LPA Design has announced a new accessory for their new remote radio wireless TTL flash system which I have previously written blogs on – the FlexTT5 and MiniTT1 – a simple to use Zone Controller.
Pocket wizard zone controller sitting on a FlexTT5
Now unfortunately, the FlexTT5 and MiniTT1 still has not reached Australian shores so I have not been able to try one, let alone buy them for my Canon system, but I am very keen to do so as they add some nice functionality, not the least, high speed sync at full flash output.
The main problem with this new system is that to change the settings, you need a laptop, and to set zone output levels, you need a flash like the Canon 580EXII sitting on top of one.
The new accessory, the Zone Controller helps make life easier by sitting in the hotshoe of a camera-mounted FlexTT5 or MiniTT1 unit, and then each of 3 zones of remote flash units can be easily controlled with 3 main modes:
Auto:
- this allows you to dial in a flash compensation value in 1/3rd stop increments to +/- 3EV and in addition, takes into account the camera’s FEC setting which will apply to all 3 zones.
Manual:
- this allows you to dial in a manual power output of each flash down to 1/64th power.
Off:
- not surprisingly, this means that zone is not triggered.
For simplicity, there are 3 thumb dials to control the level for each zone and a switch for each zone to set the mode.
If you want to have a flash on camera, then a 580EXII on a FlexTT5 or MiniTT1 will probably suit your needs better than the Zone Controller, but for other purposes, the Zone Controller will be very nice indeed.
It is expected to be available in the US for Canon systems in August/September 2009.
