as some of you may be aware i jumped in and bought a set of pixel knight tr-332 ettl2 compatable wireless transceivers.

i spent saturday morning constructing a small/medium sized softbox from a sheet of 3/8ths inch white foam core, some duct tape, some velcro, and an old bedsheet. i'll have to measure it and take some pics, but it's about 10" deep, and probably around 1' x 2'. total cost of materials was ~$5.

anyway, the rest of the weekend was spent snapping shots all over the place, trying to get a feel for the setup. i COULD have used the softbox with my oc3 cord, but the cord is only 3' long when stretched all the way out, and it prevents a lot of movement. this is obviously not the case with the wireless option.

in all of the shots, there was a 1/8th CTS gel filter on the flash head. all shots were taken in ETTL mode. various FEC was employed, as well as average vs. evaluative metering. most were in average mode. all exif data is intact if you want to peep some settings. all shots were taken "guerrilla" style with the 20d in my right hand and the PK/430ex2/softbox in the left.

1.

_MG_1277-2 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

2.

_MG_1272-14 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

3.

_MG_1201-67 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

4.

_MG_1197-63 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

5.

_MG_1205-71 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

6.

_MG_1258-116 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

7.

_MG_1237-98 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

8.

nails-2 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

the last two were taken with both softbox and camera on tripod using a remote shutter release. softbox was camera right, approximately the same height, and provided a bit of fill and catchlight. we were well into HSS territory here @ 1/1500th.

9.

_MG_1390-24 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

10.

_MG_1354-62 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

so far the PK's have proven to be reliable. every once in a while during setup something happens where the flash doesn't totally sync up through the transceivers. basically you get a no-flash. power cycling and/or removing and reattaching solved the problem every time. it NEVER happens in the middle of a shoot, so i'm not concerned about reliability. PK have published a detailed startup/powerup sequence that would probably work 100% of the time but i haven't tried it yet.

imo so far totally worth the ~$150 for wireless ttl. HSS works as advertised. the single known feature set issue is no second curtain sync.

i plan to write up something more technical once i get more time with the triggers.

damn dude, great shots. your setup sounds very similar to mine, except I had to wing it with distances, flash settings and exposure and hope I got it right since mine is all manual.... something to think about for sure.


What flash are you using?
edit: 430 EX II

great shots man, i cant wait to actually see the rig.

great set!

Really like that last shot especially--nice job!

sweet shots Ken. i will be watching for your full review as this is a cool deal if you are happy with them. ttl for $150 is badass!

some shots of the softbox:

_MG_1462-3 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr



_MG_1463-4 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr



_MG_1464-5 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

LOOOOVEE your soft box.

you need a Styrofoam cooler

I really like how 1 and 6 turned out.

These are awesome Ken! Love #1, #2 and #6 !

_MG_1497-1 by k.a. gilbert, on Flickr

Ken, have you tested these on the 5D yet and if so, how fast could you sync?

hss works fine, so 1/8000ths. as soon as you crank the shutter speed up past 1/200th you get the H in the viewfinder.

obviously you lose some output power syncing so fast.

i haven't yet tried the non-ettl "hypersync" version (which is supposed to reduce that loss in power).

i've been tagging all my shots in which i use it: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ken-gil...elknighttr332/

edit: tonight i'll do an actual test shot at 1/8000ths just to be sure.

Nice work - Great family photo.
1/1500th

Originally Posted by ride5000

tonight i'll do an actual test shot at 1/8000ths just to be sure.

thanks, I would appreciate it.

Originally Posted by thomps6s

Nice work - Great family photo.
1/1500th

thanks. just to be clear that was shot with the 20d, not the 5dc...

Originally Posted by ride5000

thanks. just to be clear that was shot with the 20d, not the 5dc...

I did notice that.

took me a few days but i did get around to it.

successful "syncs" at 1/8000ths, 5dc, 430ex2.

niiiice.

Originally Posted by ride5000

took me a few days but i did get around to it.

successful "syncs" at 1/8000ths, 5dc, 430ex2.

Niiiiiice! Thanks Ken, any frames to show for it?

uploading weekend pics now... gimmie a few mins

Originally Posted by ride5000

uploading weekend pics now... gimmie a few mins

How about now?

all at 1/8000, ettl2, on 5dc, with tr-332 in 5d mode:

sweet thanks man!

ken are your Ettl flash shots using any flash exposure compensation?

dan: it depends on what the shot is. usually if i'm bouncing i'll add .5 to 1 stop. sometimes when i'm trying to blend flash to ambient i'll go -.5 to -1. the vast majority are in that range.

Originally Posted by ride5000

dan: it depends on what the shot is. usually if i'm bouncing i'll add .5 to 1 stop. sometimes when i'm trying to blend flash to ambient i'll go -.5 to -1. the vast majority are in that range.

that makes me feel better because i end up doing the same thing, ettl doing its own thing leaves me an unhappy camper.

i think most people get into this mindset that the camera is always right. expecting the camera to expose perfectly EVERY TIME using ettl2 is just silly. same thing with autofocus. focusing is an art, whether you use the camera's af to assist you or not. there's still a lot of technique involved.

Originally Posted by ride5000

i think most people get into this mindset that the camera is always right.

I assume it's close but wrong personally or at leas that it's rarely ever right.