Nikon Order of Operations, OI Addendum
I just picked up a pair of V6 triggers after seeing an ad; the ability for remote power adjustment is what sold me. Everything seems to work perfectly but may I offer a suggestion for future versions of your ops manual? For at least the Nikon SB-700/910 flashes it is critical that the following order of operations be followed when connecting with the V6: 1)Turn flash ON in TTL mode, then 2) Turn on V6 to Rx mode.
Nowhere did I see such a reference in the operating instructions. If the V6 is turned on before the flash, a warning will come up on the flash screen to switch to Manual mode (and with the SB-910 it's forced into A mode). It is only when the flash is turned on before the V6 that the connection works. The instructions indicate the following…
1. Set the V6 transceivers to the correct mode (transmitter to “TX”, receiver to “RX”). This will automatically power on the transceivers (see Section 9.4).
2. Set both TX and RX to the same channel (see Section 9.5).
3. Assign RX unit(s) to A, B, C, or D group and activate the group(s) on the TX (see Section 9.6).
4. Connect the V6 RX to portable flashes or studio strobes.
The instructions indicate the V6 is turned on before connecting to the flash, which for Nikon will flat out not work (at least with my SB-700. The remedy is easy enough; just cycle the power of the V6 off and back on and the flash should connect. But you can save some initial frustration by adding the simple note above for preparing your flash (TTL mode, may not be immediately obvious as the system is not using TTL other than passthrough), and turning on V6 after connected. Don't know if this is the same with Canon, can only speak to Nikon.
Other than that the system appears to work perfectly and I’ll be adding another pair to fill out my coverage. Nice work.
Nowhere did I see such a reference in the operating instructions. If the V6 is turned on before the flash, a warning will come up on the flash screen to switch to Manual mode (and with the SB-910 it's forced into A mode). It is only when the flash is turned on before the V6 that the connection works. The instructions indicate the following…
1. Set the V6 transceivers to the correct mode (transmitter to “TX”, receiver to “RX”). This will automatically power on the transceivers (see Section 9.4).
2. Set both TX and RX to the same channel (see Section 9.5).
3. Assign RX unit(s) to A, B, C, or D group and activate the group(s) on the TX (see Section 9.6).
4. Connect the V6 RX to portable flashes or studio strobes.
The instructions indicate the V6 is turned on before connecting to the flash, which for Nikon will flat out not work (at least with my SB-700. The remedy is easy enough; just cycle the power of the V6 off and back on and the flash should connect. But you can save some initial frustration by adding the simple note above for preparing your flash (TTL mode, may not be immediately obvious as the system is not using TTL other than passthrough), and turning on V6 after connected. Don't know if this is the same with Canon, can only speak to Nikon.
Other than that the system appears to work perfectly and I’ll be adding another pair to fill out my coverage. Nice work.
Comments
I agree your suggestion what is convenient for the Nikon user while Canon flash doesn't jump from TTL mode to A or Manual mode. However, the V6 and Nikon flash have to follow the startup squence (Nikon flash --> V6) . Whenever the Cactus V6 is switched on, it recognizes the flash at the first time according to the flash profile in the setting. Then It has a pop up fire to confirm the flash.
On the other hand, when this startup sequence is reversed (V6 > Nikon flash). The V6 is not able to recognize the correct flash profile in middle of its operation. The V6 may be possible to have negative effect, such as inaccurate power level. To prevent this conflict, we don't recommand to switch on the V6, then turn on the Nikon flash.
But, if this is what you must do it. You can use the Flash Unlock function on V6. Simply UNLOCK once and press any button when done. The V6 will check the flash profile again. It will have a pop up flash to confirm. Another way is to turn off the V6 and turn it back on. V6 will check the flash at the startup.
I'm thankful for your suggestion. If you have any idea, please feel free to share with us.
Cheers!
Very soon indeed, but it can only be done in the next version.
FYI Nikon is relatively glitchy to work with, for us as third party at least. Thanks!
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