this helps
Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/
Phil from the great land Downunder
www.flickr.com/photos/ozzie_traveller/sets/
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4 years 4 months ago #667668 by Jon East
Just swinging back over to my question to thank you all for helping me out.  

Pocket Wizards ordered!  
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