Major frustration with Pocket Wizards

[autofocus]

Three or four times now while using a pair of FlexTT5's used with a Nikon D300 and an SB800 our image quality camera settings have changed from RAW to JPEG on it's own. The first time it changed on a paying job from RAW to JPEG Basic..it doesn't get any worse than that, and you can imagine my horror when seeing this. Yesterday, once again on another paying job, it changed on it's own from RAW to JPEG Normal (not as bad as the first time, but bad enough) The normal procedure for making this change on the camera is a 2 step procedure of turning one of the main dial wheels while holding the quality button. So, the likelihood of this being accidentally done by us is nil. It appears that some radio signal is feeding back to the camera and causing this problem. I just sent an email to Pocket Wizard tech support to see if they have an answer. Anybody here ever experience this, or know about this problem?

[sk66]

It's not a radio signal....

Is it consistent or completely random? I could see something weird like this occurring if everything was turned on and then they were mounted into the shoe causing some sort of electrical cross....

[autofocus]

Originally Posted by sk66

It's not a radio signal....

Is it consistent or completely random? I could see something weird like this occurring if everything was turned on and then they were mounted into the shoe causing some sort of electrical cross....

It may not be consistent Steve, and here is what I leaning to as the possible cause, and I will test this later this afternoon. The proper procedure by the book is to turn things on in the following order:
1) turn on the off camera speedlight
2) turn on radio mounted on speedlight
3) turn on radio mounted on camera
4) lastly, turn on the camera

Now there are times through the course of using it that we will turn off the camera (and only the camera with all else left on) We'll do this when changing lenses, or just when we take a brief break in the job. After that, we will turn the camera back on and continue, and everything else continues to function fine. I will test this theory and see if it then does a reset to JPEG in the camera...don't know why it should, but that's my only possible reason as of now.

[autofocus]

Well, I just tested my theory, and I could not duplicate the problem. Turned the camera on and off several times, tried a few lens swaps, even tried turning off the flash and flash radio, and put them back on out of sequence...to no avail. What makes you think it's not RF causing the camera processor to go wacky? Now that my little test did not prove out, I can't help but think it's an RF issue. Good thing we're not inadvertently launching a missile on a fighter jet..haha. I know unshielded RF can do some funky things

[autofocus]

...a little bump on this with the hope that someone here has had a similar experience, or may have some answers to this problem

[sk66]

How would your camera pick up an RF signal? We're not talking HIRT type signals here. Were talking cordless phones and wireless modems.... And the D300's metal body would provide a certain amount "hardening"/shielding.

Why you are having the issue I have no idea.
You wouldn't have one of the modes (A/B/C) set to Jpeg and inadvertently switched to it? Or have the "button hold" turned off? (this allows you to just hit a button and then use the dial separately)....Been a while since I used a D300 so I may have "mis named" things a touch.

[autofocus]

How would your camera pick up an RF signal? We're not talking HIRT type signals here. Were talking cordless phones and wireless modems.... And the D300's metal body would provide a certain amount "hardening"/shielding.

All I know is that it has only happened with the radio mounted to the camera. I also know that processors and electronics can be very sensitive to RF. Maybe something is feeding back through the hot shoe? Maybe a small spike??? I'm at a loss. I'm hoping that the folks at Pocket Wizard will have some answers

Why you are having the issue I have no idea.
You wouldn't have one of the modes (A/B/C) set to Jpeg and inadvertently switched to it?

No

Or have the "button hold" turned off? (this allows you to just hit a button and then use the dial separately)....Been a while since I used a D300 so I may have "mis named" things a touch

No, I checked that..it's (f8) set to the default mode...press and hold the button, and turn the dial to change while holding the button...takes two hands to make any change

BTW...what's HIRT short for?

[sk66]

High Intensity Radio Transmission...usually HIRTA (Areas).... Places we have to avoid so the aircraft doesn't do unintentional aerobatics...

I don't think you are going to get any answers...I would suspect some kind of "spike", even a "power on" surge type of thing...but it's still an oddity.