Digital Photography Equipment Review—PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5

Digital photography is easier and more enjoyable when you have the right equipment, especially triggering multiple flash units, remotely and wirelessly. That is what the PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 radios (for Nikon and Canon) allow you to do. It just takes seconds to position a wireless i-TTL (Nikon Speedlights) or E-TTL II (Canon Speedlites) flash system (and select studio lights). You’ll be able to shoot farther (800 feet, 1,200 in manual), faster (as much as 1/8000th of a second) and without infrared limitations. Plus, you can capture a greater array of digital images around corners, through walls, even at high noon in the brightest sunlight.

Read real customer reviews of the PocketWizard MiniTT1 and FlexTT5 here.

The PocketWizard ControlTL® System works quite simply: The TT1 is connected to your camera via its hot shoe. The TT1 holds an on-camera flash and its corresponding hot shoe. The TT1 unit reads your camera’s intricate CLS/i-TTL (Nikon) or E-TTL II (Canon) data, and then transmits it to the TT5 unit(s). Whenever you change aperture or ISO, that information is quickly transferred from your camera through its hot shoe to the MiniTT1 and then radioed to one or more FlexTT5 units.

The FlexTT5 unit is also connected via hot shoes to remote flash units or a remote camera. You can also use the Flex on the camera to do the job of a Mini. This provides you with the option of deploying an all-Flex system or a Mini/Flex combination. An all-Flex system will cost more, however, since each TT5 unit ($229) is approximately $30 more than the TT1 ($199).

Many digital photographers have commented that they like the auto-shut-off feature of the battery in the MiniTT1 because the CR2450-size (or CR2354) 3v button cell it uses isn’t normally found at most retailers selling batteries. The shut-off feature conserves the battery’s power, so you can expect “hundreds of hours” of life, according to PowerWizard. Fortunately, the FlexTT5 uses AA-size batteries. Alkalines or Ni-MHs will power the unit, but the battery life of the alkalines is approximately 60 hours.

The Maxi-Speed of the Mini

With both the MiniTT1 for Nikon or Canon rigs, you can shoot as fast as 1/500th of a second with PocketWizard’s HyperSync Technology. You’ll be able to reach faster than X-sync speeds by advancing the timing of your flash trigger. Another benefit of HyperSync is that you can use any PocketWizard receiver (FlexTT5, PlusII or MultiMAX) to trip your flash units.

Nikon users can go beyond 1/500th with the High-Speed Sync/FP mode. Choose a shutter speed as fast as 1/8000th of a second and the HSS Sync automatically operates, providing data to your Nikon i-TTL flashes to make the necessary adjustments. Canon users can also shoot at speeds as high as 1/8000th on specific Canon camera and flash combinations, such as Canon Speedlights, in the FP/High-Speed Sync mode.

One of the primary benefits of the much higher speeds is that you can shoot at wider apertures, which results in a shallower depth of field.

Additional Advantages

The Nikon MiniTT1 works with the PowerST4 and PowerMC2 receivers.

Remotely control an Elinchrom RX or any Paul C. Buff flash with an AC9 AlienBees Adapter on a FlexTT5.

Separate PocketWizard utilities can be downloaded that support the MiniTT1 and the FlexTT5 through a USB port. You can configure your channel settings, set your HyperSync timing, adjust your sleep-mode timers and update your product to the latest firmware.

The Nikon-based PocketWizard system includes an optional AC3 ZoneController to regulate independently as many as three zones of light, in i-TTL or manual. The AC3 ZoneController for the Canon-based system works the same, except it also provides six stops of power adjustment.

The FlexTT5 for Canon has a C1 and C2 channel configuration settings. You can program as many as 20 ControlTV channels for TTL photography or 32 standard channels for manual flash.

As mentioned above, the FlexTT5 can also be connected to your camera and operate as a transmitter like the MiniTT1. It easily and automatically switches between both functions with PowerWizard’s auto-sensing transceiver technology.

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