Looks like AlienBees is shipping a new "affordable" wireless remote device. You can read all about them by clicking HERE.

At $60 for a transmitter and $70 for a receiver, they are positioned nicely between the (expensive) Pocket Wizards and the (cheap) Cactus Ebay triggers.

It also got me to thinking I hadn't read any updates on the Jr. Radiopoppers in a while...anyone heard anything? The P1's were priced a little out of my league however I am looking for a cheaper, reliable alternative.

Thoughts? (and reviews if anyone actually has the Cybersync's already?)

Oooooh. Andy and I are trying to decide between PW and Skyports, but I wonder if this might be a contender too. Are there reviews out on these yet? I love AlienBees!

Hi Lynn, I have the Skyports and love them. Everyone that has seen them loves the size, they are tiny compared to the Pocket Wizards. The only thing I don't like about them is that the trigger uses a coin type battery of a size that is not easily found in stores. Batteries Plus has them so I got 2 to carry with me as spares, but I have had the Skyports for almost 3 months and i haven't had any issues at with them. I'll check these out as well.

Ramiro - thanks for the info! I think we are leaning towards the skyports just due to the price, and the small size is nice too.


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Heh, I just got an IM from Andy, he's currently on the phone with AlienBees. He cracks me up! Maybe we are going to try the Alien Bees after all.

Please do share if you find out any good details!
It looks like reviews of these puppies are pretty slim so far....

Because I'm lazy, here's the pasted IM conversation:

(12:23:05 PM) Andy: ok, no guarantees on the ship date
(12:23:17 PM) Andy: the xmitter will ship in a few
(12:23:26 PM) Andy: but the receivers they cannot guarantee
(12:23:40 PM) Andy: so the date is projected
(12:23:47 PM) Andy: nice company
(12:23:50 PM) Andy: so friendly
(12:24:47 PM) Andy: they promise a higher flash sync speed which is awesome
(12:25:11 PM) Andy: since my flashes don't have a pc sync socket we would need an adapter
(12:25:17 PM) Andy: no big deal they are cheap

Not sure if that's helpful or not. It's not really clear from their website that receivers aren't ready though, so I thought I'd pass this on.

Lynn, something to be aware of, flash sync is not a function of the flash, but of the camera. I don't know what camera system you guys shoot with, but most Nikon and Canon systems sync only up to 1/250. I know some people have gotten the PWs to sync with a D40 to something crazy like 1/800, but the pro and entry level pro cameras are all 1/250. One thing I noticed with my D200 is that the Cactus triggers would only sync up to 1/200, but the skyports sync all the way to 1/250. Hope that helps.

Thanks Lynn. It's true the website says the battery powered receivers will ship in a couple of weeks but they are saying that is because of a backlog of orders, not because they aren't ready. Good to know - I think I will wait a couple of weeks to see how things pan out.

In terms of sync speeds, I didn't realize it was limited by cameras, I thought it was limited by the transmitter? Can someone (gently) explain how it's possible for the Radiopoppers to get such high sync speeds then?

I have mine waiting for me at home.
I forgot the little mini jack sync cords at home the first day I took them out to play with them & test them (grrrr)
I posted about it here on OSP somewhere...
HERE and HERE

I don't know why everyon'es waiting for the battery powered recievers,
the normal power receiver just acts as a bridge between the light & the power cord.
No extra cords needed.
Plug the reciever's female end into the lightt, the reciever is there in the middle of the cord dangling off the back of the light,
then plug the light's power cord into the
end of the cord on the reciever.
It seems handy & easier than carrying around MORE batteries.

I want to use them with my Nikon Speedlights. Power cords aren't there. Portability is the key for my use.

Carey - Thanks for posting this info. I have been waiting on the battery powered receiver because I didn't want to have an extra power cord. I did not realize that it connected to the unit the way you just described.

Off to place my order.

The RPs are different in the sense that they use the Infrared function of the strobes being used as masters with the Canon STE-2 or the Nikon SU-800 commanders. Because these units have to be attached to the camera's hot shoe, they can use the trick function for High Speed Sync, the RPs pick up on the infrared discharge from those units and transmit via radio waves to the receivers. All other radio remotes simply work with the signal from the host shoe or PC sync socket in the camera.

However, to use the RPs you need an extra flash or commander unit to be able to use the RPs, other wise you just can't put them on the hot shoe of the camera and fire away. That is one of the benefits of the other radio triggers, that all you need is a camera and a cheap manual flash like the Vivitar 285 for off camera lighting, but if going with the RP's you need your camera, a higher end flash with a master/commander function, and a second flash to trigger. So if you are starting out and only have 1 flash, radio remotes like the new ones from AlienBees or the Elinchrom Skyports will allow you to do off camera lighting and not require the purchase of an additional flash. Further, the RPs can only be used with strobes that have an infrared feature, so if you have manual strobes that don't do TTL, whether studio strobes or otherwise, you won't be able to use the RPs.

Ramiro,

On some of the Inexpensive eBay triggers, misfiring or unreliability occurs more frequently at higher shutter speeds, so I've read anyway. That is what I was referring to mainly.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21796854@N05/2495746177/

Kind of cool trick using the Radio Popper with the on-camera flash in commander mode (a la D70, D80, D200/300 etc.) Cool Mod.

When I started with off camera lighting back in 2006 I started with the Cactus Triggers because they were cheap. I used them for 1.5 years until I got the Bowens Pulsars as a gift, but those are defective by design and double fire the strobes, then I got the Skyports. But I never had any issues with the Cactus Triggers misfiring at any sync speed. When they started giving me problems is when the small wire inside that is soldered to the PC sync connector broke off because I left the PC sync cable in the receiver and as it kept on twisting it twisted the wire inside until it broke off. Then I got misfires, but when I figured that out, I fixed it by resoldering it and I never had issues anymore. I still carry those in my bag as back up instead something happens to my Skyports. But I do know that some people have had really bad experiences with the Cactus Triggers. I think you'll be very happy with the Skyports.

I just got my CyberSyncs in the mail today! Haven't opened the box yet but I will let you know how I like them ASAP

Thanks Ramiro! That makes a lot of sense now. I have a 580 ex and a 550 ex so the RP's would work but I am leaning towards the Cybersync's (the battery versions).

Thanks again!

So? Had a chance to try those puppies out?

SATURDAY! I'm lame and have been sooo busy shooting outdoors that I haven't had the chance. I will SATURDAY though yeahhhhhhh and then will get back to you!

So, how was it?? ::waiting patiently::

I should be getting mine by Friday. Will use it for a shoot on Saturday.

So for all those using the Cybersync's this past weekend, how did it go? Any thoughts?

So sorry it has taking me sooo long to answer back. I love the Cybersyncs! For the price you can't beat it. Yes, it's a basic set up but it is reliable, the batteries that come with it last for a few years (no changing batteries every few hours) and you have up to nine channels! So awesome! I am going to purchase a few more. Way to go Alien Bee!