So you want to trigger your flash, but don’t know what equipment to get?
There are many different ways of triggering your flashes, and the number of options can be overwhelming. What’s more, some triggers are better than others in certain situations, and some are just plain rubbish, but you can’t tell this from the price alone!
With the rate of new products being released, web pages which were once a good reference are now out of date. This guide aims to be up to date in comparing the merits of each triggering system. For an in-depth guide to using different types of triggers, have a look at this article by DPanswers. For German speakers there is an excellent Strobist Hardware FAQ here.
Radio triggers have many of the functions offered by optical triggering but with more reliable signal and longer range. Some of them also act as remotes for cameras. More advanced (and correspondingly more expensive) wireless remotes will give you radio TTL and remote control of your flash power settings.
So that you don’t waste your money buying dodgy cheap triggers, or underwhelming overpriced ones, we have made a comparison table with all the important specifications. If you think anything is missing or inaccurate, contact us and we’ll put it right. With this chart you can search for products of interest, sort by price, by feature and by brand name. The listed price is for a basic kit – usually a transmitter and receiver, or a pair of transceivers. Use the table at your own risk!
Key
- Price: estimated cost of a basic kit, usually a box set or a pair of transceivers. May vary with time/location.
- Hotshoe:Â is it natively compatible with speedlights? Otherwise you’ll need a cable.
- TTL:Â can you use your off-camera flashes in TTL mode with these triggers?
- Manual:Â is it possible to control the manual power levels of remote flashes via this trigger?
- Fast Sync: can it synchronise above the camera’s X-sync?
= High Speed Sync or FP Sync with TTL speedlights
= fast manual sync or ‘HyperSync’ with studio flashes
- Shutter:Â does the device also work as a wireless shutter release for a camera?
- HV:Â is it safe to use the receivers with flashes that have a high sync voltage?
| Brand | Price, USD | Hotshoe | TTL | Manual | HSS | Shutter | HV | Range, m | Frequency | Channels | Batteries | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aputure Trigmaster | 45.5 |  . |  | | | . | | 100 | 433 MHz | 16 | AAA | Review |
| Aputure Trigmaster 2.4G | 27.99 | . | | | | . | | 120 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AAA | Review |
| Aputure Trigmaster Plus | 60 | . | | | | . | | 100 | 433 MHz | 16 | AA | |
| Aputure Trigmaster Plus 2.4G | 60 | . | | | | . | | 120 | 2.4 GHz | 6 | AAA | Review |
| Bowens Pulsar Transceiver | 229.98 | | | | | . | | 100 | 433 MHz | 4 | AAA | |
| Bowens Pulsar Tx | 189.95 | | | | | | | 25 | 433 MHz | 24 | CR2032 | |
| Cactus V2s | 32.95 | . | | | | | | 10 | 433 MHz | 4 | CR2 | |
| Cactus V4 | 39.95 | . | | | | | . | 30 | 433 MHz | 16 | AAA | |
| Cactus V5 | 59.95 | . | | | | . | . | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AAA | Review |
| Canon ST-E3 + 600EX-RT | 948 | . | . | . | . | . | | 30 | 2.4 GHz | 3 | AA | |
| ComTrig G430 | 59.99 | . | | | | . | . | 150 | 2.4 GHz | 5 | AAA | Review |
| ComTrig H550 | 119.99 | . | | | . | . | . | 150 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AAA | Review |
| CononMk 3G Two-Way | 93.34 | . | | . | | . | | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 32 | AA | Review |
| eBay PT-04TM | 19.99 | . | | | | | . | 10 | 433 MHz | 4 | AAA | |
| Elinchrom Skyport | 180 | | | . | | . | | 120 | 2.4 GHz | 8 | Li-ion | |
| Fomex Dr. Ray | 249.6 | . | | | | . | | 300 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AAA | |
| Fotodiox PocketWonder Elite | 69.95 | . | | | | . | | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AAA | Review |
| Godox Reemix | 29.99 | . | | | | . | | 100 | 433 MHz | 16 | AAA | Review |
| Hahnel Combi TF | 89.95 | . | | | | . | | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AAA | |
| Hahnel Tuff TTL | 160 | . | . | | . | | | 200 | 2.4 GHz | AA | Review | |
| Interfit i SYNC 4 | 59.99 | . | | | | | . | 30 | 433 MHz | 4 | 23A | |
| iShoot PT-04 A | 24.99 | . | | | | | | 30 | 433 MHz | 4 | AAA | |
| iShoot PT-04 B | 19.99 | | | | | | | 30 | 433 MHz | 4 | AAA | |
| iShoot PT-04 C | 24.99 | . | | | | | | 30 | 433 MHz | 4 | AAA | |
| iShoot PT-04 CN | 14.99 | . | | | | | . | 30 | 433 MHz | 4 | AAA | |
| iShoot Sniper | 79.99 | . | | | | . | . | 300 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AA | Review |
| MeiKe MK-RC7 | 28.79 | . | | | | . | | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AAA | Review |
| Ojecoco H-430 | 57.6 | . | | | | . | . | 150 | 2.4 GHz | 5 | AAA | Review |
| Ojecoco H-550 | 90.24 | . | | | . | . | . | 150 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AAA | Review |
| Paul C. Buff CyberSync | 159.9 | | | | | . | . | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AA | |
| Paul C. Buff CyberSync+ | 180 | | | . | | . | . | 45 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AA | |
| Phottix Aster | 52.07 | . | | | | | . | 30 | 433 MHz | 4 | CR2 | |
| Phottix Atlas | 113 | . | | | | . | . | 100 | 433 MHz | 4 | AA | |
| Phottix Odin | 350 | . | . | . | . | | . | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 4 | AA | |
| Phottix Strato | 83 | . | | | | . | . | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 4 | AAA | Review |
| Phottix Strato II Multi | 98 | . | | | | . | . | 150 | 2.4 GHz | 4 | AAA | Review |
| Pixel Bishop | 120 | . | | | | | | 200 | 2.4 GHz | 7 | AA | Review |
| Pixel King | 130 | . | . | . | . | | | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 7 | AA | Review |
| Pixel Knight | 180 | . | . | . | . | | | 65 | 2.4 GHz | 15 | CR2 | |
| Pixel Opas | 144 | . | | | | . | . | 400 | 2.4 GHz | 4 | AA | Review |
| Pixel Pawn | 74 | . | | | | . | | 80 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AAA | |
| Pixel Rook | 90 | . | | | | . | | 200 | 2.4 GHz | 4 | AAA | Review |
| Pixel Soldier | 74 | . | | | | . | | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AAA | Review |
| PocketWizard FlexTT5 | 428 | . | . | . | . | . | | 33 | 433 MHz | 32 | AA | Review |
| PocketWizard MultiMax | 295 | | | | | . | . | 500 | 433 MHz | 32 | AA | |
| PocketWizard Plus II | 338 | | | | | . | . | 500 | 433 MHz | 4 | AA | |
| PocketWizard Plus III | 278 | | | | | . | . | 500 | 433 MHz | 32 | AA | |
| Profoto Air Remote | 521 | | | . | | . | | 300 | 2.4 GHz | 8 | AAA | |
| Profoto Air Sync | 446 | | | | | . | | 300 | 2.4 GHz | 8 | AAA | |
| RadioPopper JrX Basic | 139.95 | | | | | | . | 530 | 900 MHz | 16 | CR123A | |
| RadioPopper JrX Studio | 159.95 | | | . | | | . | 530 | 900 MHz | 16 | CR123A | |
| RadioPopper PX | 498 | | . | . | . | | | 530 | 900 MHz | 16 | AAA | |
| Seculine Twinlink | 149.99 | . | | | | | | 183 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | CR2032 | |
| SMDV FlashWave 2 | 250 | . | | | | | | 50 | 433 MHz | 10 | AA | |
| SMDV FlashWave 3 | 149.99 | . | | | | . | . | 180 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AA | Review |
| Strobeam FSK 2.4G | 83.95 | . | | | | . | | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | Lithium | |
| Tamrac MicroSync | 149.95 | | | | | . | | 30 | 433 MHz | 4 | CR2032 | |
| Tamrac MicroSync II | 129.95 | | | | | . | | 60 | 433 MHz | 16 | AA | |
| Viltrox JY-2410 | 62.25 | . | | | | . | | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 4 | AA | |
| Yongnuo CTR-301P | 20 | . | | | | | . | 30 | 433 MHz | 4 | CR2 | |
| Yongnuo RF-602 | 30 | . | | | | . | | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 15 | AAA | Review |
| Yongnuo RF-603 | 30 | . | | | | . | | 100 | 2.4 GHz | 16 | AAA | |
| Yongnuo YN-04 II | 28.99 | . | | | | | . | 30 | 433 MHz | 4 | CR2 | |
| Yongnuo YN460-TX + YN460-RX | 365 | . | . | . | | | | 200 | 2.4 GHz | 7 | AA |