RadioPopper Jr.
If announcing radio based ETTL wasn’t exciting enough, we’ve got another announcement that should have you cheering. It’s
our goal to change the way people shoot, and there’s still another fundamental issue that needs solved in this industry.
We need a low cost and highly reliable standard radio based triggering system. There's a niche that needs filled in the
amateur and pro-sumer world.
We stripped the standard radio triggering feature off of our P1 model in an effort to further reduce size and
cost - but we’re giving this feature back in the form of the RadioPopper Jr. The Jr. will be a standard no-frills
studio strobe triggering device. It won’t sport the TTL or infrared bridging features offered by its older
brothers, but it will fill the need in our industry for a simple device that plugs to the PC-synch plug on your
camera and reliably triggers manual strobes.
And we’re going to offer it at a ridiculously low price.
Designed with the highest quality radio components, cutting no corners, real world range projected to 2000+ ft, legitimate
FCC certified radio slaves, and we’re going to do our best to put them in your hands for $25 each. We'll release a final
sales price once everything is in line for production. We can make reasonable estimates at this time, but do understand
the final sales price may be a bit off of that figure. Regardless, it'll be affordable for the average photo enthusiast.
In the development of the RadioPopper P1 and P8, we’ve had to overcome many prohibitive obstacles to getting a new product on
the market - starting the manufacturing process, dealing with licensing, marketing, and all the other high overhead costs
associated with every new product - especially those emitting radio signals. This puts us in a unique position of being
able to roll out a followup product like the Jr. without re-expending all those heavy startup costs.
Benefits for Everyone
Profit margin?
We plan to cover our production and labor costs leaving a slight markup. That markup will be largely recycled back into the industry in support of various efforts to benefit photographers and their families in times of need. We've all come across word of another photographer facing a major life crisis and in these times of need, a little financial help can really go a long way. The photography industry has been very good to the people behind this product, and long story short, we'd like to see more people have access to off-camera lighting and we would be happy to support other noteworthy efforts along the way.
When amateur photographers see dramatic improvements to their work, it encourages them to push the art even further. Low cost radio transmitters do exist, but their reliability is questionable. Then there are the high quality and highly featured name brand radio devices made for the commercial market. These advanced devices are very useful, but they’re outside the justifiable price range of many amateurs. We’d like to fill the niche - allowing amateurs and hobbyists to grow their work with more advanced lighting setups that won’t brake the bank.
When can I order one?
The RadioPopper Jr. is a pretty simple design - currently existing only on paper. Though with our experience developing our other products, we're certain the transition from concept to production will go quickly and smoothly. We expect to roll it out later this spring after the release of the P1. We’ll pair up the certification effort and costs with the certification process of the upcoming P8 and save some money. The Jr. will likely enter production right along side the P8. The Jr. will use the same radio system as other mass produced and widely exported consumer electronics, so we expect near worldwide availability. More announcements to follow.
Specs
- Size: "really small"
- Power: one "AAA" size battery
- Batt Life: several months
- Range: 2000++ ft. real world
- Antenna: compact external, high efficiency
- Ship Date: Summer 2008
- Price: about $25 each