****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
THE SHORT STORY (if you just want a summary): In my opinion, the Pixel King gives a lot of bang-for-the-buck. If you want TTL and on-camera control at a reasonable price, these are a good option. I spend less time making adjustments and more time taking photos. They can open up a lot of creative options, and so far seem to be well designed, well built, easy to use, and highly reliable.---THE LONG STORY (if you want more details): A note about me and my gear so you'll know my perspective. I'm not a pro. I'm just a guy who likes to take pictures. When I have free time, I shoot everything including landscapes, wildlife, street scenes, sports, portraits, and my cats. My rig is simple: a Canon XSi/450D with various lenses and a 430EX II speedlite.To open up creative options, I wanted to get my flash off-camera. First, I looked at PocketWizards. They are awesome, but are too expensive for my budget. Next, I looked at CowboyStudio manual triggers. While inexpensive, they do not support TTL or on-camera control, which I wanted.Finally, I found the Pixel King. They looked like the perfect middle-ground on price and features that I wanted. I purchased them and have been very satisfied so far. They arrived on time in good packaging. A few test shots with the XSi and 430EX II revealed that they functioned properly.A few days ago I used them to remotely pop my flash at a house party. The main room was large with high ceilings and dim ambient lighting. I placed the transmitter on my camera hot shoe. I placed the receiver and flash on top of a tall entertainment center on one side of the room. The head was pointed up to bounce the flash off the ceiling. Test shots revealed that automatic metering left the exposure a little dark. With a manual trigger, I would have had to climb up to the flash and adjust the power. However, with the Pixel King, I simply dialed in +1 flash compensation on the back of the camera and the exposures were just right.Throughout the day I made other adjustments with on-camera menus. It saved a lot of time and effort, and also saved a lot of photo opportunities that would have otherwise been lost. Over the course of about 4 hours, the flash was triggered over 300 times. It worked EVERY TIME. It triggered from across the room, around corners, even through walls. All the modes worked as well, including 2nd curtain and high-speed sync.
