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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
1st Time with a remote trigger issue
Thomas Marshall, Photographer
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Saugus | CA | USA | Posted: 9:22 AM on 04.22.08 |
->> I set up my camera yesterday to get a high perspective of home base during a baseball game.
I rigged my camera, I used my AC to DC converter for power, I plugged in my remote switch, I plugged in and synced both of my pocket wizards.
I focused, set the AF setting, and waited for the shots.
I pushed the remote trigger a lot. I had a 4 gig card in the camera. I made sure, at least looked a lot to make sure my trigger was active looking for the blinking light.
I am pretty sure the batteries in both wizards are good.
Here is the issue.....
On a 4 gig card, and for 2 and 3/4 hours of shooting, I only was able to get 12 images. One of which I can use, luckily.
What happened? I should of had a couple of hundred images.
What is the weak link to the rig?
Thanks in advance. |
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George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 10:04 AM on 04.22.08 |
->> Thomas,
Where was the camera mounted, how was the receiver attached to the camera mounted and how far were you from it?
Could be a problem of interference between the transmitter and receiver. |
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Thomas Marshall, Photographer
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Saugus | CA | USA | Posted: 10:10 AM on 04.22.08 |
->> mounted onto a Bogen super clamp, onto a c-stand, on top of the score booth, bagged, strapped, and safetied.
A fence was between me and the camera, but I wasn't any further than the dug out,less than 200 feet on the field with another camera.
Can the fence interfere? I shot 12 images. |
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Jason Joseph, Photographer
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Dublin | OH | USA | Posted: 10:24 AM on 04.22.08 |
| ->> Could it have been a problem with the camera going to sleep? Did you have the pre-trigger in between the PW and the camera? |
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Brad Mangin, Photographer
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Pleasanton | CA | USA | Posted: 10:52 AM on 04.22.08 |
->> Thomas- please check out these very cool stories that amazing assistant and SportsShooter.com member Shawn Cullen wrote for us in the Sports Shooter Newsletter a few years ago:
Pocket Wizard basics and then some! (Part 1)
http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/1355
Pocket Wizard basics and then some! (Part 2)
http://www.sportsshooter.com/news/1367
Good luck! |
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Kyle Nosal, Photographer
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Frederick | MD | USA | Posted: 11:22 AM on 04.22.08 |
->> Thomas-
what kind of camera were you using as a remote? It could be that because the pretrigger was set to always awake, it didn't let the camera write the pictures to the card and kept them in the buffer. So after the 12 shots(which filled the buffer), your camera didn't shoot anymore.
Kyle Nosal |
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Matthias Krause, Photographer
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Brooklyn | NY | USA | Posted: 2:29 PM on 04.22.08 |
->> "I focused, set the AF setting, and waited for the shots"
I´m not sure what you mean by this. Did you not put the focus in MF and than lock it with gaffers tape? If you left the AF on your camra might have tried to focus while you tried to trigger it and not get it done in time... |
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Andrew Knapik, Photographer, Assistant
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Lincoln Park | MI | USA | Posted: 2:38 PM on 04.22.08 |
| ->> Brad - Thanks for the link. I had not seen that before and it helped answer a few of my own PW questions |
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Curtis Clegg, Photographer
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Belvidere | IL | USA | Posted: 3:52 PM on 04.22.08 |
| ->> I suspect Kyle may have hit the nail on the head with the buffer issue... can you tell if the twelve photos you got were the first twelve that you tried to take? Or were the twelve evenly spread out over the 2.75 hours of shooting? |
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Thomas Marshall, Photographer
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Saugus | CA | USA | Posted: 7:52 PM on 04.22.08 |
->> Hey guys, just got home from work.
Here are some answers to your questions.
I used my 1dM2 for the rig.
I guess I had my camera on always awake. The trigger itself, plugged into the PW and into the camera, has one red toggle switch.
I thought the toggle switch was for ON/OFF application. Is this wrong of me to assume?
So if I have the toggle switched on one way, I should try the other way to let the camera sleep when not in use?
The AF was set to manual, but what about the gaff tape? What is that for? To help lock in the focus I guess?
thanks for the links as well, I appreciate it. |
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Thomas Marshall, Photographer
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Saugus | CA | USA | Posted: 9:49 AM on 04.23.08 |
->> The links were informative, but did not address the buffer issue.
How can I do better?
Thanks. |
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George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 10:39 AM on 04.23.08 |
->> Thomas,
A MKII in the "always awake" position should not run into the buffer issue mentioned because the camera is not constantly firing when set to stay awake, it just does not sleep and is ready for action at any time. It will still write to the card, still act as if you are holding it in your hand and keep tapping the shutter button to keep the camera awake.
Was the antenna from the receiver resting against the fence or a fence pole?
In theory a fence should not cause interference but there's always a chance. |
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Alan Look, Photographer
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Bloomington | IL | United States | Posted: 11:45 AM on 04.23.08 |
->> I'd be interested in just what the toggle switch does.
Best advice I can give is to set the thing up at home/office/studio and see what happens. that way you can see if it is a camera/cord/PW setting. If it works without a hitch, then interference does seem like a possibility.
How about the batteries in the "send" unit?
It's been a while since I've set mine up. I know there is a PW setting for delay for flash. Is there one for camera trip? Just throeint that out, because I really don't recall. |
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Thomas Marshall, Photographer
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Saugus | CA | USA | Posted: 4:25 PM on 04.23.08 |
->> Yeah, thanks again guys.
I will do a controlled set up again in the house when I get time.
From everything I have read, I did everything correctly.
I will 'sess this mess out, and post when I find the answer. |
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Thomas Marshall, Photographer
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Saugus | CA | USA | Posted: 8:48 AM on 04.27.08 |
->> I did a test yesterday.
What I found out is this.
After leaving the camera, the PW's, and the pre trigger all connected, and running without firing an image for two hours...nothing happens.
I mean nothing happens. No shutter release, no nothing.
The only thing visible is the two PW's talking to each other via the little red light blinking when I push the remote button.
Yes, I did turn the camera sleep mode to "OFF" during this test.
Batteries were all good and actually, if a casual observer was to look at the camera, that person would think the camera was ready to fire because the readout was working, the PW's were blinking, and everything was connected.
Is there something I am missing on my 1D M2??
Is there something on the PW's I am missing?
What about the pre trigger cable?
Thanks in advance for any help. |
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Primoz Jeroncic, Photographer
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Kranj | SI | Slovenia | Posted: 9:35 AM on 04.27.08 |
->> I don't have much experiences with PWs, so it might not be too helpful, but still. I had similar issues when everything looked fine, but remote (for me it was flash not camera) fired once every 10 shots. On the end I realized that only problem was position of PW on remote side. I guess it was too close to ground (actually PW was laid to ground), and if I remember right, there's even something written about this in manuals.
Fences and other metal objects can cause interference for radio frequency links (and PWs operate on that). Basically for RF to work for sure, you need visibility between both ends. If things are close, it can work without complete visibility, but in general, this normally cause problems.
But just to avoid this, try your setup in room where camera is close to you. If everything is working normally there, then it's definitely some sort of interference.
PS: Different types (size and position of holes) of metal fences work differently. It can go without problems through some, while with others, there's no way to get it through. |
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Thomas Marshall, Photographer
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Saugus | CA | USA | Posted: 9:51 AM on 04.27.08 |
->> But, that's the thing.
The PW's seem to have been talking to each other.
The little red light on the PW's would blink at any distance, in an open room when I pushed the remote PW's button to fire the shutter.
I would have to recycle the whole rig...unplug the pre trigger cable from the camera, turn off the camera, turn off the PW's, and then start all over again in order for the darn thing to respond.
It is the same difference as a Zombie. The camera was on, the PW's were on, but there was no life.
I don't think it is an interference issue as much as it may be something in the camera ignoring the signal issue. |
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Romeo Guzman, Photographer
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Orlando | FL | United States | Posted: 10:06 AM on 04.27.08 |
| ->> Thomas, you said the read out can be seen, can you push the menu, display buttons and the display works, if so you need to toggle your button on the pre cable to on position, as long as the display can be seen your camera is not in the awake mode. You should not be able to use any menu functions or see display it like keeping your shutter button pushed half way. |
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Thomas Marshall, Photographer
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Saugus | CA | USA | Posted: 10:15 AM on 04.27.08 |
->> The pre trigger IS NOT a Canon just so everyone knows, and I may regretting.
The toggle has a dot on one side letting me see the image on the LCD. It is blank on the other side.
In both positions, besides the viewing capability, it doesn't matter which side is pushed. The camera fires on both sides of the toggle.
I am assuming that the "dot" side is the "on" side, but even on that side of the toggle, and the camera sleep mode is "off", the camera is still showing readout.
"You should not be able to use any menu functions or see display it like keeping your shutter button pushed half way."...Romeo Guzman
You are correct, I can not use any of the menu features when the rig is connected, I have to do everything before hand.
What do you think? |
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George Bridges, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Washington | DC | USA | Posted: 1:01 PM on 04.27.08 |
->> Thomas,
I would order another PW cable for the Canon.
That is probably the weak point. I had one that would work fine in the always on position but as soon as you switched to the sleep position and let the camera go to sleep it would not wake the camera. I switched it out with another one and all went well.
There are aftermarket models out there but invest the money in the cable made by LPA and get it from a good dealer. Then if you still have problems you can exchange it or return it. |
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Thomas Marshall, Photographer
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Saugus | CA | USA | Posted: 9:35 PM on 04.27.08 |
->> Thanks for the advice Mr. Bridges, but, please excuse me, what is LPA?
Just a quick note.
Went out again today and rigged the camera again, and shot without any problems.
I honestly can tell you, I think I found the problem, with all due embarrassment.
The rig didn't work for a tiny fraction of time there today. I went through everything, cussing, spitting, getting hot when I noticed that my remote PW, the trigger was not in the fully on position. It was half way between on and off.
I don't know, I am barely a photographer unlike all of you, but I definetly am dumb. I am thinking that this may of been my original, operator error problem.
If this is the case, and I hope it is, thank you all for your replies, and help. I truly do appreciate it. |
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Mike Last, Student/Intern, Photographer
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London | Ontario | Canada | Posted: 12:25 AM on 04.28.08 |
->> LPA Design is the company behind the Pocket Wizards.
Everyone makes mistakes... but you should probably still look into the cord by LPA. You could miss that one shot which could potentially pay off the entire cost of the remote cable. It's hard to put a price on getting "the shot" but I always like having the odds in my favour... or as close to in my favour as possible. |
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Charles Mann, Photographer
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Rising Sun | MD | USA | Posted: 6:38 AM on 05.07.08 |
->> Hi Thomas,
As Mike said we all make mistakes and we all must have our share of humble pie once in a while. Yet I have a question/suggestion in regards to the power switch issue. Once you have your rig set up do you “test” before the game starts? To make sure you are working and on the right channels? Even if you ask somebody to stand next to your rig as you go to your spot and signal you if the camera is firing.
I have had issues similar to this with my PWs at various equestrian events over the years. I have talked to the techys at LPA and they told me that water is a big problem with the signals of the PW. This is not limited to creeks, rivers, ponds and oceans. It also includes people and I have found humidity can play a role in “intermittent” triggering.
Because of these issues and being totally frustrated with no images I when out and made my own motion sensor triggering device that can be adjusted from one frame to the whole buffer. It’s not perfect but I am getting more images then I was before, when placed in difficult positions or too far away to receive a signal from the transmitter.
One last suggestion, test and test often at home before you rely on your rig at the big game.
Good luck, |
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Anantachai Brown, Photographer
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Jacksonville | FL | | Posted: 12:25 PM on 05.29.08 |
->> Sorry for this ignorant question....but what sync cord do you use to fire the camera? (PW II's) Is it the same cord that PW provides you with or do you have to buy a different cord and what brand/type.
thanks. |
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