pocket wizards?

[motor]

A local studio is getting rid of some used stock ( triggers, unbrellas, stands, backdrops etc and I was asked first if I would be interested. I know very little about studio lighting but it could be fun to use for my yearbook activity in school. I need some input! He has 3 pocket wizards he currently uses with canon, flash and box. They are the pocket wizard plusII series. I have read online they are universal. What adaptors do I need to make them work on the sony A700 and my HVL58 off the camera. I know the HVL 58 can work wireless by itself but I might look into another flash, strobe or box. There are different answers on the internet. The price is really good ( basically 3 for 1) but I want to test them first. I remember reading something about a FS1000 or something like that (on the hotshoe) on the camera with the pocket wizard ontop of that and another adapter on the HVL 58 flash that adapts to another wizard. Any input or basic explanation would be helpful. ( cables, adapters, etc needed) I am willing to buy the adapters to try out the units before it works but I don't know which ones to get. Maybe it doesn't work at all I don't know.

can anyone help?

Thanks

Motor

[Greg Beetham]

You could have a look at one of these I guess http://safe-sync.com/Sony_Alpha_A100_A2 ... e_sync.htm on the camera end, not too cheap though. At the receiver end I think all you would need is the standard ISO shoe bracket too mount the receiver onto, not sure on this as I don't have studio lights or pocket wizards myself.
Apparently there are some cheap and nasty adapters around so I would view these with great suspicion. For example on this page http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Nt ... Search=yesat B&H I'd be inclined too trust the Jobo unit for quality, but it may not do the TTL signals on older Minolta flashes if you need them, (don't know on that point), or eliminate the pre-flash signal on modern flashes/wizards, important too prevent the false firing of the studio lights. The reviews of the other unit (Pearstone) on that page don't inspire confidence.
Greg

[David Kilpatrick]

Pocket Wizard II does not relay TTL signals in any way. If you use adaptors - and those sold on eBay are pretty good generally - the 58 flash must be set manually to whatever power you want. The camera should be set to 1/60th sync speed first, then tested at 1/125, 1/160th, to see what is the shortest speed that is safe.

The advantage of Pocket Wizard II is the distance involved. You can manage about 30ft with line of sight using Alpha wireless remote flash, but over a hundred feet away and with obstructions in the way for Pocket Wizard.

David

[Greg Beetham]

I brought the TTL issue up because none of the descriptions are good on detail, just how you use them and so on. The Safe-sync for example has two models, one supposedly capable of using early Minolta flashes with TTL, but you could write a chapter on the missing detail in that statement.
And if you were too get an adapter that transmits the TTL pre-flashes the Pocket Wizard II cancels/ignores them? or do you have to have a studio light that won't respond too a pre-flash signal from the wizard?
The issue is important because if the lights are in the process of re-charging when the main signal comes through they might not have sufficient charge for the actual photo.
Greg

[motor]

Here is what I have put together and see what you think. I think it should work fine but I just thought I'd run it by you guys. I purchased the sony hot shoe adapter made by sony. I got a screaming great deal on a "used" one at more than 50 percent off. The hotshoe adapter will be placed on the A700 with one PW plusII. I then purchased this flash zebra adapter that the HVL58 hotshoe will attach to and plug into the other PW PlusII. If I set a second HVL58 on wireless and set the camera on wireless...... when the PW on the camera fires the first 58 flash (set on wireless and manual mode) the second will also fire for the first will be the trigger. Is this correct? Here is the link for the zebra hotshoe/pw adapter. So far this is the best solution I have found. I just don't know if it will work. What do you guys think. Will it work?

Hotshoe adapter w PW-------Flash zebra hotshoe to HVL58 plugged into PW-------Triggers second flash with wireless?

I hope you can follow this question. I might be way off I don't know.

Thanks

Motor


http://www.flashzebra.com/products/0141/index.shtml

Here is a picture of the flashzebra adapter attaching the PW to the 58 flash hotshoe.