Triggering my 600EX-RT?

kat.hayes · Aug 24, 2018

I'm using a 5DM3 and a 600EX-RT. I want to be able to wireless trigger the 600EX-RT and I am able to do so by taking the PocketWizard receiver off of my monolight and putting it on the 600EX-RT. However, I'd like a way to trigger it without having to always connect/reconnect the PocketWizard. From what I've read, the 600EX-RT can be wirelessly triggered if I buy some unit for the 5DM3 that connects to the hotshoe. Before I spend more money buying the device, I want to make sure I'm making the best choice for the long term. I may also upgrade to a different camera at some point, a 5DM4, possibly a Sony, who knows....I'm currently using just the 600EX-RT, though I plan to use a 580EX II and a 550EX as a second light, and backlight in the future, though I have not yet figured out how I will be connecting them.

1. Instead of buying the device that goes on my hotshoe (that I'm guessing will only work with the 5DM3) to trigger the flash should I just buy another PocketWizard receiver to connect to the flash so it can be more compatible with other devices in the future if I change cameras? Are there pros/cons to this approach?

2. Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

neuroanatomist · Aug 24, 2018

I sold off my PWs (I had the MiniTT1 for the camera, FlexTT5’s for the flashes, and the MC2 for my PCB Einstein moonlight, I found the PWs to be quite finicky in terms of order of powering them on relative to flashes and camera. Instead, I now use multiple 600-EX RTs triggered with an ST-E3-RT (that won’t work with the 580/550, you’d need an optical trigger meaning an ST-E2 or a 580/600 flash on the camera. For the monilight, I just put that in optical slave mode and it’s had no trouble (I always set flash power manually). As a side note, you can integrate 580/550 flashes into an -RT system that way too, as long as you’re setting power manually rather than auto flash exposure, by putting an optical slave trigger like the Sonia Green on the 580/550 flashes.

Jim Saunders · Aug 24, 2018

kat.hayes said:
I'm using a 5DM3 and a 600EX-RT. I want to be able to wireless trigger the 600EX-RT

kat.hayes said:
I may also upgrade to a different camera at some point, a 5DM4, possibly a Sony, who knows....I'm currently using just the 600EX-RT, though I plan to use a 580EX II and a 550EX as a second light, and backlight in the future, though I have not yet figured out how I will be connecting them.

2. Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

The two suggestions I'd make is to get the (directly comparable) Yongnuo YN-E3-RT instead of the Canon ST-E3-RT for two reasons:

It's substantially cheaper.
It'll work with your 5D3 and anything after, and it'll work in a limited mode on essentially any camera with a standard hotshoe. In that so-called legacy mode it will only trigger the lights in manual mode, but when you change power settings for the lights and push the test button it uses the RT protocol to push those changes out to the lights.

For your studio light and your existing flashes Yongnuo makes a YNE3-RX trigger which is RT-compatible; with the flashes it should get you TTL functionality. I probably sound like a Yongnuo salesman - I'm not - but they have gone to the trouble of making the RT protocol do more things for more people.

Jim

Mikehit · Aug 24, 2018

Does your model of the 600 have built-in receiver? If so you could use something like the PixaPro ST-iii transmitter for Canon which also includes ETT. It also enables you to fully control the flash from the camera.
If you are in the US/Canada, this is a re-badged Godox

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1341964-REG/godox_x1t_c_ttl_remote_controller.html

Valvebounce · Aug 24, 2018

Hi Kat.
As already recommended, get the YN-E3-RT, then get 2 YN-E3-RX and put one under the 580EX and one under the 550EX and have RT with ETTL on all three flashes and the option to trigger the camera from either of the RX units if you plug in the usb to 3 pin remote lead that comes with the RT unit.
This is what I use and it works really well, in fact given the price it works incredibly well.
I have tried it on older bodies that don’t ‘know’ about RT and the only thing missing is control via the camera menu, you have to use the screen on the YN-E3-RT!

Cheers, Graham.

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Triggering my 600EX-RT?

kat.hayes

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