Speedlight Triggers : ST-E2 vs. Pocket Wizards

[Steve Stein]

Question for the static shooters:

I now have three speedlights: 580EX II, 580EX (just picked up today for unbeatable price), and a 430EX. Right now I can trigger the slaves via Canon's on-camera (or two foot off-camera cable) with the 580EX II as the master, I also have three Pocket Wizards, which means I'd have to have one more for the third flash. I can get a almost-new ST-E2 speedlight flash commander at a great price, much lower than getting a forth PW.

Question: I've heard and read various reports about using the ST-E2 outside because it's an IR trigger so your range and angle of coverage will be reduced. Has anyone used this outside for static shots? There are a few benefits to use this setup, but going totally manual wouldn't be a big deal since I have a flash meter and could manually calculate the ratios, but the speed in which you can set it up and still use E-TTL might be better.

I'm giving up on Alien Bees since they're not that location friendly unless you get a Vagabond so I'm going the Strobist route.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Steve

[Daniel Buck]

I would imagine pocket wizards would be more reliable, especially when they are outside of line of sight. Probably save some headaches in the long run, especially on shoots where you may have the flashes in odd places? not sure, just guessing.

[Steve Stein]

I got another Pocket Wizard since they have a $25 rebate going on right now. So I'm ready to pop them all remote now. If it would only warm up a bit outside...

March is only 6 or 7 weeks away.

[Keith Schoeler]

I'd get a Vagabond. heh heh. Seriously.

To answer the question, I've used IR a bit and haven't had much issue with it. Most any on location vehicle shoot I've done has been pretty basic in terms of what I'm asking the triggers to do. Have no experience with the Canon gear though, so I'm probably of little help.

[Steve Stein]

After talking to a few friends who have the ST-E2, outside is pretty dicey. Inside, it's a no brainer since the IR bounces off the walls enough to trip the speedlights and it's easy to set the ratios up for quick and dirty portraits. I figure using the Pocket Wizards are pretty common (and I already had a couple) and they work well, so I went this route.

Keith,
I thought about the Vagabond at one point but hauling the battery around + the Alien Bees got too much for me to think about. Maybe some day when I grow up to be a real photographer (about the time I collect my Social Security checks, if it's even there) I might go the dedicated flash units like the Bees.

By the way, I have an Alien Bee 800 with a 30 degree grid for sale. Make me an offer.

[Mike Maez]

I'm a little late on this but the ST-E2 does not hold a candle against PW's in terms of usability. IR line of site is fine for shooting portraits indoors and maybe a couple outdoor snaps at close range.

But in terms of usability - I have shot some automotive statics with a 400 2.8L IS and triggered PW's on a 1.3 crop body before. I was probably around 150 feet away?

[Steve Stein]

Mike,

I went with the PW's since they had the rebate and ST-E2 would be fine for indoor work. It's no big deal to set the power with the Canon flashes. I got that down pat and can almost do it in the dark (with the handy light enabled on the flash :))

[Mike Maez]

Steve - sounds good! :)

[Daniel Buck]

While we are on the subject of pocketwizards, I've got a question about them! What is the difference between the older "Plus" version, and the newer "Plus II" version? the only thing that I have guessed by reading about them, is that each of the newer "Plus II" units can be used as both a transmitter or receiver, but the older "Plus" models have a dedicated transmitter and receiver that could not be used the other way around. Is this the main difference?

I'm looking to purchase 3 units (one to transmit, and two for receivers on flashes) and I'm wondering if I can get away with finding some of the older "Plus" models at a lower price. Is their reliability and everything else the same? I understand that both the "Plus" and the "Plus II" will talk to each other, so I assume they are pretty much the same technology?

[Steve Stein]

Daniel,

The Plus II's are backward compatible with the Plus units. You do get the transmitter/receiver mode with the Plus II model. The Multimax gets you more channels along with a few more features (at a much higher cost). Frankly, I didn't think the Multmax would be worth it since I don't envision shooting indoor sports with lots of other photographers around.

Steve

[Daniel Buck]

Yup, don't think I'll ever need the multimax. Do you know what the difference is between the plus, and the plus II ?

[Steve Stein]

Mainly I think it's the separate transmitter and receiver(s) in the Plus model. They use the same frequencies and have a limit of 4 channels.

[Daniel Buck]

Thanks :-)

Do you know if those 4 channels will interfere with someone else using pocket wizards nearby on the same 4 channels? I'm guessing not, since I believe the website says they are 16 bit encoded, which means alot of possibilities that will not interfere with the 4 channels of another user near by, correct? Or am I miss-interpreting this?

[Steve Stein]

Daniel,

I think they're encoded to prevent something outside the PW product from triggering the flash that might use the same frequency I used PWs in a studio setup where we had several model shots going on and we set the channels to 1-4 to keep from triggering each other's flashes. That's one one big advantage on the Multimax with all the channels.