Customer Reviews

RadioPopper JrX Studio Kit with Transmitter and Receiver

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I generally shoot sports in an area that's wide open with no interference, the farthest i ever am from any given receiver is about 85 yards however these things misfire (read: don't fire at all) too often. I borrowed a friends pocket wizards at the last event i shot and they fired without issue the entire night in the same venue with the same strobes, etc. I've replaced the batteries multiple times without luck, i've tried different channels, different settings, different groupings, etc... The only thing I haven't done is replace the stereo cable that comes with the radiopoppers.

I was at Sammy's camera in LA recently and got on the subject of the radiopoppers with the clerk there. He asked how I liked them and i told him the above. He mentioned he hears a lot of complaints about them misfiring and people are generally happier with the PW's.

The JRX system is a very convenient manual flash system. I've been using it for about a year and trigger 3 flashes with it. I found that it is a little tricky to get started due to the order of operation needed to power on all of the devices. I think it's stated in the directions, but there is an order you need to follow to ensure the flashes fire or else they will fire at max power or not at all. This is my only complaint about the system. Other than that, the Poppers have been fantastic and reliable so far. Just remember to read the directions in regards to initializing each device; it's a little annoying having to remember the sequence, but worth the trouble.

These triggers occupy a very special niche in the world of triggers. Before now there have been two types of triggers you could buy.

- Manual triggers: Transmitter sends a signal to the receiver, which then fires your flash. AKA "dumb trigger".
- ETTL triggers: PW Flex system along with the Radiopopper P1. These are very advanced systems which will transmit an ETTL signal from the transmitter to the receiver, resulting in automatic flash adjustment as if the flash were on your camera. VERY cool and also very expensive ($200-$250 per unit)

Along comes the Jrx system. They will basically allow you to manually adjust remote flashes with the knobs on top of the transmitters. This negates you having to walk over to each individual flash and adjust the power. This can potentially save a LOT of time if you have to carefully fine tune multiple lights. Note that that the Canon and Nikon triggers have different hardware and firmware, so be sure to specify which you get if you want interoperability with a certain brand of camera and flash. Both versions have a phone jack which you can adjust the power of your Alien Bee strobes remotely. Again, these features are very nice and generally work well.

I have used these triggers extensively in a wedding and portrait environment for over a year. The relationship has been rocky to say the least. When they work they are brilliant. The problem is that they are tough to get working.

Here is what I have found. The electrical connections are VERY picky. Since you are transmitting an ETTL signal (modified) instead of a "dumb" single channel voltage, there is much greater opportunity for signal corruption if your connections are insecure or dirty. This issue is compounded by the fact there are a few too many "connections" with this system.

I used with with a 580EXII on-camera flash in conjunction with my remote 430ex flashes. Here is how it was setup.
5d Mark II sync port --> PC sync cable going to Jrx transmitter velcrod to flash --> Jrx Receiver velcrod to 430ex remote flash --> stereo cable going from receiver to cube --> cube acting as a "hot shoe" for remote 430ex flash. That makes for a lot of pieces and connections to go wrong. And believe me everything has to work perfectly to get reliable performance.

The problems I ran into with this system is that over time the connections of the cube - both to the flash and from the stereo cable - become compromised. The electrical connections become insecure and performance becomes flaky to non-existent. The performance of the system was generally very good at the beginning, then just got worse and worse over time. Radiopopper replaced a faulty cube for me about 6 months in, then replaced another cube about 11 months in. Each time replacing the cube helped my issues, but they slowly came back.

Radiopopper support was generally very supportive throughout this whole process. My problems with the system peaked around month 11 (out of a 12 month warranty). I became so frustrated with the inconsistency of the system what I wanted them to do was just offer me a complete replacement. Instead they tested the units, claimed they were fine (though mysteriously replaced a cube) and sent them back to me. The triggers worked "ok" for a couple weeks, then slowly flaked out on me again.

After much frustration and many embarrassing moments in front of clients, I finally sold these triggers a few months ago. Since then I bought two sets of Phottix Strato II triggers and they have been absolutely flawless. They are fully manual "dumb" triggers, but the design is MUCH more robust and reliable. I couldn't be happier with these.

In short, I think Radiopopper has a serious problem with these triggers. The idea is fantastic and the function is excellent at first. Long term durability and reliability is quite poor though which is why I would recommend the working professional avoid these.

I bought a sender and 2 receivers, and one of the receivers was faulty. So, the company was to send me a new receiver in time for a photoshoot, but did not arrive this week, maybe next week. Fortunately, I borrowed a friend's receiver and it worked great. Seems like there are some weak electronic components being sent out, without a lot of quality control monitoring it. It's a small, surging company with a good idea, but lousy customer service.

I was hesitant to buy these because of some of the negative reviews, but I had to try them because they sounded perfect for me. I use Alien Bee's and Nikon Strobes and I am not a fan of TTL. I have used these for some family portrait location shoots at fairly close range and they have worked perfect. It is realy nice to control the output three lights right from the camera especially if I am using a more powerful Alien Bees for the main light and Nikon Strobes for accent and fill. I chose not to go with the "RP Cubes" to control the Nikon Strobes and bought some sync cords from "buffo1995" on Ebay. Flash Zebra also sells simular cords. I think the direct cord from the Radiopopper Receiver to the strobe will be more relaible than the hot-shoe connection. I do not do sports photography and do not need the range that sports photographers need. I have not used them at a wedding yet, but have done some testing in various locations and have not had any problems yet.

Ive had some experience working with these, a friend let me borrow them but warned of its quirks and tricks I'd need to watch out for. It was troublesome, and overall loved the idea of the convenience they offered but they didn't do much for me since the overall system was faulty. Might have been the use but knowing my friend, he takes really good care of his things, so unless they were defective---this product isn't built well for the price

maybe i got a faulty product? but you do not want to go to a sit in with the miss fires this thing produces. save up and get pocketwizzards or us get cheap japanese triggers

Love this company!!! The price compared to Pocket Wizard is Crazy!!! I love how you can control the power output of the flash from the transceiver without having to actually go to the flash itself and change the settings!!! Loving them so far!

I have had this system for a little bit now, and the bottom line is I don't like it and I wouldn't recommend it. It misfires like crazy. I've tried different channels, etc. It's cursed.

Bottom line... I wouldn't recommend this product to a friend.

Length:: 4:01 Mins

I've been waiting for something like this for years! Having to take up and down the strobe on the stand to change the flash intensity has been a pain in the neck. Finally someone has made a device that works well! We did many test shots in the house and out in a field under power lines and it fired every single time and we were able to make proper adjustments from the back of the camera. The only thing that would make this perfect would be some way to make the knobs a little bigger. Check out the video to see more details.