Canon 430Ex ii off camera

[mtjz9]

I have a Canon XS along with a Canon 430 EX II. I want to use the 430 off camera and want to know the best way to fire the flash. Pocket Wizards are probably the best but out of my budget. I was looking at a Wired system. Has anyone used the FLASH ZEBRA #0123 which is a 16' ETTL cord that functions similar to the Canon OC-E3. Is there a better option for the money?

[henson]

idk. but check out amazon. See what they have.

[natek313]

Originally Posted by mtjz9

I have a Canon XS along with a Canon 430 EX II. I want to use the 430 off camera and want to know the best way to fire the flash. Pocket Wizards are probably the best but out of my budget. I was looking at a Wired system. Has anyone used the FLASH ZEBRA #0123 which is a 16' ETTL cord that functions similar to the Canon OC-E3. Is there a better option for the money?

Personally, I haven't used that cord from Flash Zebra, but I've heard nothing but good things about their products, so I'm sure it would be fine if you want a wired system.

If you want a wireless system, though, and are on a budget, then you may want to look into Cactus V4 radio triggers. Granted, they're not as reliable as CyberSyncs or PocketWizards, but plenty of people use them. Also, YongNuo is another company that makes very budget-friendly radio triggers. You should note that with the Cactus V4 triggers and YongNuo triggers, you will lose automatic features (like E-TTL), and you will be forced to shoot in full manual - just so you know.

I hope this helps.

[m.c.adams]

I use the cactus v4's. I have 3 and I think that they work great and you can't beat the price. I got mine here;Gadget Infinity :: Digital Camera :: Flash Trigger :: Cactus Wireless Flash Trigger Set V4
Mark

[Samanax]

I use CyberSyncs with my two 430EX Speedlites and really like them. You need to use a hot shoe adapter of some kind because the 430EX II doesn't have a off-camera terminal. I tried this hot shoe adapter from FlashZebra but found the PC connection to be unreliable. I'm currently using this deluxe hot shoe adapter from FlashZebra and found them to be very reliable.

I didn't want to go the cable route because I didn't want to be tripping over the cable while moving around.

[inkista]

And just to round out the list, I use the Yongnuo RF-602s.

Unlike the Cybersyncs and Cactus V4s, I think you can only buy them on eBay. They cost about the same as the V4s (~$40 for an Rx/Tx set), but operate on the same 2.4 GHz frequency the Cybersyncs do, rather than the 433 MHz frequency the V4s use, so they're reputed to be as reliable as the Cybersyncs.

Like the V4s, no adapters are required, because there are hotshoes on both the transmitter and receiver units. However, the Cactus V4s can take a higher sync voltage. The RF-602s are limited to 12V, so if you plan on using them with older flashes you have to be a little careful. Fine for the Canon EXes, though.

Like the Cybersyncs, the RF-602s can also double as a shutter remote (V4s can't). All three sets of triggers can be used to trigger monoblocs (like AlienBees) as well as the smaller speedlights (like the 430EX). It's mostly just a matter of cable connectors.

The one "extra" trick the RF-602s can do with Canon flashes is to wake them up if they've gone to sleep to save power. And I've been able to get up to my full X-sync speed with no trouble. Battery-wise, the transmitter uses the weird CR-2 (you get a generic-brand one), but the receivers run on AAAs (and they come with Duracells, which I found odd, but nice).

I'm not a heavy Strobist user, but so far, I've been really happy with the RF-602s. I range tested them to 700 feet for remote flash firing (weirdly, as a shutter release, the reach is smaller), and so far they've been very reliable, and the build quality is good.