Features:

-16″ long
-Multiple placement locations for Brackets.
-Ability to fold down to easily storage and mobility in provided bag
-Very solid construction.
-Customizability in possible configurations.
-Can lay flat to be flash stand on table or surface
-Fast setup and breakdown
-Ability to hold 4 flashes with 2 mounting plates or extra thumb screws and cold shoes on one baseplate.

Basic kit contents:

-main boom
-baseplate
-hardware for two cold shoes that can be slide along the baseplate to any position.
-positing handle
-carabineer and hook to hang accessories and sand bags.



Before with the standard umbrella swivel and softbox combination where you ran into issues was when tilting from inside the softbox the stand could not go any further than the opening in the bottom fabric of the softbox would let it. If you had the mount at the end of the shaft allowing for maximum light spread you could basically not tilt down at all. If you then slid it all the way back basically jamming your speed light into the back you could tilt an little more but not much. This would effect your light spread and your ability to add more than one light would be limited because of space and location.

Example of limited tilt at end of umbrella shaft:

Example of limited tilt if put all the way in the back causing limited light spread:

Example of tilt use with Multi-Boom:

As seen above to solve this the joint needs to be below the softbox allowing for full tilt capabilities. This is where the Phottix Multi-Boom 16″ comes in. Basically it is an extension shaft with a platform to mount different flash and battery pack/ trigger combinations to. So you tilt the whole softbox and bracket with the umbrella swivel.

Note: You really need an metal umbrella swivel to hold it safely because of the increase in weight torque. Manfrotto makes one, and so does Phottix and a few other companies. The manfrotto one seems easier to adjust because the join is smooth the Phottix ones has teeth for extra security and you lave to loosen it more meaning you need to hold the full weight of the setup while adjusting.

Some metal swivel options are:

Manfrotto 026 Swivel Umbrella Adapter (Lite-Tite)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/546375-REG/Manfrotto_026_026_Swivel_Umbrella_Adapter.html

Phottix Varos II BG Multi-Function Flash Shoe Umbrella Holder
http://www.phottixstore.com/store/phottix-varos-bg-multi-function-flash-shoe-umbrella-holder.html

Testing:
When I got the bracket the first feature I was excited to see was how much I could tilt my softbox because before I could barely tilt it limiting its use before. I quickly pulled it out of the shipping box. It was in an nice bag I pulled it out grabbed my softbox and started setting it up. I was able to tilt it all the way pointed down you also can tilt all the way back 180 degrees. This allows for that high up key I like. The one important part here is to have an strong metal umbrella swivel, and to weight your stand. It will tilt down with two flashes all the way fine but any little push on the stand it could easily turnover. The optional hand grip you can add weight to it and that helps. In addition to weight at the bottom of the light stand. However I was able to set it up without any sandbags fine. I also like the quality of it is very very study the cold shoes lock better than other ones I have used in the past. Also the ability to slide the cold shoes along the baseplate was very nice. You just un-tighten and slide to where you want them and tighten down on the baseplate. I have some other brackets and the cold shoes that came with those are no were near the quality of this bracket. You can also position the baseplate position up and down the main shaft to allow for the flashes to be at the optimal location for flash center coverage depending on your configuration. This also allows for you to balance the weight on the bracket some. There are different position holes for positioning the baseplate. It is very easy just unscrew the thumb screw and then move to the location you want then put it back in. I would however recommend doing this when no flashes are on the bracket so you won’t accidently cross thread because of any accidental tilt. It is pretty fool proof but I would not risk it. Also he thumb screws tighten down nice and are easy to use.

Whats a review without example shots and who better to test it on then my wife with our next child on the way. This was shot with the softbox tilted down from upper camera right angled down.

Example from Will’s shoot with the new bracket and softbox upper camera left.

My video review:

Customization:

Like described earlier there are most likely going to be options to add baseplate’s, or additional cold shoe hardware that will slide capabilities. However that is not finalized as yes or no at the time of writing this review what extra hardware you can buy. There are a couple of options from where to get the hardware. What I did was use what I had. That is what most photographers on an budget do right? I had some cold shoes and some thumb screws. So I used the 1/4 thread hole that is put on there for the battery packs and used it for the cold shoes I already had. Because we are dealing with all threaded parts because of the hole it was a little tricky. What I had to do is use gaffers tape to create a sort of rubber washer to allow for the cold shoe to tighten down all the way. I plan on going to the hardware store to find an better solution. I then had a 4 flash setup. Mainly I started using 3 flashes and one cold shoe to hold my radio receiver.

The possible additional hardware there are a few additional ¼ thread points on the bracket that are designed for connecting a battery pack. You can get things like a ¼ hook and hang stuff like pocket wizards or anything with an sling. You also can mount whatever you like. This is another thing I love with this bracket is you set it up to suit your needs. I sort of hack all of my photography equipment to suit my needs and this one really gives you options to try. The stability was awesome. I was not scared of carrying it around and moving it. I have had flashes fall off stands in the past and how solid this is I felt very safe. Still like always make sure you have everything tightened down correctly.

Another thing I like about the bracket is I have an another tri bracket I feel because my old bracket has my flashes hanging on their sides it is putting an non needed amount of pressure on the hot shoe. I can now mount 2-4 without side pressure on the flashes with the new multi boom.

Pros:
-Very sturdy
-quick setup and breakdown
-Customizable and flexible to different setups.
-Wide tilt range.
-Can fold down for easy storage and portability

Cons:
“I couldn’t find any cons, so I made them up…”
-Can not attach 40 speed lights to bracket
-No provided gremlin to setup it up or break it down mischievously for me.
-No pez dispenser

Conclusions:
Would I recommend this bracket to any one with an umbrella style softbox, some one wanting an mini boom setup with an umbrella, or some one wanting an flexible platform for multiple flash’s and battery packs? Yes I would in an moment. It is quick and easy to setup and very study. This is something that I am now going to bring around with me to most likely most of my shoots where I plan to use off camera lighting.

Where to buy and price?:
You can get the bracket directly from phottix here: http://www.phottixstore.com/store/studio-accessories/phottix-multi-boom-16-flash-bracket.html
The price is 69.99$ USD.

The bracket is designed by our very own in the strobist community Elvis Pahr. You can read his post on it here. http://flashhavoc.com/phottix-multi-boom/

“Image Note: Stands not included”

I was given the opportunity to be a tester of a new product from Cactus Imaging. Cactus definitely has a will to create the most useful and best product for photographers, putting their product through its paces, and getting additional must have features and fixes implemented before they go production. I am truly amassed by how they worked with us testers to come up with solutions that we suggested.

Overview:
The new Cactus Laser Trigger LV5 is an laser trip trigger. It is compatible with basically any trigger/ or shutter release that takes an pc or 3.5mm connection for triggering. This can be attached to flashes or other radio triggers. In addition to this one over unique feature is the fact that cactus imaging decided to integrate an Cactus v5 transmitter directly in the laser trigger. This means that if you have an Cactus V5 flash trigger already no cable needed to trigger the flashes or the camera if you have an cable for the v5 to use as a remote shutter release. You can also connect the LV5 directly to your camera via a compatible cable for your camera.

This trigger opens up a whole new world of possibilities from wild life photography to High speed photography. It is left up to your imagination on what you can do with it.

Main Features:

• Duo Mode Triggering (DMT) Cactus LV5 can be
  triggered by: (1) blocking the transmission between the
  laser Emitter and Sensor; or (2) removing the object
  between the laser Emitter and Sensor.
• Works wirelessly with Cactus V5 and
  subsequent V5-compatible models. Cactus LV5 combines
  laser and radio frequency (RF) technology in a single
  device. With a built-in Cactus V5 transceiver module in
  the Sensor, LV5 allows you to take instant camera trap
  photos with an unlimited number of portable flashes,
  wirelessly!
• Long working distance, the laser Emitter and the Sensor is up to 150 meters.
• Works under sunlight. The LV5 not only works under
  ambient light, its intelligent design also allows it
  to work under sunlight.
• Supports single and continuous shots. Supports bulb
  shot. The LV5 offers endless possibilities for your
  creative works.
• Shutter Delay and Freeze: Shutter delay and post-shutter frese period adjustable in 15 divisions

Package Contents:

• 1x LV5 Emitter
• 1x LV5 Sensor
• LV5 hood
• 4x AAA batteries. 2x needed per component
• 3.5mm to 3.5mm and 3.5mm to pc cables
• User manual and Poster, along with Delay/Freeze information stickers.

Review:

I have always wanted to mess around with high speed photography however the problem was normally you had to MAKE a device or buy an expensive multi trigger device where normally you have to rig up your own laser pointer.  The cool thing that cactus did is make their system  with a emitter, and an sensor, both are adjustable, can mount on a cold shoe mount, or any standard 1/4-20 thread!  This means instead of making some awkward setup with tape and clamps and what not. You can already use the light stands, and tripods you already have and have a full adjustable placement.  Another very cool feature is along with 3.5mm port used to trigger your flashes, flash trigger, wireless shutter release or camera through shutter cable you are able to wireless trigger you cactus v5 flash triggers because it has a built in v5 transmitter in the sensor. When I first got the triggers I did not realize this and was attaching one of my v5 transceivers to the 3.5mm port. Then I realized it had it built in, I was very pleasantly surprised with that bonus.

High Speed Photography Testing:
Because it is winter time I was unable to test the wild life photography examples. However I was able to test what I really want the trigger for and that is high speed photography.

When it comes to high speed photography you really need to be dealing with the flash duration normally and not having the laser trigger actually trigger the camera. The way I set it up is that you have the Cactus LV5 transmitting the signal to an Cactus L5 transceiver connected to the flashes. You can also have the flash directly connected, or have a third party wireless trigger attached to the Cactus LV5 to trigger the flashes. At this point you put the camera in bulb mode or setting you shutter to stay open for 1-3 seconds. You trigger the event by something passing through the laser beam and the flash will freeze the subject.

Cactus from working with testers added features that improved the creative capabilities of the laser triggers. Theses features were the delay adjustment and the freeze time. The reasons for this was so that we could set up the laser above or in front of where we want the picture to be taken. This way we are able to time things like splashes and to prevent the laser from being seen in the picture. The freeze time is so the flash would not trigger again right after the initial trigger. That way it would not trigger multiple times for a single exposure.

To set the freeze or delay there is a switch on the sensor. You can set it to delay or freeze then you use the adjustment dial to change the time. They include a nice time table for adjustment.

Testing delay:

This is the picture showing what happens with no delay set.

This is an example of a 30 millisecond delay. You can tweak this so you can get your object in the right place.

Conclusions:

The Cactus LV5 is a interesting product. It has opened up opportunities that I never would of been able to do in the past. I have always been very interested in high speed photography and now I am able to dabble in it. In addition to that it opens up an wide variety of photography projects from wild life photography to basically anything. I hope to in the spring to be able to capture things like bees and birds around my yard. Also I want to do things like mid air self portraits. Pricing is not yet announced however they are trying to keep the price point as low as possible.

Pricing and Availability:
The LV5 will be available starting Monday, March 4, 2013. Keep your eye for it on gadget infinity page www.gadgetinfinity.com .

Price will be 89.95$US.

User Manual for complete reference:

http://brianhurseyphotography.com/files/130130-LV5-Manual-LowRes.pdf

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5 web sized images for use on your favorite social media sites.
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DVD with 25 or more images in high-res, low-res and personal usage license
Print package of (1) 8×10, (4) 5×7 (6) 4×6 (8) Wallets

For Package 1 and 2. With a 300$ or more print order Free DVD of session in high-res, low-res and personal usage license

Now taking Check, Cash, and all major credit cards.

So now for art I am using film. I like using it for architecture and city scape type of shots. To me it feels more real each shot is at a cost and value. You want that shot to count. So when you take your picture you think allot more about what angle you want to shoot how the light looks and what colors are in the shot.

Right now I am enjoying trying out different film unfortunately more and more types are being discontinued. It seems Fuji Film is keeping more of a variety of film still going than Kodak. Colors contrast and grain are different for each film. It is pretty fun. I am starting to Like FujiColor 200.. It gives some nice greens and blues that are great for architecture pictures but not really for Portraiture. I will post my thoughts on the different film in a later post. I wanted to use this post to show some of my favorite film pictures from the past few months. I want to try 120 film next.

Last month me and my friend John decided to take a day to driver around and take pictures. We went to Athens and Madison GA and all over the place around there. It was 14 hours of straight shooting fun, and I can not wait to do it again.

The Photographers:

Athens Pictures:

Madison GA:

Covered Bridges:

I will post a picture a week

The other method is by using a stereo splitter y adapter. I plugged this into the mono port on the transceiver then I connected 2 flashes via cables. Note i believe if you use 2 flashes with two different voltages you will have issues and it can cause damage. However if say you have 2 flashes at the same voltage or close to the same voltage you should not have issues. I tested this with a canon 580EXII and a LP160 also it was tested with a Nikon SB24 and an 580EXII all have similar trigger voltages. Rudy normally is good at this stuff so he might chime in..

Note: gadget infinity does not endorse the use of this configuration and are not responsible from any damage caused.. I also am not responsible ether.. So do at your own risk. It may be very dependent on what flashes you use.

The first test was with the Cactus V5 on the hot shoe of the camera and then I had the Cactus v4 transmitter on the hot shoe of the Cactus V5 transceiver. With this setup it was able to keep up with the native sync of my camera 1/250. So next I tried to connect it to the on camera V5 transceiver via cable. This triggers at 1/250 also. The problem with this method is the V4 transmitter is either on you hot shoe of the V5 that could accommodate a on camera flash for on axis key. Or if you had it connected via cable it would be flopping around on the cable.

Note: This is how the triggers would be set up on camera. I don’t have a second camera to take the picture of it on camera.

The next test was to put the V4 transmitter off camera on one of the receiving v5 transceivers. I tested this via sync cable. It worked well but with further testing I was able to only get 1/200 without banding with fresh batteries. This may be conditional so the sync speed my differ. This is caused in the delay I believe of the radio signal between the v5 transmitter and the v4 receiver. There are just to many wireless layers.. Rudy discussed the more technicalities of the radio delay in his review. Rudy’s Rants Cactus V5 Review

Over all the work around I believe is really useful. In both methods are very useable in most situations you run into in real world environments.

Note: Gadget infinity does not endorsee or support this method of triggering and are not responsible for any damage caused.. I also am not responsible for damage caused.

EDIT update from John Wallom: Be very careful if you are using this for a business and read the Mac App Store license very carefully. This is not a commercial license for Aperture. The Mac Store license allows you install it on machines owed by the purchaser, and not a business.

Packaging:

The cactus V5 comes in the same style packaging that the cactus v4 came in It is in a nice black box with foam. This is quite useful and I normally when traveling to shoots keep the triggers in their original boxes.

Contents:

• 2x Cactus v5 transceivers
• 2x Flash stands
• 1x 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable
• 1x 3.5mm to pc cable
• 1x 6.35mm adapter
• 4x AAA batteries
• 1x When Light Dances 2 album
• 1x User Manual

Specifications

• Working Radio Frequency: 2.4 GHz
• 16 channels selectable
• Support sync speeds up to 1/1000(subject to cameras native sync speed limitation)
• Maximum effective distance: 100 meters (328feet)
• Operating temperature: -20ºC to +50ºC
• Dimensions: 82mm(L)x70mm(W)x37mm(H)
• Weight: 58g
• Power input: 2x AAA 1.5V batteries
• Flash voltage handling: up to 300V
• Camera voltage handling: up to 6V

Features

• EXCLUSIVE! Frequency Self-Tune (FST)

The Cactus V5 transceiver will intelligently and automatically adjust its frequency under extreme conditions.

• NEW! Support for maximum sync speed

The Cactus V5 is designed and tested to obtain any sync speed, so long as it is supported by the camera (e.g. 1/1000s for some Nikon Models “ie D40″, and 1/250 for Canon “Rebel series and 10D-60D” some high end Canon models limited to 1/200.

• NEW! Multi-channel triggering

Trigger up to 4 sets of flashes separately or all at once. Simply switch the transmitter to Channel “1″ to trigger all flashes whose receivers are set to Channels 1 to 5.

• Solid Performance

Maximum range of 100 meters and operating temperature of -20ºC to + 50ºC

• Transceiver design

Cactus V5 can be used both as a transmitter and a receiver. Operating mode is changed through a mode switch on the side.

• Mulit-functional

Cactus V5 can operate as a either a wireless flash transceiver or a wireless camera shutter release. This includes auto focus and bulb functionality on select cameras.

• Two hot shoe ports

Apart from triggering wireless flashes, you can also fire a flash on top of the transmitter, simultaneously.

Design

The Cactus V5 is designed as a transceiver meaning that it can be on camera as a transmitter or off camera as a receiver. Because of this some design features had to be a certain way. However first let me get to the positives. We all like good news first right.

The ability to have a flash on top of the transceiver while on camera is a nice feature. It allows for run and gun types of situations along with the ability to do on axis fill lighting setups. This is a big + for me.

The battery compartment has been re designed It seems more solid and easy to access. Also it does not take any weird expensive battery. Instead it takes the common AAA 1.5 v battery. It is a click lock kind of design. Kind of like how you remove the pcmcia cards on laptops.

The hot shoe on the top and bottom are both metal adding for strength and stability.

The switches the channel dial and the mode switch are easy to access on the side of the transceiver.

The design aspects that I do not like is the placement of the screw mount. It will not work on my tripod plates or my light stand. The fix to this is to use a cold shoe on the light stand to mount it. After talking to cactus they were not able to put the thread at the same height as the shoe because on certain Olympus cameras it would of prevented the ability for the transceiver to fit on the camera. It seems like the thread was just an add on not a main design feature. The Pocket Wizard TT1 does not even have a tripod thread on it so even high end triggers do not have that as a main design consideration.

Another down side to the v5 is the added size because of the additional circuitry. Its not to the size that it is unusable it just is bigger than the v4.

The cactus V5 will not trigger cactus V4 receivers so they are not compatible. I have a non supported work around more on this in a later post.

Battery Compartment demo:

Testing

I have had the triggers since December 17th and I have done some tests and have used the triggers many times.

Reliability

The triggers are very reliable I have not had one miss fire since testing. Although I never had miss fires with the v4 also. The move to the 2.4GHz looks to be a good improvement.

Stability

Locked down the transceiver seems solid on both the camera and on the cold shoe of the light stand.

Demo of strength and stability… I risked my 400+$ Canon 580EXII in this test and the v5 did not let me down..

Distance

The Cactus v5 is rated for 100m reliability and they win that easy. I was able to sync at 100% 1/250 at 100m (328 feet). I was able to trigger the flash successfully well beyond that range to 630feet. My building at work is 600 feet long. I ran out of room im sure it would of triggered beyond that distance. I was about to fall in a ditch so I stopped walking. However because of the fact that the sun went down not thinking I dropped down to 1/40 to get my test picture nice and exposed. So I am going to retest the sync speed at 100-200m range. Note on minimum usage. The cactus v5 was not designed to work at very close range. They will not trigger 100% if transmitter and receiver are less than 6 inches apart. Have yet to test if this still is effect with both in receiver mode. Need additional transceivers to test.. This is as designed and normal.

See the following review for Pocket Wizard vs Cactus V5 testing. The test results are quite impressive. http://www.flickr.com/groups/strobist/discuss/72157625637331217/

Image from Microsoft maps.

Shutter release

A nice new feature of the cactus v5 is the ability to control the shutter remotely with an extra cable. The way it functions is if you half press the button it focuses the camera. Then if you press the button the rest of the way it fires the shutter. This is designed to act the same way the default button works on your camera. The shutter release also has the ability to go into bulb mode. If you hold the button all the way down until the light goes off in bulb mode it will hold the shutter open until you press the button again. This is nice if your going to go out and shoot long exposure a tripod at night. A nice side effect of this is if you set the camera to rapid fire and you hold the shutter release down it will keep firing until you push the button again . The speed is of corse limited on your camera the settings and how much your buffer can handle.

Price

The price is very reasonable for the feature set that is included with the trigger system.

Cactus Wireless Flash Transceiver V5 Duo
Retail price: USD 59.95

Cactus Wireless Flash Transceiver V5 Single
Retail price: USD 34.95

Conclusion

The Cactus V5 Duo is a vast improvement over the cactus v4 and v2 series flashes. It is a more flexible system with more features. I definitely am going to be buying another set in the near future.

If your looking for a trigger system to move to or to start out with check this system out its definitely a worth the money.

Pros:

• Reliability 2.4GHze operational frequency. No longer issues with Canon EX flashes..
• Range 100m+ even in cold weather
• Ability to select flashes group or single
• Works as wireless camera trigger
• Ability to use flash on camera while triggering off camera flashes. Good for on axis fill.
• Move to AAA standard batteries
• High Voltage compatibility trigger voltage of 0-300V
• Low batter indicator light
• Hot shoe lock down
• High max sync speed
• Free flash stands

Cons:

• Tripod thread location makes it not compatible with some stands and tripods. Cold Shoe solves this.
• Larger size
• Issues transceivers within 1-6 inches of each other firing reliably(I have not verified if this changes when in receiving mode.) So for micro use a cable.
• Incompatibility with cactus v4.. See work around here.
• Higher power consumption compared to the v4. Unfortunately more features new frequency more power.
• No on-camera TTL pass through for transmitter was left out to reduce price point.