# Tired and Frustrated of the Pocket Wizards



## lcphoto (Feb 15, 2014)

I have 4 tt5's 2 tt1's and 3 580's and 1 430ex plus I have 1 plus x 1 plus iii , 4 youngnou 560-II I'm just tired of dealing with the freaking pocket wizards, I have no problem with the plus x and plus iii, I use the youngnous for wedding venue lighting and fire the or intent to fire them with the tt5's but they just work once out of 10 shots if that and I end up using slave mode! I use the tt1's on camera with a 580ii on camera so that I fire my on camera flash plus the venue youngnous, but it's just frustrating that they are just not reliable at all. 
I'm thinking of selling all of my tt5's and tt1's and 580's and just get 600's my question is, can I fire my on camera flash 600ex and my youngnous? with a plus x ? or do I need to attach another plus x/iii on camera?

Help Please!


----------



## ajfotofilmagem (Feb 15, 2014)

Canon 600EX RT is a great flash and acts as master radio frequency or infrared. The problem is that so far there are no other receptors that work like radio slave, forcing you purchase multiple units 600EX RT, and spend a fortune. Yongnuo is launching a "clone" of the 600 EX RT, but has not yet hit the market, and the price is unknown. If you can wait, can be a great savings using multiple slaves Yongnuo RF. However, I doubt that the Yongnuo is very reliable to be used as master.


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Feb 15, 2014)

I never bought into the new pocket wizards after it became obvious early on that they were poorly designed. I had three of the plus version and they worked fine.


----------



## surapon (Feb 15, 2014)

Dear Friend IcPhoto.
I am very lucky with Phottix Odin more than year and a half ago. Yes, TTL Wireless flash control up to 330 feet or 100 meters distant.
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/0304434791/accessory-review-phottix-odin-ttl-flash-trigger-for-canon-

Surapon


----------



## alexanderferdinand (Feb 15, 2014)

With a little patience you could buy a system of Yongnuo- clones.
The YN E3 RT works very good: AF light, group mode for my "ancient" 1D Mk4, an USB- interface for further upgrades.
So chances are good the YN 600 RT will be a fine and affordable flash.


----------



## privatebydesign (Feb 15, 2014)

To actually answer the question. 

You can fire the YN560II's from the 600-EX-RT but only via the S1 and S2 optical trigger not via the 600's built in radio. If you want to fire the YN's via radio then yes, you need to attach a PW PlusX to the camera sync socket as well as have them on the YN's.

As a side note, I have gone complete 600 over the last year and the system is fantastic.


----------



## neuroanatomist (Feb 15, 2014)

privatebydesign said:


> As a side note, I have gone complete 600 over the last year and the system is fantastic.



I've gone mostly 600s + ST-E3-RT, except when using only an Einstein (in which case I use PW). With a mixed setup, I've been letting the 600(s) trigger the Einstein via its optical slave sensor.


----------



## archiea (Feb 19, 2014)

Someone just posted about layoffs at pocket wizards:
http://www.lightingrumours.com/pocketwizard-layoffs-5468#.UwQcOcu9KSM

I had problems with the flex system on my 580exii. Moving to canons 600 changed all that.


----------



## pwp (Mar 7, 2014)

archiea said:


> Someone just posted about layoffs at pocket wizards:
> http://www.lightingrumours.com/pocketwizard-layoffs-5468#.UwQcOcu9KSM
> 
> I had problems with the flex system on my 580exii. Moving to canons 600 changed all that.


I'm not surprised if Pocket Wizard is under pressure. I wouldn't be buying shares in the company.

Remember the nightmare $1000+ Quantum Radio Slaves? What a waste of money they were. Then came Pocket Wizard, full of promise and a high price. Then came the flood of radio poppers all the way from eBay cheapies that mostly work perfectly well to the utterly stable and sophisticated Phottix Odin. 

From where I stand, Pocket Wizard is starting to look like the Blackberry of the radio popper universe.

-pw


----------

