http://www.kern-photo.com/blog/files/radiopopper_review.php
here are a few of my initial observations:
PROS:
+ high-speed wireless flash sync up to 1/8000 sec. not just, wow. but, WOW!
+ no misfires, yet. they fired around corners, behind vegetation reliably, shot after shot after shot. they even fired through concrete walls with no windows at a distance of about 200 feet. there is absoutely no way the current line-up of wireless ttl flashes on the market can do that out of the box.
+ simple setup and ease of use.
+ slightly shorter set-up times will help in complicated lighting conditions.
+ we pay so much for the lenses with good bokeh to use wide open at apertures such as f/2/.8 or f/1.4, why should we have to stop down to f/5.6 and loose the "pretty" foreground/background bokeh? one reason of the whole shebang about using shallow-depth of field lenses is it is easier to isolate the subject by causing the background to have a soft focus appeal. now we can.
+ i intend to use the radiopoppers like pocketwizards (or any other brand of radio slaves) for triggering your small flashes, but with the added benefit of not having to walk over to each slave to change the power output. this is HUGE. this means i can change power either from in-camera or a camera-mounted flash with its own output turned off. this is especially useful if my flash is on top of a wedding dj's speaker at the reception and i don't want to make an appearance through the dance floor en route to change settings
+ if you want to use ttl functionality with ratios and different lighting groups, you can do so from the camera or on-camera flash.
+ the simple design is refreshing to see in a tech world (sorry, equipment measurbators). it has two buttons.
+ "cross-platform" adaptable. this means they play well with both canon and nikon equipment.
+ takes AA batteries.
+ good customer service and support (online, email, and phone). i got a call from kevin king himself ensuring order accuracy. thanks, kev.
+ it is cool to be different.
CONS:
- $360 for one transmitter and one receiver. gulp. evolution has a price, you could say.
- ttl is not that smart, especially when you lighting only a small portion of your photo. ttl flashes evaluates entire scene, sometimes dark or light backgrounds will make them guess wrong. however, you can have the camera guess the power output if you have only 10 seconds to set up a shot and there is perhaps a 50% chance you'll nail your exposure. that is where the spin-the-dial-with-an-edumacated-guess-and-see-what-works method of trial/error via chimping is useful. i prefer to set the output of each of the slaves manually. the new perk is now i can make changes using the camera in my hand instead of walking over to each flash unit.
- a screwdriver is required to change the batteries.
- some disassembly required to store properly store flash and radiopoppers in camera bag securely. (i.e. unscrewing the antennas). similar prep-time with pocketwizards and their cords.
- limited supplies as of now. they are taking pre-order shipments only and the rest i waited 6 weeks after ordering it to get it in the mail).
- no pc-sync cord to trigger powerful studio strobes (keep your pocketwizards). however, the radiopopper jr. seems enticing for only $25, coming late summer.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
if you do not already own a pair of pocketwizards and use speedlights off-camera, then i would 100% recommend radiopoppers for triggering reliability, ease of use, and ttl-metering.
if you fall into the same aforementioned camp and are a strobist, then i 199% recommend them.
if you already own a pair of reliable radio slaves or pocketwizards and consider using speedlights in your off-camera lighting, i would 50% recommend the radiopoppers for the added ease of use in changing power output from holding your camera.
if you do not want use speedlights off-camera (canon or nikon), then save your money.
