Using the HVL-F58am as a control

[motor]

I spent an hour with sony last night on the phone and I was passed off to an engineer. Not sure if I will get an answer to this from them so I thought I 'd throw this out to you guys who do studio work. I am using an A700 with the sony hotshoe adapter ontop and a PW Plusii ontop of that. I have 2 other HVL 58 with a zebra flash 141 adapters plugged into their own PW's. (refer to last post) They both fire perfectly. If I want to fire yet another flash (third) without buying another pocket wizard plusii how can I fire that flash by setting one of the HVL58 flash as a control flash using the wireless function? If I understand this correctly the camera fires the first HVL 58 using the PW which if set to CTL and wireless communicates with another flash which should fire another HVL58 set in RTM. They say it should work. It works when the PW's are removed and the first flash is hardwired not using the camera flash and set as the ctl. What is the difference between making the control flash hardwired or using a PW trigger? Can it be done with the PW? If so can you tell me the settings. I know I could use an optical light trigger adapter but I was hoping to use the sony built in wireless system for I think it would be more accurate.

---Motor

[David Kilpatrick]

You can't - the protocol of the HVL-F58AM depends on being attached to a camera body which can operate it. You can not even fit the F58AM to an older Minolta body and make it control other flashes. The way in which you are using PW means you are using 58s as a very expensive manual flash - you could have saved about $1500 and just bought some old 5200 or 5400 Minolta guns, which could do much the same.

Unless you are working over distances of 300ft or so, or round blind corners and out of line of sight or reach of light, the cheapest way to add a further flash is simply to use something like the Sigma 530 Super DG in 'slave' mode which means optical triggering. You can add a slave to a 58, and it will fire when the Wizard triggered flash units fire, as long as you are more or less in the same lit space (in the same room or hall, church etc). I think mine is a Seagull SC-6 and cost about £10 ($15) inc post.

David

[motor]

Thanks David


I was starting to think that it might not work.
Actually you would be correct if I paid for everything at retail price. The only reason I was trying to set it up this way was I got 3 pocket wizards for $300 which is a steal and I got 2 HVL-58 guns for $500 another huge steal. I wanted the triggers no matter what for I can always use them and my large studio light has a built in optical trigger. I mainly wanted a portable set up that I could in a gym or for candid/portrait shots for my yearbook project. I can always use the 2 flashguns and basically it was buy one get one free in my eyes. I could sell one and still make out like a bandit. I found a hotshoe optical light trigger for $16 with free shipping.

Thanks again

--Motor