Coming Soon: New AlienBees Wireless Triggers
This snuck up on me from left field: Paul C. Buff is about to cut the cord. He is redesigning his wireless remotes with some added features, including a receiver that is battery powered. The current version has a batt-powered xmitter and an AC receiver. He's calling it the CyberSync.
Lotsa cool features, for notta lotta dough. Specs, links and another photo, after the jump.
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Shown at top is the transmitter, with the receiver shown at left. At first glance, these look like a very good mid-range entry to sit between the Pocket Wizards and the Ebay remotes.They do not have the range of the industry-standard Pocket Wizards, but they only cost about a third as much for the set. And yes, they are more expensive than the Ebay remotes. But you also have to take into account the cost of ammo in the event they fail you on an important shoot and make you want to eat a gun...
Highlights From the Specs Page
• 2.4 GHz band, with a "high degree of error security" for more reliable tripping.
• One year(!) battery life for the transmitter.
• Usable range of up to 400 feet, depending on terrain.
• Receiver operates on AA's, with 200-hour battery life, which is further extended by an "auto shutoff" function.
• Receivers ship with the following cords: 3.5mm-to-3.5mm, 3.5mm-to-1/4" adapter and 3.5MM to PC (which will connect it directly to an Nikon SB speedlight with a PC jack.)
• Best yet, the price: $59.95 for the transmitter and $69.95 for the receiver.
Paul Buff has a decades-long reputation for building quality gear at very good prices. I imagine the CyberSyncs will be no exception. Transmitters and AC receivers are shipping now, with battery-powered receivers anticipated later this month.More info is available at the AlienBees website.
(Thanks to the anonymous tipster in the comments!)
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by David, at 4:32 PM.
69 Comments:
I've few words to say, and they're mostly variations on 'awesome' :)
Been looking into ordering some gear to get into this stuff, but the unreliability of the gadget infinity triggers and price of the pocket wizards has been a stumbling point. Good to know there will be good options coming up.
WANT.
I crave a dependable wireless transmitter/reciever set that starts around $100/set.
WANT
I crave a dependable wireless trigger set for around $100. Thank you DH and thank you Mr. Buff!
This is getting interesting. I will wait to see a comparison of all wireless triggers before buying. Great price for back up the PW's though.
What i want to know is, will the frequencies work with pocket wizards if i wanted to get a couple slaves to go with my PWs...?
Oh. My. Feeling a strange itch in the seat of my pants... Oh look, my money's trying to escape... :D
Saw these the other day too - now I'll need to rig a 1/8" (3.5mm) to Nikon 10 pin to remote click my camera too...
Nice that the king bee choose to include the useful "Test" button on these...and I live nearby - I'll have to pre-order a set
I have been eying these...thanks for the post!
Awesome, when will they be on the market?
Yes..
This perfect, and cheap.
Thanks..
This is way too perfect for me..
Thanks..can't wait to get one of these..
Wow, people are really beginning to put a lot of pressure on Pocket Wizards to try and provide a cheap and effective alternative. Competition is indeed a good thing.
As an aside, if I can get an alternative to the PW's that sync faster than 1/125 of a second on my 580EX's through the use of PC or mini plugs, then count me in.
They look excellent, great price too. Do you think they will be available this side of the pond?
Any ideas how they will stack up against the elinchrom skyports
Nick
Uk
This looks very promising, especially at that price!
A nice step in between upgrading from ebay triggers to pocket wizards, for most of us nonprofessional enthusiasts :)
I'm just starting with this stuff, and I'm already obsessed with it ;)
Thanks for this blog, David!
Tom
Wow, this sounds great. I just placed an order and it looks like pre-orders are already backed up to mid-July.
Martin
Do they work on the same frequency as the pocket wizard? Would be nice to add a few receivers at the cheaper price. Alien Bee make great products. These look like a bargain at the price.
Robert
www.PhotographyAndTheMac.com
Can these be used to trigger a camera (shutter) like PW? I assume you just need the right cable?
Level of WANT: 10/10
They work great. I got one for my novatron pack and two transmitters (one for camera and one for flash meter). From what Paul said was you wont be able to fire a camera as well but maybe some hacking would change that.
David: This is a personal note to you. I have just finished reviewing all of your archived postings and have really learned a lot. Thanks for all your work, but I did notice that you seem to like to use the term "eat a gun",(today's post being the latest example) which, of course, evokes brains splattered on a nearby wall. Isn't that a little over the top and offensive for what you are trying to describe? Just a thought.
Dave Kee
(drool)
I can't wait for these to start shipping. The Cactus units are alright for the moment, but these seem like an awesome next step. And you can't beat that price point.
(/drool)
Dave-
Hmm. Took a look at that, and I only get three instances of the phrase "eat a gun" in well over a thousand posts.
Plus one similarly worded sentiment as to what it must be like to be the art director for Oprah's magazine.
It's a figure of speech, I guess. Sorry if it offended you. But some days are just like that. The woodchipper days are worse, IMO...
-D
Y'know...... one bullet's not that expensive.....
This seems to be a good price point and some stiff competition for the PW's (as long as they bloody work and can be modified to trip a camera).
I've always wondered why radio slaves are so expensive. They're fairly simple, low watt RF broadcasters. 70 -or-more-year-old tech in a smaller cabinet.
I love my PW's, but $190 each is insane, and I'm pretty tired of tacking another almost $200 onto every monoblock and speedlight I buy.
If only Mr. Buff would start offering an (optional) built-in receiver in each 'block... Less crap to carry, less to lose, and it just gets the cost out there all at once. But they'd have to work with PWs (wink).
More proof we live in a neutered society.
Thanks for posting the info on the CyberSync.
I posted these in the strobist Forum on flickr a long time ago and was met with almost no interest lol, funny what happens when DH gets a hold of it!
Quality product, moderately priced.
Thank you.
Ammo's relatively cheap, but you have to factor in cleaning costs, too.
"itch in the roof of my mouth..." Priceless!
Back on topic though, the manual says up to 350 ft line of sight or 150 ft if there are walls or other obstacles, so it seems like a decent working range. 350 ft is about the length of a football field.
I'd sure like to see one of your field tests on this.
Guess I won't order the PWs just yet...
First PW are under price pressure from Elinchrom's Skyports, now even the Skyports are under price pressure from these units.
Thanks
Any idea why they recommend using slower shutter speed than your camera's sync speed, but claim the latency of the triggering is only 1/4000 second?
I would really like a radio trigger that can sync at 1/2000 with the D70 and D50.
This is the build quality I want combined with the prize I am willing to pay for a pair of triggers! Thanks for posting!
Wait.. AC powered reciever? So this is for studio use?
Ah, new battery powered reciever, riiight. Triggerfinger there, sowwy!
I looked at a thread about these in Flickr Strobist site, but got the impression that they only work on AB's. Was I mistaken?
If so, then Woo hoo!, but Aaaawwww for Radio Popper Jr
I think people who are using small strobes /flashes should order CSRB receivers, right? The other receiver with AC jack is for those who own 'big' lighting equipment.
Will it be available for us European types.
We have regulations regarding radio transmitters are we able to use these?
Rich
I realize they are a lot less than the PWs and will work much better than the cheepo E-Bad crap I bought into, but why are the receivers $10.00 more than the transmitters.
Isn't there something else that will work with Nikons CLS (or whatever they call it today) stuff?
2.4GHz?... Doesn't that interfere with wireless LAN (aka, Wifi), virtually omnipresent in corporate environments and downtown larger cities?
Just received my cybersync yesterday. My daughter was "helping" me unpack them and was excited to show it to her mom. In other words she ran to the opposite end of the house and every time she hit the test button it still went off in the studio. Distance is probably "only" 300 ft but it's through walls or around corners...
I had my wifi running at the same time and didn't experience any interference or issues using my computer while some little kid fired off the flash like crazy (yeah actually I did turn the flash head off but you can see a little red light blinking).
So far so good. This is a major upgrade from the made in China trigger I had before (that one was a pain and very unreliable).
@andras: You are right that 802.11b+g networks run along the same frequencies, but from what I've read, these are sending out proprietary signals so it sounds like it's very unlikely that a WiFi network would trigger one of these, and most 802.11 hardware is pretty tolerant of other traffic out there (there are a bajillion other wireless phones out there in that same frequency already). So, I wouldn't be too concerned. But, only time and reallife testing will tell.
mtreinik said...
Any idea why they recommend using slower shutter speed than your camera's sync speed, but claim the latency of the triggering is only 1/4000 second?
I would really like a radio trigger that can sync at 1/2000 with the D70 and D50.
The same advice occurs in most camera manuals when triggering studio strobes using a PC cable. Since Paul Buff is a studio strobe guy that may well explain the warning.
Hopefully someone with a Nikon CCD camera with an electronic shutter can test it for us.
Mike said...
Isn't there something else that will work with Nikons CLS (or whatever they call it today) stuff?
That would be our friends at RadioPopper. Of course there is a price to be paid for the additional functionality. If like many of us you use manual flashes then the additional functionality is not useful.
What a great find! I was up late last night trying to decide whether to pull the trigger on some PW's, but no more than I have time to shoot, I was resigned to the Cactus triggers. Not anymore! Guess I can sleep easy tonight!
It looks like they're getting hit hard with orders (website says 2 week delay). Are there any other outlets for this?
All these new devices (CyberSync, Radio Poppers) are nice but unless they work along with Pocket Wizards they don't make much sense. If you have 2 PW's and want to add a 3rd it will cost you about $180 - pretty steep! But if you can't add one of these cheaper alternatives to the party you essentially have to purchase an entirely new set. Three CyberSync's will cost you $200. And that is for a product that is not as powerful or proven as PW's. Why would anyone do that?
Is there a reason these new toys aren't made to play nicely with the grownups?
-MKruter
What are advantages vs Skyports?
Interesting how the CSRB image appears to be from a 3D model and not a real prototype. I guess this one might look better than one held together with tape and paper clips =)
Since they won't play nice with PW's, I wonder if we'll see some second hand PW's for sale in the near future. I'd consider it, I don't need 1600 ft of range.
take a look at: http://www.subtleimages.com/blog/2008/06/01/alienbees-cybersync-no-thanks/
Does anyone know if these have compatibility issues with certain flashes? I plan on picking up some Vivitar 285HV flashes for my studio setup and would like to make sure these CyberSync triggers are compatible. Thanks in advance.
I'm not worried about them playing nice with PW. When I get to the point where I can justify the cash outlay for PW's, I'll buy a bunch of PW's. For now, I'd rather get a couple more flashes, get a radio receiver on them, and do some stuff with light. This makes it much easier.
Wired knows about Strobist!!! Check out the credits for the post..
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/06/cybersync-gives.html
Jason
Looks like a fine product!
My concern is the max sync speed achievable. The PDF manual states that you should use one or two stops slower shutter speed than normal max sync speed.
eg. if max sync speed is 1/250s then use 1/200s or 1/160s.
Can these be put on a SB800 or do I need an actual Strobe unit like the AB800 strobe?
Also VERY curious if these (or RadioPoppers) will be able to be triggered by PW's. I own three PW's now and am not sorry, but being able to use more flashes or have cheaper backups or replacements for rainy days might be nice.
Don't think these triggers are safe for use in Europe, though, seeing as they're on the same frequency band as American PW's.
I have bought radio poppers for my 3 SB800's and I am disappointed.
I am a part timer and went on my first shoot using them. BLAAAAAAAAAAA
Misfired 3 out 15 times and then stopped working....
I wish I would have saved my pennies and bought pocket wizards.
Ken
Oh sure, post this right AFTER I get my Skyports. Actually, the price and features are very similar, so I'm not toooo miffed, but the added savings of packing these with Strobist compatible cables is really nice. No need to blow money at FlashZebra or elsewhere.
I just paid $16 at a local shop for a (defective) Pocketwizard branded 3.5mm->Female adapter.
The more the merrier, especially when it makes prices go lower and capabilities to get better.
I've been disappointed with my ebay triggers. The success rate varies by the day, but at least one of my two flashes misfires about 1 in 3 times, so I need a better system. Making the jump to PocketWizards is too expensive for me as an amateur so I'll be giving this CyberSync system with battery-operated receivers a try. I'll report back after I've had a chance to try them (but not shipping out til July). FWIW, my gear is Canon XTi, 430EX, and Vivitar 285HV, I'm just hoping the triggers will play nicely with all of that.
shot a wedding yesterday with the ebay triggers. Put my money down for the battery powered Alien Bees a few hours ago. It only takes one paying gig while using the Ebay triggers to realize that it really really isn't worth it.
What the ebay triggers are GREAT for, however, are when they're used when you first start learning about all the nifty stuff Dave spits out at us. Once you get comfortable, though, it's time to reinvest. The gig paid for the triggers, so color me happy.
One cactus trigger and three receivers for cheap, my house!
Just recd' Elinchrom Skyport Univesal transmitter with 2 Universal receivers and chargers ...$280 total, B&H.
Fine quality build, rigid zip case, transmitter batt, various international charger plugs, PC cord and Elinchrom pack fittings.
Bought these only when I confirmed compatibility with my 285HVs using adapter cord from Flashzebra.com...cheap.
For background I use Sunpak 411 with Wein peanut (smaller/better-than 285..in 1980, when new (!), it perfectly light-painted an oil tanker's engine room with a half dozen pops using Kodachrome.
Buff's AB transmitter and rigid antenna sticks waaay up, like PW...Skyport sits much lower. Antenna folds down, is flexy/rubberish. I'm into compact.
The lower range was mentioned but what hasn't been mentioned is that each of the receivers can also act in repeater mode, doubling the range. The repeater mode adds an additional 1/4000sec to the delay but that's no problem with most shutter syncs...
i noticed that they didn't put some sort of locking mechanism to lock the transmitter on to the hotshoe. anybody else seen the real deal? i'm kinda worried that in the long run the transmitter might get loose enough to fall off on its own...
Thanks for the info, Just what I need! Have to look for a dealer in Australia or get it shipped over!
Looks like they WILL be able to remotely trigger a camera (with the right cord).
Se here :
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/662406
Spposedly a post from Paul Buff himself (very bottom post, the long one).
Well, I've got a pair of these transmitters, a pair of receivers, a pair of umbrellas, lightstands, vivitar 285vh's, etc. and a Mamiya 645 150mm leaf shutter lens on order.
We'll see how this all goes in a couple of weeks when it ships to little 'ole Australia.
;)
(But in hindsight, I'm starting to wish I went for the Skyports, they are quite sexy looking little gizmos, I'm already concerned about the build quality of the CyberSyncs)
how are they? anyone tested the wireles one yet?
Just took delivery of a Cybersync transmitter and two battery-operated receivers. This is an upgrade from the poverty wizards I had been using since last year. Quick reactions:
Good - Aside from the price...I set a strobe around several corners and then popped it from the far end of the house. Easily ten times the range and reliability I had with the Cactus trigger.
Notsogood - The receivers arrived with green "on" lights already blinking. They have a prominent on switch but no off switch. (Powers down automatically after an hour of inactivity.) Obviously, banging around inside a box or a camera case, they'll easily turn themselves on and waste battery life. I'll need to improvise some sort of case to prevent this while on the road.
I don't see why people feel the need to ding the build quality. Yes, they housings are made of plastic; but I don't generally go driving nails into the wall with my gear.
Overall: Recommended for anyone looking to step up from Cactus triggers.
Just got mine - they are superb. 100 out of 100 with no misfires. Only need Tx and one Rx 'cos you can slave other strobes.
Great buy.
So I preordered the CyberSync unit and everything was great for a bit.
After about 4-5months of light use my Canon bodies no longer fire the CyberSync, my Sigma does. It looks like the little contact that touches inside the flash shoe no longer is as prominent as it once was and so never makes contact on the deeper Canon bodies.
This should be covered under warranty according to the website, should get it in the mail this week.
I bought a set of three battery-powered Cybersync receivers plus a transmitter and had them shipped to Norway without a problem. They have replaced a similar set of PW's that were recently stolen from my car. So far I have to say that triggering reliability has been every bit as good as the PW's - that is 100% reliable. Better than Radiopopper P1's that I have also been testing, although they are very different products. Build quality seems every bit as good as the PW Pluses - quite plasticky, but they work well in actual use. Battery life is amazing. Some design issues have already been discussed, but in my experience these units work really well in spite of a few irritating quirks. Highly recommended.
I have been using two CRSB receivers and one transmitter with my Canon 5dmkll. These things work very well. the build quality seems very good to me, personally. I keep them all in a low profile tin box that slips into the top pocket of my Lowepro camera back pack.
I love the simplicity of these things.
Excellent product with great price. Made in America, I'm very happy.
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