Cactus V6 II and Sigma DP2 Merrill
Hello,
I want to create a lighting setup for a Fuji X-Pro 1 and my spare camera wich is a Sigma DP2 Merrill, to work wirellessly with cactus V6 II, using TTL and HSS. I'm looking to flashs like the Nissin i40, i60 or Yuongnuo ones.
Will the Cactus work with the Sigma, and what sort of flash did you recommend me for making all this work nice?
I'm new to flash photography so, I'm a little bit confused about all that
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Thank You for the great products you're making, as I already understand that V6 II seems the unique affordable solution to enable HSS on the Fuji X-Pro 1!
I want to create a lighting setup for a Fuji X-Pro 1 and my spare camera wich is a Sigma DP2 Merrill, to work wirellessly with cactus V6 II, using TTL and HSS. I'm looking to flashs like the Nissin i40, i60 or Yuongnuo ones.
Will the Cactus work with the Sigma, and what sort of flash did you recommend me for making all this work nice?
I'm new to flash photography so, I'm a little bit confused about all that
.Thank You for the great products you're making, as I already understand that V6 II seems the unique affordable solution to enable HSS on the Fuji X-Pro 1!
Comments
So, what I'm projecting, at this time, is to buy a i40 + V6 II transmitter, + one RF60. To use Nissin on camera (with or without V6), when I just need to go lightweighted. Or use V6 II on camera and the two flashes off-camera for outside portraiting. Or a combination of the two ways. Will this setup work nicelly?
You'll never get TTL via radio; just HSS with supported flashes. The only TTL functionality that the V6II supports is "pass-through TTL" for on-camera flashes that sit on top of a V6II transmitter.
Regarding suitable flashes, I'd say the RF60 is a great choice because of the built-in radio receiver. This saves you mounting the flash to a receiver and taking care of an extra set of (receiver) batteries. The RF60 also has some neat features (such as manual delays or a tripod mount) that you won't find on most other flashes.
If you go for the RF60 + i40 combination, don't forget that you'll need two V6II (one has a transmitter and one as a receiver for the i40).
When you mount a V6 II on a SIGMA camera, it will be recognized as "OTHERS" camera system. This means the V6 II will be used as a manual trigger without HSS, similar to the original V6.
And like Class A mentioned above, there's no wireless TTL in the V6 II / V6 IIs system. So the system is not automatic and requires manual control of flash power output.
Hope this helps.
Brand Manager
I realise that for using with Sigma DP Merrill, the fact that V6 II works just as a trigger, without HSS, is not quite a big problem, because DP2M comes with a leaf shutter, thats enable flash syncs up to 1/800 s.That speed is enough for outside portraiting and overpowering sunlight (with decent powered flash), as shown by photographer Bibelas on the following video: http://bibelas-dp.tumblr.com/video
I'm sorry but english is not my first langage so , sometime I misunderstand a little bit
In that case, technically it should work. We do not have one to test so we can't be 100% sure.
The V6 II should recognize the camera as "OTHER" system and you would be limited to camera's x-sync - in your case, since it's a leaf shutter, you can sync up to 1/1000s, which is Cactus V6 series maximm speed.
It can control and trigger V6 II compatible flash models. Please refer to the flash profile for a general idea. You should also consider the RF60, unless you want the flexibility to be able to mount on your Fujifilm X-Pro1. But do you need TTL? If you only HSS, you don't need to spend the money on a TTL flash, the RF60 has transceiver built-in already and supports HSS when you use your Fujifilm.
Brand Manager
I've decided to go for the RF 60 +Cactus V6 II because it will fit my croos platform gear (Fuji X + Sigma).
I'm now aware , thanks to you, that I will not get TTL ...but anyway, I will work full manual , making tests shoots. Not big deal about that.
I was interseted in the compactness of the new Nissin i60, but I wasn't able to get response from Nissin team, about the compatibility with Sigma. And in all the cases , the Nissin wirelless system seems to be dedicated to only one brand of cameras...So I decided to go for the RF60 despite the fact that it's a little taller than the Nissin, bt as I'm going to work most of the time off-camera, it wouldn't be a big problem. In the other hand the RF60 + Cactus V6 II are going to let me work wirelessly with my two cameras, wich is the most important.
So I will let you know how the combo RF60 + Cactus V6 II + Sigma DP2M works.
Have a good day and thank you for the answerings !
Thanks for the update and I am happy you have made a decision. Do keep us posted on how the V6 II works on your SIGMA.
Brand Manager
I've received the RF 60 and the V6 II and made a couple of tests. HSS with X-Pro 1 works like a charm.
I can confirm that the V6 II mounted on top of the Sigma DP2 Merrill fires the flash without problem. I 've tested it at 1/800 s , 1/500s etc, no problem. I've just set the camera setting to 'others'. As easy as plug'n'shoot.
If I can find the time, I will post a vid on youtube.
I've got a question: what is 'power sync', what difference with normal HSS ? Can I use it on the Fuji ?
Thank-you for the great products and your support !
Power Sync can be used on all the V6II-compatible camera systems, including your Fujifilm.
It is another high-speed sync mode which commands the flash to fire a normal flash pulse - unlike the long pulsing one to cover the frame from top to down on a normal curtain shutter. Power Sync differs by using precise timing to sync the flash with the shutter. It boosts up your flash normal full power output too, so we don't recommend using this mode all the time, but it's there when you need it.
Great to hear!
Cool! I am sure other Sigma users would appreciate such a video
Thanks!
Brand Manager