Shot by Scott

One of the first things I noticed about using the Pixel King was how quick and easy it was to use but…..

Using them with an umbrella is fin but if you want to use some thing like a fold up softbox then it maybe difficult to actually get the flash head inside the soft box due to the size of the receiver. The solution was simply to use a TTL cable and hang the receiver of to the side. The set actually comes that small traps that are perfect for this so all you need is the TTL cable (a must for every camera bag any way).

My next issue was some times I want fort power (like what my mobile studio flash can deliver). The solution is also easy but need something not every one my have. It is possible to build a  TTL cable that can support 3 flashes (I will blob more about the exact set up soon), I tested it with 2 flashes shooting into an umbrella and both triggered from the say reciever via what is basically an Y cable

there are several different ways of mounting multiple flashes I used a simple old system I have had for years in my strobist kit. Look around the on line shops there are now some very cool bits of kit on the market that can do the same thing. If you don’t already have all the cables and adapters to build this set up you my think about getting a second receiver it will work you cheaper  and easier then finding all the parts.

 mine happen to be older Minolta versions but Sony also makes a version 

Another important tip is when it comes to using HSS (high speed flash). If your camera is set to Rear Sync (aka second curtain sync) you wont get any high speed flash, depending on the camera type you may get up 1/250th of a second.

 f1.4 iso 100 1/1250th 

When I was testing the HSS capabilities of the triggers I also tested it with 2 flashes and 2 receivers. The top flash was fitted with a green gel and the bottom flash is left naked, this way I could see where the light from both flashes was falling.

Test with a small softbox and back lighting

Using an external battery-pack on your flash will give you much faster recycle times e.g. if you are shooing something moving.But  the battery pack allow you to recycle the flash so fast that the self defence mechanism kicks in and shut your flash down due to overheating. That is better then buying a new flash :). The best bet it to push your iso to 400 8assuming ou were using ISO100)  that way you flash has to put out about 2 stops of light less per flash and be less prone to over heating.

Test with a beautydish and back lighting

Some times, between switching off and on, it doesn’t always sync between trigger and receiver. need to switch off and on again, just to see if it works this doesn’t happen often, but it appears once a while.