Last Updated on 02/06/2013 by Chris Gampat
This has been a very big and long issue in the radio transmission world for a while. When the 5D Mk III and 1D X were announced and finally hit the shelves, photographers found themselves having issues with their trusty PocketWizard Flex and Mini radio units that trigger flashes. For years, these have been the industry standard for TTL transmission to Canon Speedlites. But something went terribly wrong.
In response, PocketWizard went on record to say that they were working round the clock to fix the issue and that is also the reason why they couldn’t get back to customer service inquiries that quickly. Not long ago, they found a solution for the 5D Mk III. And today, they’ve announced new firmware for the radios to fix any issues with the Canon 1D X.
But has history repeated itself? Years ago, Quantum used to be king in the radio trigger business. Then for some odd reason, their radios went haywire and would make flashes go off randomly and suddenly. Around that time, MAC Group (a company I used to work for) swallowed up PocketWizard and because of the company’s excellent marketing tactics, they were able to outdo Quantum when they were down.
In the meantime during this service error, Canon has introduced their own wireless radio system, the Plus III has been absolutely remarkable (though without TTL transmission), Phottix has created the excellent Odins, and Yongnuo now has their own radio system with their flashes. While I haven’t seen the sales numbers as of recent, it makes me wonder if something did indeed happen to sales to the professional market. To be fair though, PocketWizard is an established name in the industry.
ControlTL MiniTT1 / FlexTT5 Canon Beta Firmware
Beta Firmware Version: 6.201
New Key Features:
Compatibility with Canon EOS 1D X:
The following Canon gear is now supported in this beta firmware release:
- Canon EOS 1D X
The Canon 1D X will work in the ControlTL® system with some important operational considerations:
- Manual power control only – No TTL. TTL is not currently available when using the 1D X with a MiniTT1 or FlexTT5. See additional information on the next page.
- Manual power control operates normally, which includes the following functions:
- Manual power control for X-sync
- Manual power control for HSS
- HyperSync®
- Rear Curtain Sync
- AC3 ZoneController with the zone set to “M” for Manual
- Manual power control of compatible flashes like Einstein E640, AlienBees, White Lightning, and select Elinchrom flashes
- Improved HyperSync performance. New HyperSync enhancements allow for the 1D X to perform well when shooting with studio flash above X-sync.
- PowerTracking with the Canon 1D X works with “Full Manual” and the new “Full Manual + FEC” setting. Other PowerTracking settings are not available at this time.
You can download the new firmware update here.
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