Includes pricing and ship dates. That’s all for the show this evening. We’ll have some ongoing discussion on various hot button topics over the next few days. Thanks!!
The official written press release. PDF, 428K
http://radiopopper.com/docs/radiopopper_xsystem_pressrelease.pdf
Enjoy!
What’s the procedure for updating the firmware in the Jr units? I imagine they’ll have to be sent in, correct?
RP EDIT:
This is correct. The software update fee includes return shipping, and same day turn around for the update. (UPS delivers to us before noon, and your updated unit will go back out that afternoon).
the jrx’s still have far too many feature for whats needed for many hobbyists
whilst they may have been worth $75 more than my current modded to hell ebay slaves (90% reliability with fresh batteries) i cant justify spending $168 for the upgrade (more than ive spent in lighting in total to date)
RP EDIT:
I’m not sure what figures you are adding up, but the Basic JrX units are available for less than $50 each when purchased in a kit (a pair for $99).
The new units look great. When can we expect the User Manuals to be available for download – to answer some of the questions that I’m sure will pop up…
RP EDIT:
Final manuals, probably very near the ship date. We will however publish some far more detailed information in the near future.
Yummy. I’ll be stuffing my Christmas ham with several hundred dollar bills with your name written all over them. What?
Nice job. Remind me never to play Dungeons & Dragons with you guys. You’ve got some spooky magic floating around in your brain holes.
Can I upgrade just the tranmitter to PX independently later on?
RP EDIT:
Not sure what you’re asking. Individual current P1 units may be traded up until March 1, 2009. If you’re asking about a JrX Transmitter to PX Transmitter upgrade, there is no direct upgrade path as the units are physically different. ??? Hope that answers the question.
Looks pretty cool indeed.
Any specs on the JrX receiver battery? Is it also a cr123, or a AAA, like the PX units?
RP EDIT:
JrX Transmitter and JrX Receiver both use a single CR123, with capacity for about 20 hours of continual use.
PX Transmitter and PX Receiver both use a pair of AAA’s, also with about 20 hours of continual use.
Interesting! Thanks!
The $50 studio upgrade for the JrX, is that per receiver, or is that just essentially a licensing fee which lets you load the firmware on as many receivers as you have?
RP EDIT:
That is per receiver, similar to a “per seat” license for PC software. This cost also includes return shipping, the time involved to reprogram the unit and test the unit after reprogramming, as well as same day turn around (UPS delivers to us before noon, we ship your unit back out that afternoon).
The new units look really sweet and your pricing is very good. Thanks for keeping them affordable AND I am most impressed by your trade-up offer for the original units.
You put some hard work into the design of these and it shows. Can’t wait to get the new units. If I was to rate these, I would give them a 90%, which is WAY ahead of anything else out there. To make these 100%, you need to make the antenna a foldaway part. It is somewhat bothersome that have to screw the antennas onto the units every time I want to use them.
Keep up the great work!,
Bob
RP EDIT:
Thanks Bob. 90% is way better than any of our team ever did in school, so we’re getting somewhere.
These are amazing, I can’t wait to order! I have the original radiopoppers and I really put them to the test, I absolutely love them. (I’m the girl who put the radiopopper through the lawnmower) – Congrats on the release, I’m sure these will be a big hit!
RP EDIT:
Hey Kim! I knew I recognized your name. (For everyone else reading, she’s not kidding.)
$100 for a JrX transmitter and receiver. I’m in for sure. I don’t want to have to wait two and a half months though.
What is the maximum sync speed on the JrX?
RP EDIT:
1/250 at the least. It is possible a 1/500 or a 1/1000 mode will also be available when the units ship. It is likely that a couple channels will provide the higher speed sync (as it is faster, the reliable range becomes a bit less), and the rest will remain set for 1/250 where activation is very reliable.
Look for an official note on this prior to the ship date.
Does the JrX have a “test” button so I can set off the flash for metering? Is that a power button on the back of the transmitter? If so, can I mount the unit backwards so I don’t hit the power button with my forehead at a critical moment?
RP EDIT:
There is a single button which does three things. A quick tap will send current dial settings to remote lights, a hold of 1/2 second will activate the remotes as a “test” just as if the camera had triggered the unit, and a 2 second hold will power off the unit.
You won’t be able to mount backward, but the production enclosure will have a recess around the button to prevent it from being pressed by a flat surface. Also, the production unit will have a shorter button that won’t extend as far outside the case.
We did take this into consideration and will ensure the final production units are easy to operate with a finger, and not so easy to operate with a forehead or the inside of your camera bag.
Also, I might add that I agree with anonymous above in that I regret having the extra features that the cost of the units no doubt has to underwrite when all I really wanted was a reliable, long range device that just tripped the lights. Don’t have any PCB lights and don’t ever expect to have any. I’ll probably buy some JrXs anyhow.
Do you expect a kit with two receivers?
Hey Kevin (and crew), congrats on the upgraded products, they look amazing! I’m really happy to hear it’s going so well.
One question, unclear on the ‘Jr Studio’, will it control output on a White Lighting/Alien Bee light?? That would be sweet!
And thanks for the upgrade path, thats very cool.
lol – question answered, I just watched the video.
So very cool, I’ll be ordering for sure. You going to come to the OSPW3 in Seattle next April with some of your new toys? Hope so.
RP EDIT:
Didn’t realize it was in Seattle this time around. I used to live up there. We’re going on tour to meet and greet this spring – will certainly put it on the calendar.
What about other kits? 1 receiver and 1 transmitter are fine for some people, but what if we need 1 transmitter and 4 receivers?
I’m impressed with the PX system. It’s a truly unique system, and you’ve definitely listened to your customers. No radio system is perfect for everyone, but this one has some unique flexibility. Sports and wedding photographers are going to love you. Maybe a few paparazzi, too, but I won’t hold that against you.
There’s no such thing as a no-compromise product. Anyone who thinks otherwise has never designed anything before. I appreciate the delicate line RP has to balance on cost, features and value.
So far, I seen RP lean towards higher value (more features per $) over absolute lower cost. That will earn your share of critics, but hopefully, it will make more fans, too.
If I can make a low cost product improvement suggestion, it would be to produce a clear decal on the JrX transmitter showing numbers or clocklike notches next to each dial. The CyberCommander system will be inherently more precise, but a cheap optional sticker can give you at least the perception of more precise intensity control, without the expense of a new mold. You can throw it in the package with the studio upgrade software or something.
FYI, I just found out that CR123 batteries are available in rechargeable form as well…I hate paying for one-use batteries.
[...] ERROR: If you can see this, then YouTube is down or you don’t have Flash installed. Full details here :- RadioPopper Blog
Hello,
I’m a long time amature, who has recently gotten in to strobit style shooting with my Nikon D40x and SB-600… I also got a couple Alien Bee’s 800’s for shooting product shots and occasional portraits. Your new new units look great, but I’m not sure what I should be getting. I realized that I’ll need to get an SB-800 or SB-900 flash as a commander? Or can I use one of your triggers as a commander and control my SB-600 with that? If I want to use my Nikon flash(s) and my Alien Bee’s… which units would I need? It looks like the PX is the whole meal deal, and the JrX is the pared down model, but the JrX the manual dails and the phone jack to control the Alien Bees… As you can see, I’m a little confused as to how to choose what would be best for me to go full cameral flashs, or combined camera/studio flash. Perhaps an example setup chart for some various setups and uses would be helpful for people like me? Thanks!
RP EDIT:
Hey Bruce – we’ll have a Compatibility Guide posted shortly that will clear up the confusion.
Short answer in your case (as it sounds from your question) – if you want to use High Speed Sync and ETTL with your SB-600 units, then you’ll want a PX Transmitter plus another SpeedLight or an SU-800. You can use the PX Transmitter to also manually adjust power levels on the AB lights on the JrX – there’s a level setting in the menu – you’ll use the buttons to click the levels up and down instead of the dials.
You can also run the whole system with the JrX Transmitter, except no ETTL and no high speed sync, and the finger dials are a bit less precise than the exact numerical values of the PX power level settings.
A clarification for me on the use of the JRx transmitter, Jr basic receivers and Canon speedlites.
I am getting the impression from the PDF press release that I could have 3 individual Canon speedlites, or 3 groups of speedlites on 3 different channels,A, B, and C and manualy change the power outout of each chanel light or group with one of the the 3 controls on the transmitter. Not an ETTL system, but all manual control. Is this correct?
Congratulations on the new designs.
Ray
RP EDIT:
This is correct. Only note is that you wouldn’t control them on three different “channels” to avoid confusion of the term, but yes, you can group one or more speedlite units to a given dial, and when activated, they’ll fire per the position of the dial. The only real limitation to this is you’ll get 1/180 max shutter speed with Canon, and 1/200 for Nikon. (It is possible that production units may run 1/250 for Nikon – a final spec released before the ship date of the JrX). Reasons for this limitation will be explained in a future blog entry.
Wonderful new products!
I’m totally new to this entire RP world, can u plz explain how the PX (and P1) system works?
The JrX is triggered from hotshoe that’s easy to understand, but how is PX transmitter being triggered? Is there a connection to the sync port or master flash? How does it get E-TTL/iTTL info signal? Optical sensor?
Thanks a lot!
Great set of triggers. I am most curious about high speed sync. I bought a Nikon D70 recently, only because of the high speed sync. I was hoping you guys would do the trick. The e-bay triggers go up to 1/800 or 1/1000 depending on situation. The pocketwizard is said to go to 1/2000 (plusII) or 1/3000 (MultiMax), but I don’t know how it is in practice.
You say you may make one of the channels high speed, with lower range. For me 1700 feet is too much. I would be happy with 30meters (100ft) and ultra fast sync. Please, please, please.
Anyhow. Great products. I hope this will push the development even further. You guys are great.
RP EDIT:
Keep in mind that “high speed sync” normally refers to a feature built into certain flashes that cause them to strobe super fast as your shutter activates at high speeds. Any standard triggering solution, be it a JrX Transmitter, or a PocketWizard, or whatever – will only allow you to sync at the maximum “x-sync” speed of your camera – usually 1/200 or 1/250. Some cams go to 1/500 and some with certain types of shutters can go to 1/1000.
Our PX Transmitter will allow actual High Speed Sync as described by Canon and Nikon ETTL/iTTL flashes up to 1/8000. The JrX will do at least 1/250 and possibly more depending on our choices with the final firmware.
Will these be available in Europe, more specifically Finland? I mostly shoot quick portraits for magazines and papers (shoot time mostly about 20 min from set up to tear down) so I rely on speedlights. Currently using skyports but having to set my flashes manually takes time that I would rather use shooting, so an ST-E2 and some RadioPoppers is just what I need.
RP EDIT:
Yes – they’ll be available about 8 weeks following the US ship dates.
Can we send in our P1’s for credit now, (before the March cutoff), and purchase the PX’s when we save up enough money to purchase them?
I drained all my “photo gadget cash” on the P1’s and don’t have anything left…
RP EDIT:
Good question. We hadn’t planned to allow anything like that, though we’re still discussing the logistics of handling the trade up (the exact process for the transaction) that will be most convenient for the customers. I’ll bring this up.
This is the sickest dopeness in full effect y’all!
RP EDIT:
Straight up illin’ yo.
The product line-up is brilliant (if not confusing at first)!
I can buy the jrs for PW like control over my SB-XXXs and when I got the extra bucks for the PX, I can use the jrs for my studio strobes!
The ability to mix both lines is impressive! I don’t have to waste two PX’s on backdrop strobes, just use the cheaper Jrs on manual, and leave TTL for key and fill.
I’m just wondering… How do the units attach to your strobes?
They look good!
K
Sorry if this is covered in the video as I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet. However, In the photos it shows the PX transmitter on a Nikon SB-800 or SB-900. Have you developed a good way to mount the transmitter to the built-in commander on the Nikon D80 or D90 cameras, or do they have to be mounted to a SB-800 or SB-900? It appears that the Jr transmitter does attach to the Hot Shoe, but the PX for the iTTL doesn’t, correct?
RP EDIT:
This is correct. We are in process with a mount for Nikon’s pop-up flashes.
I’m good with the $99 price on the tx/rx pair. I know you were hoping for a little less than that, but for a solid product it’s bargain.
For the complainers, consider that even the base model will do everything PWs can but for 1/4 the price. I can’t wait to order!
Another trade-up question, will there be a way to trade P1s in for a credit on JrX units? Say for every $250 in JrX units you can trade 1 P1?
RP EDIT:
Stephen- The trade up will only be offered as credit toward the PX units.
[...] semana com o anúncio do RadioPopper X, que promete correção para os problemas existentes na primeira geração de Poppers, além de [...]
First off, I caught the news about these on Strobist and they look fantastic. Thanks for including a video to outline all of the new products.
My question is a bit different, and please forgive me if this sounds obvious. Pocket Wizard sells some Pre-Trigger cables that can essentially bridge the camera’s remote release port and a PW receiver. The pre-trigger cable tells the camera to remain in ‘awake’ mode as if the shutter were half depressed. Would I be able to plug the Pocket Wizard (or other brand) Pre-Trigger cable into a JrX receiver for use with firing a remote camera via a JrX transmitter mounted ontop of another camera?
Thanks,
Andrew
RP EDIT:
You will be able to use Pre-Trigger cables. The JrX Receiver will accept the same cable used with PocketWizard units. The only limitation is the “ACC” cables which when used by PW MultiMAX allows you to turn the “awake” function on and off remotely. JrX will not perform this function. The normal Pre-Trigger cables have a manual switch and will work as you suggest. The regular “normal” cables will also work.
These look great – however I have a question on the JrX Receiver – how would I attach it to either my Canon 580EX (original) or my Canon 430EX? Neither of them have a cable input – everything has to be done via hot-shoe…
RP EDIT:
This will require an adapter cord between the JrX Receiver and the hot shoe of your flash. These cords are currently available from Paramount. We will suggest various alternate sources prior to the ship date.
When can I get the upgraded units? I would like to send you my three units as soon as possible.
I have a photoshoot the first week of January and would love to get the new units for this. My P1s keep falling to sleep and I am missing heaps of photos. Please help.
Thanks,
Bob Peak
RP EDIT:
PX units should begin shipping 3rd week of January just following the Imaging USA show. You’ll have to stick with your P1’s until then. Keep in mind the P1’s will reset their 7 minute “sleep” timer each time a shot is taken, and each time the link button is tapped quickly to send a test broadcast. They’ll also re-link and re-wake from sleep immediately following a shot – so if you know they may be asleep, take 2 shots quickly back to back – the first will wake the P1’s, the second should activate them normally.
Hi there,
Great job – looking forward to these.
Can your 2 transmitters attach to the PC port of my camera. The Jrx seems to only fit on the hotshoe and the PX on a on-camera flash (or ST-e2), but I’m often interested in having my main flahs on the hot shoe and my skyport (or maybe the JrX) attached to the PC port.
If they can attach to the PC Port what connection do you have on your transmitters?
thanks!
Blaise
RP EDIT:
The JrX does have a mono-plug that can attach by cord to the PC-sync plug on your camera body. The PX has no electrical connection to the camera at all – it just reads the instructions being sent by the ST-E2 which it would be sitting on top of.
If you’re using a PX, you won’t have a need for a JrX as the PX sends the same trigger instructions as the JrX during each shot. The PX will handle the entire ETTL/iTTL groups, ratios, pre-flash, etc – then once all that is done, while the shutter is still open, the PX will send a command to cause any JrX receivers to also trigger, just as the JrX would have.
What about Pentax? Will the PX and the JrX be compatible with their equipment?
RP EDIT:
If not in the first shipment of units, almost certainly by the second shipment of units the firmware will include hardware profiles for Pentax, Olympus, and Sony. Stay tuned to the blog for this. We’ve designed the firmware on the PX to be modular so we can add to it new profiles for new cameras very easily. We’re getting Canon and Nikon all smoothed out right now and will finish beta testing the other brands profiles just following.
Probably yes.
I’m following the PX release closely as I’m in the market for a reliable radio sync system for portable studio style shoots.
The X products seem very impressive from the release notes thus far.
Can you confirm or add to your compatibilt list whether the Nissin Speedlite Di622 for Canon ETTL II Cameras functions properly with the PX transmitters and receivers?
RP EDIT:
We haven’t tested with any Nissin products, but I am familiar with them. I would expect the product to work as expected with any system that sends or receives the Canon or Nikon ETTL/iTTL “language”.
Hi,
Thanks for your quick response to my post (3 above).
From my understanding I do not agree with your comment “If you’re using a PX, you won’t have a need for a JrX “. I can see the both filling a different need for me (I don’t have an ST-E2, but have a few 580exII):
- If I want to use ALL my 580 flashes to light (rather than waste 1 for controlling) then I would use the jrX system (in manual mode),
- if I want eTTL and am ready to dedicate one flash for the control than I would use the PX transmitter.
The absence of an electrical connection on the PX is a slight drawback in my opinion in the very particular case above.
Have you run any test on the Sigma 530 Super for Canon with your RP?
thanks,
Blaise
RP EDIT:
Not specifically, but any flash that is otherwise compatible with Canon 580EX type units, or the Nikon CLS system should be compatible with the P1 and PX units. The PX will very likely roll in support for Sony, Olympus and Pentax hardware in the next month or two.
I’m very interested in the PX’s; it solves the Nikon CLS “line of sight” problem that’s plauged us from day one.
This question has been asked above but it wasn’t answered: how do the PX transmitters and recievers mount? I use a Nikon SU-800 and SB-800’s with the extra-battery battery cover (which is right next to the IR sensor). Do I have to use a rubber band? Glue? Will the reciever fit with the SB-800’s extra battery?
Thanks,
Dave – LentoLux Photography
RP EDIT:
As the battery access on the PX is now on the top, you can semi-permanently mount the units to your flash. It’ll work fine to use velcro, but we’ll suggest using some high strength double sided tape.
The receiver units do fit fine on an SB-800 with the extra battery. Take a look at the photos in the blog of the PX – one of them shows a PX Receiver on an SB-800 with the battery compartment open – this is the space normally covered by the extra battery.
Hello, I have a newbie question. I am working with the Canon 40D and two 580EX II Speedlites. I was going to buy the PW’s, but while reading a review on Amazon I saw the RadioPopper name. I love the quality of the Radiopopper design and am excited about the new X series.
My question is what will I need to make my setup work? I want to use both flashes off of the camera. I notice the JrX doesnt support ETTL. But the PX transmitter doesnt have a hotshoe and all of the images on the video show the PX transmitter attached to the flash mounted on the hotshoe of the camera. Please explain to me what configuration will work best for me considering that my flashes will be off the camera.
Thanks in advance,
Mike
RP EDIT:
As the PX unit “reads” the signal from a Master flash, you will require one unit on camera. This can be a SpeedLite, or you may also use the Canon ST-E2 transmitter – which just sends a signal to remote slaves without producing light of its own. They are around $220 at B&H. The ST-E2 is very easy to use and it’s quite small compared to a full flash.
Nice job on the design of the new PX units. Im glad that the pesky fiber wire is gone. I emailed the design team 6 months ago saying they should create thses units to mount right on the I.R. window and remove the wire. Well good job on that. I will be upgrading soon.
Thanks,
John