Radiopoppers vs. Pocket Wizards – my impressions so far
Recently I have spent some time debating about an off camera lighting solution. As much as I want the Canon 180L macro lens, I am leaning towards improving my lighting possibilities as that opens more doors for me to improve as a photographer. The following are the areas where I see myself using them.
Real estate photography
I have spent some time researching and found that most of the best photographs I have seen use hot shoe strobes. This is the main reason that I am only considering Pocket Wizards or Radiopoppers. The ST-E2 will not work through walls or in other situations necessary for real estate and I have heard of too many problems with the cactus triggers. This is also the area where I expect the triggers to pay for themselves.
Kids
Basically I want to use off camera flash(es) to improve shots of my kids.
Experimentation
There are a number of experiments I would like to try such as the strobist assignments. On a more serious note I would like to use remote flash for background lighting in macro and I would like to trigger the camera remotely. I have tried using the MT-24EX to trigger my 580EX but found it unreliable outdoors.
So after some research, the following are how I see the two stacking up.
Areas where they are the same
Both support rear curtain sync
Canon wireless supports 3 firing zones. Multimax supports 4.
Both allow you to set flashes in manual mode (often overlooked in Radiopoppers)
Price
If I go the Pocketwizards route, I plan to purchase 4 multimaxes 1 580 EX II, and 2 Vivitars.
If I go the RadioPoppers route, I plan to purchase 4 radiopoppers, 1 580 EX II, 1 ST-E2, and 2 430EX.
(note: I am ignoring umbrellas/light stands here because they are the same for both solutions) In these cases, the difference in price is around $100 which is negligible given the total cost.
Advantages of the RadioPoppers
TTL, so in some cases I will not need to manually set my flashes
Remote manual configuration. I will not need to walk to each flash to configure it.
Supports high speed sync mode
Advantages of Pocketwizards (Multimax)
Increased range of 1600’ (more with relay mode) vs 100’-300’ of Radiopoppers, though I doubt I would need the extended range
Can trigger the camera
Can connect to strobes (Alienbees, etc)
Intervalometer, so I can take timed pictures – useful for star trails and change over time shots
Known to be dependable. Radiopoppers have had good reviews but are not battle tested.
More channels – 32 vs 1. However the Radiopopper P8 shipping later this year will close the gap.
Sequential triggering, though I don’t see it being useful for much more than experimentation.
Longer battery length (150 hours vs. 10 hours)
Unit firmware is updateable using USB cable
Summary
The main allure of the Radiopoppers is the ability to set the flashes without going to each flash. When shooting a room, this should let me get things done faster. The TTL isn’t as important, as I will likely still set the flashes manually.
In terms of the Multimaxes, the main feature I find useful is being able to trigger the camera, but other features also make a difference. Other than high speed sync, the Multimaxes offer far more possibilities for experimentation. Being able to connect to strobes also may prove very important, as if I find myself shooting a very large room I may have to bring in a large strobe. The longer battery length is also something to consider.
Right now I am leaning towards the Multimaxes do to the feature set. I am very tempted by the time savings with the Radiopoppers, but the increased flexibility of the Multimaxes is hard to turn down right now.
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Tags: lighting, photography, pocketwizards, radiopopper
When you say the Vivitar flash, do you me the 285 HV? My understanding is that Vivitar recently stopped making this flash due to QC problems- I was looking at going the strobist route as well, but really, for me as a nature photographer, it might be overkill.
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As I understand the 285HV is still in production, but is out of stock at a number of places.
I was under the impression that the Canon ST-E2 only provided remote adjustment control for 2 groups of speedlights – A and B, and not a 3rd. A 580EX would need to be used as the master to get independent control of a C group.