Easy way to make a standard flashgun/speedlight accept wireless input?

[mikeodial]

Is there some simple way to upgrade an existing flashlight to accept wireless input without spending almost as much as a new light?

I have many old but serviceable units I would like to use in a studio setting but no way to control them.

 

[Nikonparrothead]

Is there some simple way to upgrade an existing flashlight to accept wireless input without spending almost as much as a new light?

I have many old but serviceable units I would like to use in a studio setting but no way to control them.

If you're talking studio only, you'd need one wireless trigger and one receiver then a bunch of optical slave attachments like this:

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www.amazon.com

The best source of wireless trigger info is at www.flashhavoc.com

There is a lag time for some of the older/slower wireless triggers ie a 1/200 flash sync may wind up being 1/160th.

Hope that helps some.

 

[mikeodial]

Is there some simple way to upgrade an existing flashlight to accept wireless input without spending almost as much as a new light?

I have many old but serviceable units I would like to use in a studio setting but no way to control them.

If you're talking studio only, you'd need one wireless trigger and one receiver then a bunch of optical slave attachments like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Optical-Trig...&qid=1520876842&sr=8-2&keywords=optical+slave

The best source of wireless trigger info is at www.flashhavoc.com

There is a lag time for some of the older/slower wireless triggers ie a 1/200 flash sync may wind up being 1/160th.

Hope that helps some.

 

[Nikonparrothead]

Actually if you're using TTL there's a strong possibility that the TTL preflash will (at least most of the time) trigger the optical slaves prematurely.

Also most inexpensive triggers won't transmit the TTL to the flashes.

Your best bet is to read up on FlashHavoc to see what system may suit you best for the TTL signal to make it to each flash.

As an aside, your flash may have a build in SU-4 mode,or Nikon's own units are an option.

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www.nikonusa.com

Again, if you're attempting to do TTL, you'd be wasting your money with inexpensive optical slaves.

Good luck.

 

[mikeodial]

Actually if you're using TTL there's a strong possibility that the TTL preflash will (at least most of the time) trigger the optical slaves prematurely.

Also most inexpensive triggers won't transmit the TTL to the flashes.

Your best bet is to read up on FlashHavoc to see what system may suit you best for the TTL signal to make it to each flash.

As an aside, your flash may have a build in SU-4 mode,or Nikon's own units are an option.

https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-p...u-4-wireless-remote-ttl-flash-controller.html

Again, if you're attempting to do TTL, you'd be wasting your money with inexpensive optical slaves.

Good luck.

 

[Nikonparrothead]

If you turn off the TTL preflash (which should happen when you got manual with your main flash) you should be OK with optical slaves.

I just want to confirm that would only trigger the flash. You'd still have to set each flash individually, as far as power settings.

 

[mikeodial]

If you turn off the TTL preflash (which should happen when you got manual with your main flash) you should be OK with optical slaves.

I just want to confirm that would only trigger the flash. You'd still have to set each flash individually, as far as power settings.

 

[fotowbert]

Is there some simple way to upgrade an existing flashlight to accept wireless input without spending almost as much as a new light?

I have many old but serviceable units I would like to use in a studio setting but no way to control them.

If you're talking studio only, you'd need one wireless trigger and one receiver then a bunch of optical slave attachments like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Optical-Trig...&qid=1520876842&sr=8-2&keywords=optical+slave

The best source of wireless trigger info is at www.flashhavoc.com

There is a lag time for some of the older/slower wireless triggers ie a 1/200 flash sync may wind up being 1/160th.

Hope that helps some.

--
'Nice pen, bet you write good stories with it.'

Thank you will try this. I assume unless I am using TTL I can use my Nikon compatible speedlight with these units?

You can attach these optical triggers to the speedlight foot (or connect via PC cable) and the speedlight will fire every time the optical trigger sees the flash from some other unit.

If the triggering flash burst contains a TTL preflash the optical trigger will see it and fire too early for the actual image capture. Usually the TTL preflash can be cancelled by seting the unit to manual mode.

If you have 3rd party Nikon compatible speedlights they may have a built-in optical trigger. Look for "S1/S2" triggering setting on them.

In a studio setting it is common to trigger one off-camera strobe via RF (Radio Frequency) or PC cable (tripping hazard) and rely on optical triggering for the other off-camera units. This way you don't need to use the camera's built in flash or a hot-shoe unit for the triggering light. Inexpensive manual RF triggers can be had for around 35 $US for a pair. I use YongNuo RF-603II triggers as described in this somewhat obsolete flashhavoc gear guide .

• John

--
"[If you don't sweat the details] the magic doesn't work." Brooks, F. P., The Mythical Man-Month, Addison-Wesley, 1975, page 8.

 

[Sympa]

Also, people use dark (infra)red filters over the master flash to prevent it from lighting up the scene.

Aliexpress also has some very low cost RF triggers but I read about some of these using the small expensive hard to find 12 volt batteries, so buyer beware.

 

[kli]

Is there some simple way to upgrade an existing flashlight to accept wireless input without spending almost as much as a new light?

I have many old but serviceable units I would like to use in a studio setting but no way to control them.

Depends on your definitions of "input" and "control." Knowing which "old but serviceable units" we're talking about would help us advise you a lot. From your thread title, you mean speedlights (battery powered hotshoe flashes), yes? Not plug-in studio strobes?

You can add an optical or radio trigger to most speedlights: connecting them either on the flash's foot, or cabled to the speedlight's sync port (if it has one). But there are exceptions (Canon EX speedlights, for example, don't work in concert with most add-on optical slaves, like the Wein peanut).

And, unless the speedlights are digital-era TTL, and you're using add-on radio triggers that can communicate TTL, then the chances of having any "control" over the speedlight, other than firing it in sync with the camera shutter, is unlikely. (No TTL, HSS, power control, settings control, zoom control, etc.) So, the speedlight, to be useful in use off-camera, needs to have M mode, and a physical control (dial, buttons) to set the output power level. So, something like a Canon 420EX or Nikon SB-400, which can only have its power set from the camera when used on the hotshoe, isn't great for this kind of use.

Today, also, there are speedlights designed to be used off-camera that don't actually cost a lot. Something like a Godox TT600 is only $65. It has a built-in radio transceiver, so unlike an older speedlight with an add-on radio trigger, not only do you not need to attach a radio receiver to the flash, you can also have remote power control and HSS via an X1T or Xpro transmitter.

Given that radio/optical triggers themselves may already cost $15-40 apiece, and you might need to add on a $20 hotshoe-to-sync adapter, you may want to consider whether or not the additional cost of a new speedlight might not be worth it for the added convenience.

 

[Sailor Blue]

Also, people use dark (infra)red filters over the master flash to prevent it from lighting up the scene.

This is for Nikon cameras. The foot has to be modified to work with Canon camera's.

B&H - Nikon SG-3IR IR Panel for Camera Built-In Flashes 4905

7D + Nikon SG-3IR = Flash control bliss / HOWTO -- Canon EOS Digital Cameras in photography-on-the.net forums

You have to be careful when using hot-shoe optical triggers - not all of them work well with some brands of hot-shoe flash units. Search DPReview and the web in general for information about specific optical triggers with specific brands of hot-shoe flash.

--
Living and loving it in Pattaya, Thailand. Canon 7D - See the gear list for the rest.

 

[Torsten Hoff]

One other option to consider are the Cactus V6ii transceivers. If you existing speedlights support TTL, the Cactus V6ii will give you the ability to trigger and control the light output.

 

[OmegaJeff]

If TTL is not a priority, then the Cactus V6 is a lower cost option that will allow control of the flashes power output and zoom remotely from the camera position. You'll need a set of two so one on camera in transmitter mode and one on the flash in receiver mode. They have a built-in 1/4-20 thread to mount on a lightstand. These work with more than 30 flashes (profiles pre-installed) made for Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus and Panasonic cameras. Find them here:

https://www.adorama.com/cacwftv6s.html

http://www.omegabrandess.com/s.nl/it.A/id.44435/.f?sc=8&category=1844867

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...wftv6_wireless_flash_transceiver_trigger.html

 

[kli]

If TTL is not a priority, then the Cactus V6 is a lower cost option that will allow control of the flashes power output and zoom remotely from the camera position.

However. To have this control, the flash itself must be TTL-capable. If it's a single-pin manual-only flash, the Cactus V6 becomes a manual-only trigger, and you might as well just get RF-603II or Cactus V2/V5 triggers.

 

[OmegaJeff]

Correct!