Gadget Infinity V2 Reviews Trickling Out
NK Guy, over at Photonotes.org has posted a review of the new version (V2) of the Gadget Infinity remotes. Their official name, BTW, is the "Cactus PT-04," which was surely decided upon after extensive market testing.(Thanks for the heads-up, NK.)
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by David, at 9:25 AM.
16 Comments:
I'm glad they made the difference between V1 and V2 so obvious. The V1 is apparently called "PT-04 Reveiver", where the V2 is called "Cactus PT-04"
I've also written a short review on using the V1 remotes on a Sigma 500DG Super flash on my blog.
I can say that they've been pretty good to me so far. There's been one occasion when they misfired but that was easily corrected by shutting the receivers down. Oh, besides the Sigma I'm also using a pair of Vivitars 283. All this thanks to Strobist, which has been a real inspiration to me :)
I got mine in the mail today faster than I might've assumed. They seem to work pretty well with my 283. My only question now is, does the system work well with more than one receiver?
I just got mine today. Initial reports are that they are fine and consistent with a Canon 430EX and a Nikon SB-24. Only thing I did was change them to Ch 4 which i remember reading somewhere re the 430.
I got mine to replace my old one which melted... Anyways, the shipping was pretty slow, or maybe I've just been spoiled by most ebay shippers that get the items to me in 3-4 days. The product itself is as to be expected. It works.
I do agree with the articles gripe about the L-bracket, it is feels very cheap.
(Vivitar 283, Nikon D70)
I ordered some a while back...2 recievers, one transmitter...and they took exactly the 15 days they predicted to arrive. They came from Hong Kong, so it didn't bother me too much.
Long story short, I really like them. Both fire in sync and as designed. As most people note, the bracket stinks...but I just connect them via a PC cable which works swimingly.
D70, SB800, Vivitar 285HV.
I just received my V2 the past week.
Tested with an Canon XTi, and a 430ex singly, as well as a 420. Both work great, no random fires, but about 1 out of 8 shots I have nonfires. That was the first test anyways, out of 60 frames perhaps.
I did test the range in my apartment and I went the length of the place (about 40ft). It worked fine 40ft through walls, so it's just a matter of getting outside to see how they behave.
I got mine yesterday. I'm using them with a 20D and 580EX.
They work fine as long as I don't wait too long between shots. If I do, I may have to hit the test button multiple times before the flash will fire, at which point it will operate normally.
The best sync speed I can get to work reliably is 1/60th of a second. 1/125 resulted in about 1/4 of frames showing improper sync (part of frame is dark).
I left the receiver and flash on for a while, and every few minutes the flash gives out random pop. That doesn't mean it'll wake up and work if I just hit the shutter button - I still have to try a few times (as many as 5 or 10) before it will fully wake up and start flashing properly.
I plan to try experimenting with different frequencies (this was all on the default frequency) to see if that helps my reliability problems. As it is, these are fine for something like setting up a still-life with only one or two flashes, but not useful if you need to set up and take a shot much later (e.g. waiting for a pitch, or an animal to come to a feeder).
I just received my Cactus PT04.
And the first thing I've noticed is that my max flash sync went from 1/200 to 1/160 a sec with Canon EOS 350D and Sigma EF-500 DG Super.
I mean that if I use 1/200 (normal synch speed) I get maybe 1/10th of the image unlit...
I am going to travel in the states for a while and i am wondering is there any shop in NY where i could find this product? Or are they only available online?
Thanks!
I bought a transmitter and 4 receivers from Jiakgong on ebay. It turns out that the remotes fire my 430EX randomly. When it does fire after I press the shutter release, it fires after the shutter has closed. I contacted the seller and have not thus far had a response. I do not advise buying this cheap junk from ebay. Put it toward something more expensive but better quality.
It is vitally important that people reading here understand the difference in the new V2 models.
They look exactly the same, but they work on different frequencies than the first batch. And they have ironed out the random pops that happened (mostly on some Canon models).
I had a single set of the old ones, I had some missed pops and some random pops. I just received my new set- I ordered on set- plus one extra receiver. (I hope to now use my Novatron Studio lights in sync with my 430ex).
I have not had any of the random pops yet. I have had a few missed pops. I'm going to try changing channels, and modding the little solder on extended antenna.
The V2 works- !
Please help!
I purchased the original PT-04, one transmitter, two recievers. I can't get them to stop randomly firing. I am using a Canon XTi and have changed feq. repeatedly.any advise would be appreciated! Thanks,Dave
I had two of these triggers on a 580ex and a 430ex. It was absolutely the worst thing I've ever owned. Half the time they wouldn't fire properly, then the other half they would just out of nowhere fire random bursts. I was so incredibly dissappointed that I pretty much sold them within a week. I can't believe they manufacture such garbage. I'm sticking with a off shoe cord, and that's it. Total crap from China (As usual).
I have purchased the V2s version early this year (2008) and noticed that the distance was very short. The transmitter operates at 433Mhz and the antenna is too short at that frequency. So I added the required length of wire for a 1/4 wave antenna. Now I get 300ft working distance (outside). Inside the range is shorter but very acceptable, no range problems in large wedding reception halls. Did not have a problem with missed triggering, maybe it due to the better antenna?? I tried the external sync and found that my version was not made well, so again I modifed the connection. Lastly I had no way to shut off the transmitter without disconnecting it from the camera or pulling out the sync cord. My last mod was to add a mini switch to turn off the transmitter. I now have a reliable RF triggering system. If you like, I can modify your V2s units as well.
I have four SB-800s and wanted to shoot at 1/8000s shutter speed so I needed to cluster a few flashes together all connected to their own cactus receiver. I put them all on full power next to each other and the fireworks began without me sending a signal. How do I avoid this?
-Mark
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