This entry was written by Patrick Dean, editor of the photography news and review website, Neutralday.com.

Working with off camera flash is a path that many photographers eventually head down to improve or amplify their studio and possibly even out of studio results. And while it unquestionably can contribute to greatly improved results and huge sparks of creativity, it can also contribute to a photographer's frustrations, either by learning curve or technical issues. One such technical issue is the wires needed to trigger the flashes from the camera, or line-of-sight issues caused by a flash on-camera failing to "see" the off-camera flashes and trigger them. The solution is simple, a wireless trigger system, but naturally a host of options can make a simple solution, quite complicated.

Options

Most photographers will be familar with PocketWizard's products and more recently Radiopopper's triggering systems, both effective, and both quite expensive. Alternatively there are cheaper triggers to be had, like Cactus and Cybersyncs, as well as many EBay options, that offer substantially lower prices, and arguably less reliability. All of these options are well worth considering, indeed choosing a triggering system means balancing a ratio of price vs. feature set vs. reliabilty to suit your needs. There is one option that strides down the middle though, the Elinchrom EL Skyport system.

About the Skyports

The Skyports offer manual shooting only, so there's no ETTL shooting (camera automatically controlling flash exposure), nor is there the ability to use high speed sync. But the Skyports do offer a great degree of reliability (fire consistantly and from great distances) and longer term, are able to directly control Elinchrom "RX" type strobes from the transmitter on camera. If you don't have Elinchrom strobes, the Skyports are a "universal system", meaning you can put the transmitter on any camera with a hot shoe, and it will fire any flash that the transciever can connect to. We've put the transmitter on several different cameras, like the Nikon D3s, an Olympus E-P2, etc., and have had no trouble firing a trio of Canon 580EX II speedlights. You can even use multiple flash brands.

The best way to start with the Skyport system is to get the Universal Trigger Slave Set, which includes one transmitter, one transciever, a carrying case, battery for the transmitter, charger for the transciever, and several connecting cable options for attaching the strobe to the transciever. Some research is warranted to make sure your strobe or speedlight's necessary cable is included, we had to purchase a screwlock pc sync cable for the 580EX II's. This set costs well south of $200, signicantly cheaper than PocketWizards or Radiopoppers, and additional transcievers are less than $100.

Connecting

Connectivity couldn't be easier. After installing the included battery in the transmitter, and charging the transciever, just put the transmitter on your camera's hot shoe. Then connect the transciever via the appropriate (and likely included) cable to your strobe or speedlight. Press the test button to confirm everything is working and you're good to go.

The Good and Bad

Reliability has been very good with the Skyports. They can be counted on to fire every time (if your flash is ready) and work at great distances about 50m inside or 120m outside according to Elinchrom. I've done some testing that does point to lengthy distances, but remember some effectiveness is lost if the unit is "hidden" by a light modifier, like a softbox. Still, in a typical setting, you should have no issue with the Skyports.

As for the negatives, the Skyports are simply constructed from plastic and their aerials seem very vulnerable to being broken off, so at minimum you'll want to handle them (the aerials) with care. Left in a bag the on/off switch can be easily turned on, potentially draining the battery before desired. Finally, the switches for changing channel frequencies if working around other photographers using a wireless system are painfully small, essentially requiring a paperclip to change. Outside that, there isn't much bad to say about the Skyports, if you've already accepted their manual shooting capabilties.

Conclusion

For photographers in need of an affordable wireless triggering system that can be counted on to fire strobes and speedlights reliably, I "Highly Recommend" the Elinchrom EL Skyport Wireless System. These compact and light little units can be counted on to fire consistantly, while being quite affordable. If you don't feel comfortable with manual flash setups, then you'll need to look elsewhere (and pay much more), otherwise strongly consider the Skyports, especially if you have or will have Elinchrom strobe units in the future.

Availability

Get the Elinchrom Skyports from your favorite camera retailers like B&H Photo or Amazon:

• Elinchrom Universal Trigger Set at Amazon
• Elinchrom Universal Trigger Set at B&H Photo

To find out more about Elinchrom's Skyports and additional Elinchrom products check out their website, www.elinchrom.com