To anyone who uses pocket wizards.

[davidp]

Hey!

Just wondering where you place your pocket wizards on your LF cameras... Do you just tie the Hand Strap around the lens or let it dangle.. or just hold it... or velcro on the lens board and stick it on that?

If anyone could say how they do it, that would be great!

Dave.

[adrian tyler]

i do a loop with the cable round the triopd and let it hang down from there, thus ensuring that the connection does not get tugged.

[Tony Lakin]

What is a pocket wizard?, perhaps a tiny version of Harry Potter?:confused: :confused: :confused:

[davidp]

Pocket wizards are used to sync with flashes wirelessly, so no sync chords or anything, you can put flashes pretty far away (1600ft or something) and they fire, only thing is their expensive. Worth it for the photography I do I spose!

www.pocketwizard.com

[Struan Gray]

I use a cheapie ripoff radio trigger on a Sinar monorail and mount it on an otherwise useless doodad that clamps round the rail and provides a small platform and a 1/4-20 screw. A PC-hotshoe adapter with a tripod thread in the bottom and I'm good to go.

Sinar F and P models had a hotshoe/accessory shoe adapter that fitted into the slots in the sides of the format frames. If you wanted to do something similar with a Norma like mine you could screw a simple adapter into the top of the standard uprights.

[Scott Davis]

The one time I used one, I looped the little hand-strap to the front standard of my Canham 5x7 Woodfield, then let it dangle where it may, since I wasn't moving the camera very much, and it was just as easy to focus with the rear standard. That said, i didn't like them very much- shooting LF, I didn't have the need for the mobility they provide, so they did nothing for me that a $20 sync cord could do, other than lighten my wallet by another $350 or so.

[Scott Knowles]

Mine sits in a hotshoe extender in the hotshoe (Horseman HD). It can't sit directly in the hotshoe because it shorts the PW, but works great in a small extender commonly used with any 35mm camera. I do all the testing with a digital (Canon 5D) and use the 35mm film camera(s) and the 4x5 when I like the exposure and images.

[Fred L]

I usually just hang it off the focus or swing locks. don't want to stress the pc socket or cord.

[Frank Petronio]

A rubber band makes a good "safe" loop that will break first if the transmitter snags on something, and you can just twist it around a standard or knob, depending how active you are with the camera.

[aphexafx]

I got tired of hanging my PW's off of my movement controls:

So, I use a Manfrotto utility spring clamp that does everything, and includes a small ball head with a shoe mount. Not only can this thing be clamped to any surface or view camera, it can also mount strobes, mount onto light stands, and also mount brolly shafts etc. Among other things, I clamp it to my camera support and it holds my Pocket Wizards at any angle, where I need them - easy to fire manually, etc. Brilliant.

Action shot: http://www.manvsbigmachine.com/users/mattlowery/misc/manfrotto_clamp_pw.jpg

Not cheap, but wholly industrial and endlessly useful - does anything in a pinch; saves lives. I want two more.

You can get them on eBay, this is exactly what I'm talking about:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=110314366542

Cheers!

[Photojeep]

On my Sinar, I hang the transmitter from its loop on the thumbscrew at the lower edge of the front standard that holds the bellows holder.

At school my students use a Toyo 4x5 and the transmitter hangs by its loop from the front standard "pole" upright.

[Tracy Storer]

Not much use to anyone except other ULF'ers, but I put mine on top of the bellows behind the front standard. The top of my bellows is 10" wide, so I don't fear the Wizard falling off.

[Allen in Montreal]

Dave,
I assume after the three months since this thread was started you have found your groove, but I am with Fred, I hang it where ever there is no tension on the sync cord. On my older units, pre hand strap, I use heavy elastics doubled up and hung on whatever will hold it well.




I usually just hang it off the focus or swing locks. don't want to stress the pc socket or cord.

[cjbroadbent]

I find them very awkward to place. If you stick it in the hot-shoe of an SLR you look like a dork. On LF they dangle and drop when you raise the column. But since I have a drawer-full (17) tripped-over synch cords I think I shall carry on with Wizards.

[aphexafx]

"I find them very awkward to place."

I tell ya, that doohicky I mentioned in post #10 is wickedly swift...

[Steve M Hostetter]

I use mine with a light meter and velcro it to the meter pouch to get a meter reading.. My lens has no shutter

[cjbroadbent]

..... My lens has no shutter
The real thing! That's how to tell the men from the boys - not by the price of their toys.

[Steve M Hostetter]

Lumidine uses smaller units and are about half the price of the pocket wizard

[Steve M Hostetter]

The real thing! That's how to tell the men from the boys - not by the price of their toys.

My favorite lens,,, with a barrel lens you have no excuse for getting it wrong..

[Steve M Hostetter]

Lumidine uses smaller units and are about half the price of the pocket wizard

Correction: don't know where I got Lumidine//// scratch that I mean't Elinchrom

[aphexafx]

Elinchrom's SkyPort system is nice if you have Elinchrom strobes. However, they do not appear to be anywhere near as useful as PocketWizards are. I use PW's to trigger strobes, of course, but I also use them to trigger my cameras (even my RZ67) and sometimes to trigger special effect devices, etc. And my Sekonic light meter triggers them as well, which is, well, it’s fantastic.

If I put my strobes on channel 2, and my camera on channel one with relay, then I can set my light meter to channel 2 and take light readings, and simply switch it to channel 1 to trigger whichever camera I'm using, which in turn triggers my strobes in full sync. Life has never been so good.

Pocket Wizards are just plain brilliant to work with! And the SkyPorts aren't THAT much smaller anyway. :)

[Steve M Hostetter]

I could never get the PW's to work ... I use Broncolor so the Elinchrom works fine but I think they fit any powerpack with the right sync attachment cable

[Steve M Hostetter]

and Elinchrom's units are about 1/3'd the size of pocket wizard

[Robert Oliver]

Pocket Wizards multimax units are the way to go if you are doing complex lighting setups....

being able to turn off one, two or three of your four strobes is a huge bonus when quickly wanting to change your lighting setup in the blink of an eye.

Great range, reliable and some of the best customer service on the planet.

[MikeSeb]

I got tired of hanging my PW's off of my movement controls:

So, I use a Manfrotto utility spring clamp that does everything, and includes a small ball head with a shoe mount. Not only can this thing be clamped to any surface or view camera, it can also mount strobes, mount onto light stands, and also mount brolly shafts etc. Among other things, I clamp it to my camera support and it holds my Pocket Wizards at any angle, where I need them - easy to fire manually, etc. Brilliant.

Action shot: http://www.manvsbigmachine.com/users/mattlowery/misc/manfrotto_clamp_pw.jpg

Not cheap, but wholly industrial and endlessly useful - does anything in a pinch; saves lives. I want two more.

You can get them on eBay, this is exactly what I'm talking about:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=110314366542

Cheers!

These are called Justin clamps; B&H and the other retailers carry them regularly. About the same price as the eBay seller.

[aphexafx]

These are called Justin clamps; B&H and the other retailers carry them regularly. About the same price as the eBay seller.

Thanks, good to know.