Wireless trigger...

[stephanie lyn]

ok so im finally getting the hang of using my studio lights...my next thing is a wireless trigger...how is it that they work? we had one at the studio i worked at but was never explained how they worked...im sure its self explanatory but any advice or tips are greatly appreciated

[i speak in math]

put one in the hotshoe, and one plugged into the sync socket on the head, power em up and shoot.

[inkista]

Errr... which kind of "wireless" are we talking here? I've never used studio strobes, but I read a lot.

Most studio strobes have an optical slave built into them. They basically work on the principal that when the slave's sensor "sees" a flash burst, it then closes a circuit which tells the flash it's attached to to fire. So, in that case, you'll need some way to set off a "mastering" flash burst--your camera's pop-up flash may be useful for this, although you might have to set it into Manual mode (vs. a TTL mode) to avoid sending out a pre-flash signal which can confuse an optical slave. The weaknesses of optical slaves are they can be set off by any random flash burst, and they require line of sight. Radio triggers don't have these weaknesses, and have extended range and better reliability.

If we're talking radio triggers, it's basically just a radio transmitter and receiver, passing along the sync signal from the Tx to the Rx. You put the transmitter on your hotshoe, and hook up the receiver to the light. Hooking up the receiver is generally done by a sync port. On most studio strobes, this sync port uses a 1/4" plug, like the kind you use for audio equipment, only it's mono, not stereo (one band on the tip of the plug, rather than two).

The Strobist has a pretty good post on the basics of monolights.

[stephanie lyn]

well i have continuous lights, and i was just researching wireless triggers on cowboy studios. so i just hook up and shoot? will it throw my settings off with my aperture and what not??

[RLucas]

Originally Posted by stephanie lyn

well i have continuous lights, and i was just researching wireless triggers on cowboy studios. so i just hook up and shoot? will it throw my settings off with my aperture and what not??

If you have continuous lights, you don't need any type of trigger. You should just be able to turn them on, and when you are done shooting, turn them off. Triggers are just used for flashes and monolights, which are just a bigger type of flash.

[stephanie lyn]

ok then this might make me sound really stupid but what is it i need to take the picture instead of hitting the button on the camera? My old boss told me it was called a wireless tigger... Im so used to just holding my camera and taking pictures but my hands have gotten so shaky so ive been using my tripod alot and i find that when i go to take the picture i throw it out of focus when i push down on the shutter button

[zona5101]

wireless remote shutter release...(they also make them wired).
example:
http://www.adorama.com/CZDRXTRER.html

[stephanie lyn]

Originally Posted by zona5101

wireless remote shutter release...(they also make them wired).
example:
RSRT09EOS RPS RPS 16-Channel Wireless Shutter Release for Canon EOS Rebel XT, XTi, XSi, T1i, T2i, G10, G11, G12, and Pentax Digital DSLR's & Similar 2.5mm Digital Cameras

Thank you!

[inkista]

What camera do you have? If it's a Canon dRebel (xxxD model), 60D, 7D, or 5DmkII, there's a built-in infrared receiver for a wireless remote like the RC-1. The 3rd party ones are either clones of the infrared remotes, or are radio-trigger sets that have a receiver unit you hook up to the cable release port, and then the fire button is the transmitter in your hand.

I really like having the RC-1, since it's about the size of my thumb, and sits in a bracket on my camera strap, so I never have to remember to "bring it along" when I need it. It is, however, less useful behind the camera than in front of it. I tend to use a cable release when I'm working behind the camera.

[stephanie lyn]

well thats another thing i want it for, to take self portraits of my family and i, im always behind the camera but when it comes to family portraits i have to use the timer and i hate that lol nine times outta ten my head is cut off or im fixing my hair in the photos! I have an olympus e 420...