GadgetInfinity ebay flash triggers to the rescue 
I would love to have enough money to be able to go out and buy some pocket wizards but unfortunately my “idiot purchase allowance” doesn’t stretch quite far enough. Have you seen the price of those bad boys? They are hundreds of dollars a pop in North America, more in Europe. For an amateur like myself (and not even a very good one) I just couldn’t justify it, no matter how cool they appear to be. I would be just as bad a photographer, just a grand lighter in the bank and at a greater distance from my lights.
On the other hand cables and optical triggering is getting me down. Turn around quickly and you just know a cable will come loose. And I don’t really like tethering my equipment together. Set up times increase the more cables you need, especially if you don’t have the manual dexterity to untangle the spaghetti monster you created last time you put the stuff away in a rush.
Enter the fabled “ebay slaves“.
They are:
- Cheap
- Considered Good (not great) in comparison to Pocket Wizards
- Radio not optical, like pocket wizards
- Small and light
- Cheap
I first heard about them in the Strobist flickr group. They sounded ideal but then people started posting problems, especially with Canon flash units. In the end I thought I would risk it, after all I don’t have to use my Canon flash.
So far I haven’t had the reported problems (although I only tested them for the first time this morning).
Mine were bought from Gadgetinfinity although I understand there are others, including suppliers of 16 channel versions but GadgetInfinity were recommended and didn’t dissapoint.
I bought a kit comprising one transmitter and one receiver for US $19.95 , plus two additional receivers at US $12.45 each. They discount delivery if you order multiple items.
Using them is a breeze. There are small switches for setting channels but I used them out of the box with no problems. Construction is very light and the plastic isn’t top quality but at these prices you could consider them disposable!
If I have any problems I will come back and update this post but so far they seem like a real bargain.
Update: A year on and they have been fantastic and reliable. Everything I could hope for in a trigger, especially one so cheap and from ebay!
Technorati Tags: photography, lighting, flash, ebay, strobist
22 Comments
The random problems with the Canon 430EX and the Gadget Infinity triggers can be reduced somewhat quite easily. Based on discussions I’ve seen on this topic, i believe the problem is that the 430ex emits E-M radiation that builds up in the triggers and fires them. Based on that assumption, I have configured one of my receivers to shield the receiver from the radiation.
My technique is quite simple. Place a piece of electrical or gaffers tape over the PC port. Then cut a 4-5 inch long, 3/4 to one inch wide piece of aluminum foil. Tape one end to the receiver and then wrap the foil around the receiver taking care not to cover the switch or little red trigger light. It seems to be all right to have the foil touching the actual flash shoe receptacle.
Immediate problem. You have to take it apart to change the battery or set the wireless channel. The Radio Shack 3 volt AAA battery packs can take care of the battery change problem. The channel switching shouldn’t be a problem unless you change channels more than on setup.
How well does it work. Pretty well, but far from perfectly. Shielding EM radiation is not an exact science. If any readers have further insights, Please post or write me directly at walkerwg@yahoo.com BTW, I apologize for the formatting. I drafted this with paragraphs but am unfamiliar with PHP code.
Seems the 580ex, or at least mine, doesn’t exhibit this problem thankfully but thanks for posting as I am sure it might help others
Hi
I have a 580 EX and been reading about all the problems with the canon flashes. Did you did any modification to 580 like you mention for the 430? have you try using the 16 channel?
Thanks
Personally I got everything out of the boxes and tried it, all worked first time. The only one with random firing was on an Nikon SB-28 when it got too close to the other Nikons ..
I like this writeup. What about cheapo eBay flashes? Are any of them any good? Wouldn’t it be worth it to get a few cheapo flashes to experiment with? Which ones are good, and which ones should be avoided?
The cheap ebay flashes dont seem a lot cheaper than used SB-24,25,26 or 28s?
I’m a canon guy right now… although i’ve heard nikon flashes can be retrofitted for canon?
I am a canon guy (350d/rebel xt), I do have a 580ex for on-camera use but my favourite flashes are my three nikons (1xsb-26 and 2x sb-28s). As you would use manual when the flash is off camera anyway they are far better bang for buck than any canon flash you might use (canon flashes with manual operation tend to be way more pricey and no better performing).
For on camera use you are stuck with canon but off camera, world is your oyster. Here is how I connect canon dslr to nikon flashes.
I was thinking along those lines but wasn’t sure I was correct – thanks for clearing it up. So an SB-26/28 with an ebay remote trigger would be pretty slick huh? All for less than a 430EX?
Yup :O)
anyone here uses it with the 430ex?? i dont wanna be a white rat for this.
manual firing… sigh. the ST-E2 is just too expensive to get.
Well it’s x-mas and i just got a canon 430EX. Assorted gadgets include the off-camera cord and an umbrella bracket (and an umbrella). So i’m set for canon flash for the moment but of course i want to get it off the camera asap. Ebay remotes here I come!
Chris,
I am based in the UK
I can see that you are now well into it so i have a few questions as regards this unit.
I cannot at the moment afford a dedicated Canon Flash
My set up is Canon 20D plus two strobes Nikon sb24 I am looking at the pc conection on both parts and they look to be both female( Canon 20d female and the sb24 female)
Does it matter ie do you need them to make these units work
Regards
Dave
I just use the slaves straight on the hotshoe connection, you don’t have to use cables if you don’t want to
Thanks Chris,
Now you have had these a few months are they still performing as they were when you first tried them, or have they given up.
They have worked out great, I even got another set and gave Damian a spare set too. The best thing is they are cheap enough to have standbys in case batteries run out or you drop one etc
I would be wary of trying the 430 – so many people have said the trigger doesn’t work with it. You don’t get any eTTL, just a plain old manual firing I am afraid
Hi Chris,
i’ve always wanted to get the trigger from Gadgetinfinity, i even saw the solution in strobist on how to prevent it from misfiring. One thing that has been bothering me, does eTTL still works with it? or do you set the 430ex into manual mode for wireless flash?
thanks
It might be a similar issue to the Canon 430?
Hmm possibly! I’m going to try and insulate it with the tin foil technique on the strobist flickr group, but for now I just ordered a PC/Hot Shoe adapter. I’ll keep you updated.
I’ve just bought a set of these and I’m using them with Jessops branded Centon FG105D flash’s. I have one for Nikon cameras and one for Canon cameras, the Nikon one works fine, but the Canon one, not so much. Anyone know what the problem might be?
Has anyone tried these cheap ebay wireless triggers with conventional studio flash? Have they worked well ? Are they as intermittent as the posts above suggest? I was thinking of getting a cheap unit form China or Hong Kong to try using with the Interfit EX150 lights and I was wondering if the unreliability of these trigger units was inherent or more to to with the combination of the cheap triggers with the Canon flashes.
Any thoughts welcome!
Thanks.