CAD
I get this question quite often. Many of the new mirrorless cameras and DSLR’s, certainly the full frame ones do not have a built-in flash. That means that in order to trigger a strobe the camera will need to send it’s signal through the hot shoe connection.
There are two ways to trigger the strobes this way, let me explain and outline the pros and cons:
- Electronic connection. By using this method, your camera’s hotshoe is wired to a bulkhead which is then wired with a sync cord to your strobe. This is great since you don’t have any additional circuitry or electronics but this also does not support TTL and it requires you to take good care of the sync cord’s o-ring. I usually put it as one more O-ring to worry about and one less battery to worry about.
- Fiber optic trigger. There are many fiber optic triggers in the market, some like TRT offer TTL as well. These are little devices that connect to the cameras hot shoe and have a battery inside and 2 little LED’s at the front. The LED’s light up just like a flash but with a very low power, then a fiber optic cable transmits that light through a little window and connection on the top of the housing to the strobe. This is cool since you can both get TTL and you dont have to worry about another bulkhead in your housing which can potentially leak.
Most people choose the fiber optic cable option. It’s useful to note that Ikelite do not allow for a fiber optic connection (the housings have no little windows and no rooms for triggers) so you have to use their proprietary bulkhead and sync cords. Plus , if you want TTL, you have to get Ikelite strobes.
About the Author
Mari Herrarte
Mari has been diving for 15 years and loves spending time in the ocean, surrounded by nature. She is also passionate about photography and capturing the beauty she discovers underwater.
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