Hot Shoe Cable VS Flash Trigger

[woonsin]

Hi Pentaxians,

Just curious which one of "Hot Shoe Cable vs Flash Trigger" is most useful for dslr?

For eg, if I may buy flash bracket and use for outdoor one day, thought flash trigger may be good advantage either with flash bracket or tripod.

But hot shoe cable is the right only one that fit on flash bracket with external flash and camera. Please advise if you had experienced this experiment before.

[flowerpot]

Originally Posted by woonsin Hi Pentaxians, Just curious which one of "Hot Shoe Cable vs Flash Trigger" is most useful for dslr? For eg, if I may buy flash bracket and use for outdoor one day, thought flash trigger may be good advantage either with flash bracket or tripod. But hot shoe cable is the right only one that fit on flash bracket with external flash and camera. Please advise if you had experienced this experiment before.

i actually dun really understand but i tried to answer base on what i understand... now i dun understand wat im talking...

joke aside... get a hot shoe cable with PTTL, allows HSS, can fit both bracket and tripod, flash trigger is only useful for studio kind or similar setups or if u need to place ur flash far away from ur camera... but can oni flash sync at 1/180...

i have both hot shoe cable and flash trigger, and i use both b4 on tripod and light stand...

[woonsin]

Hi flowerpot, you are my 1st person to reply to me. We met few times and also my mentor... Sorry to make you not understand what i explain.

Ok, if i buy flash bracket and trigger & receiver one day, would it look nice or weird if I fit them with AF540 and DSLR? I feel it would be too heavy if I carry it too long.

[darrrrrrrrrr]

hmm if u buy a flash bracket for use with af540 you should be using a hotshoe cable for pttl functionality. also, the ebay trigger is rather insecure and may cause your flash to sit much higher and tend to tip over forwards quite easily.. possibly smashing into your lens!

i recently used a nikon flash with an ebay remote trigger for shooting at the anime festival. right hand holding my k100d, left hand outstretched holding the flash+trigger+big bounce card. A mode on the flash wasn't reliable so i had to leave it on M mode 1/2 power. worked quite well but not easy to manage on the go. most of the cosplayers remembered me because i was the only one with "flailing arms"

but anyway, flash bracket may make the overall set-up heavier, but it's really better than holding the camera with only one hand!

btw, why do you need a flash bracket for outdoor use? thought ppl get flash brackets for indoor event coverage so the flash is always above the lens so shadows are hidden behind the subject rather than off to the right (if you used ABBC/diffuser on the narrow side of the flash and tilt it 90 deg). for outdoor use, flash either used strobist style on lightstands, or on camera for fill flash. neither of which require flash bracket..

[woonsin]

hi darrrrrr,

Thank for your experience. Look like I may have to buy hot shoe cable first then flash bracket later if I may need it.

Yes, I saw your photos of COSplay recently and found them good. It was not easy to catch photos in low dim lighting in Suntec but too bad I lent my dslr to my nephew who wanted to use for cosplay as you.

[kongping]

Flowerpot has summed it up nicely;

if the flash is close, use an offshoe cord. your flash would retain most, if not all of its automated functions.

if the flash is placed far away, you have the option to trigger your flash optically or with a radio trigger. Or you can always run a really long wire to your flash units.

Triggered via radio
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kongpin...7600387352207/

End result
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kongpin...n/photostream/

[woonsin]

kongping

Very cool. Something new to me. Thank you.

[flowerpot]

Originally Posted by woonsin Hi flowerpot, you are my 1st person to reply to me. We met few times and also my mentor... Sorry to make you not understand what i explain. Ok, if i buy flash bracket and trigger & receiver one day, would it look nice or weird if I fit them with AF540 and DSLR? I feel it would be too heavy if I carry it too long.

mi no mentor... mi mentos

hmm how u want to mount the receiver to the bracket, the receiver is very weak, u swing here swing here while jousting with others while trying to catch XMM, i guarantee ur receiver sure break...

use the hotshoe mount la... u use trigger cum receiver must shoot manual leh... by the time u fiddle here and there all the settings, the XMM change pose liao...

the price for the hot shoe mount with PTTL ~50

the trigger plus receiver ~30-40 i think cant remember, not much difference la... if u really want to play play, just buy both for different purpose lor.

[woonsin]

Flowerpot, Ok, thank you for your advice.

[Zenten]

I have a off-camera PTTL cord for sale.

Let me know if you need.