Cheap Chinese Wireless Remote Syncs

**Frank Petronio** · 19-Oct-2009, 06:03

Going to strobe again. Why should I pay $$$ for a Pocket Wizard when these $25 Chinese remotes are on eBay? Any drawbacks? I could buy two or three...

**Paul Kierstead** · 19-Oct-2009, 06:10

I bought one from eBay. The receiver plugs directly into the back of my Monolights (it has 1/4" jack built-in). The transmitter has a hotshoe and cord. It works great in the studio! I suspect its range is a lot shorter and it is much more susceptible to interference than a pocket wizard, but in a single-shooter studio this isn't much of a big deal. When you're shooting remotes in a sports stadium, I expect the pocket wizards are a better value proposition.

**Frank Petronio** · 19-Oct-2009, 06:40

So you just get an adapter to go from Monoplug to Household? (for old American strobes)

**Sevo** · 19-Oct-2009, 06:43

For short distances, there is nothing wrong with them - in particular the more recent ones with 16 rather than 4 channels. If you intend to use them in huge halls of over outdoor distances, something more expensive may be required.

**Bosaiya** · 19-Oct-2009, 06:44

Because if you drop one of the Chinese ones they break. I had to re-solder one and even after it only fires if the transmitter is in a vertical position. Not the end of the world if you're just messing around, but if you're expecting the flash to go off every single time you trigger the remote you may want to weigh how much that peace of mind is worth.

**Frank Petronio** · 19-Oct-2009, 07:24

Well then, in terms of robustness and simplicity -- I don't need the remote to make me breakfast -- which ones are the best? I always had Quantums back in the old days but Pocket Wizards get the marketing these days... And I always had a hard cord for back-up.

Wouldn't it be nice if I could get everything in the kit to run on AA batteries instead of a mix of buttons and 9v's and whathaveyou?

**anchored** · 19-Oct-2009, 07:28

My son bought a set last year from eBay... we tested them against my set of Elinchrome SkyPorts:

a) Range was VERY short... less than 35-feet with any reliability. (almost 900-feet with SkyPorts and they fired every time at that range... beyond 900-feet started to misfire on occasion)

b) Reliability spotty even at close distances (within 20'). (no prob with SkyPorts)

The Chinese units also had a very short life-span... stopped working after several months of use. My SkyPorts are over two-years old and still kicking fine with no problems. He now uses SkyPorts (he borrowed mine so frequently I gave them to him).

I would suggest that that one would be better off using Elinchrome's, or for heavy or professional use using Pocket Wizards. The Chinese units lack of reliability can keep one in a constant state of aggravation and frustration with misfires... especially if you are bearing the expense of using them with expensive film.

**BarryS** · 19-Oct-2009, 07:43

There are several Chinese manufacturers and some of the triggers have very bad reps, but I've heard good things about the Yongnuo RF-602. Supposedly, it has a better build quality and much longer range. I''m sick of getting tangled in my sync cord and I'm either getting the RF-602 or a set of Radiopopper JrX's. The Radiopoppers are also Chinese-made, but designed by a small US company and they already have a decent reputation.

**Ron Marshall** · 19-Oct-2009, 07:51

You could always buy American:

http://www.white-lightning.com/cybersync.html#cst

**Steven Barall** · 19-Oct-2009, 08:14

The thing about Pocket Wizard is that there are a lot of strobe power packs that have the Pocket Wizard receiver built in.

A problem that I've run into over the years is that certain locations have so much electrical interference, the wireless strobe trigger will just not work, either by not triggering the flash or by setting off the flash at random. A really good wireless system handles those types of situations much better. We used the original wireless remote, "The Hawk", (the transmitter is a garage door opener) since the late 1970's (it still works) but started to run into this problem in an office we did a lot of work in so we got a Pocket Wizard and went back into that same office and never had a problem.

I actually now use the wireless system from Alien Bees and I really like it. They make a receiver that plugs in between the flash units own power cord and the flash unit itself so there are no battery issues there. The Alien Bees is also made in America.

You get what you pay for.